By Aaron Bearden
A look at the Cup Series playoff situation leaving April’s trip to Texas Motor Speedway.
Race: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Race No.: 9/36
Winner: Chase Elliott
Stage Winner(s): Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain
Winners
- Chase Elliott: I don’t think there was any fear of Elliott missing the playoffs for a second-straight year. But if there was, it can be disregarded now. Elliott finally broke through for his first win since October 2022 in Texas, locking himself into the playoff field and rising to fourth in the standings. Now that the monkey’s off their backs, the No. 9 team can focus on snagging playoff points and trying to get back to the Championship 4.
- Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain: These two were each contenders for the win on Sunday, but Larson lost a wheel and Chastain crashed on the last lap. But they did win stages, so at least they have something (a playoff point) to take from the weekend.
- Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe: With Ford winless and struggling for pace, maximizing points at each race is key for the manufacturer’s drivers. So even without a win, finishes of second (Keselowski) and sixth (Briscoe) are positives for this pair. Briscoe is 14 points above the cutline in 12th leaving Texas, with Keselowski just one point out as things stand.
- Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace: This pair of 23XI Racing teammates each scored 40 points in the Lone Star State, helping them rise 52 (Reddick) and 39 (Wallace) points above the cutline heading to Talladega. This has been a quietly solid year for His Airness’ team so far.
Losers
- John Hunter Nemechek: Another week, another poor result for Nemechek. What looked like a potential dark horse playoff run in the opening weeks has turned into a mid-pack mess for the No. 42 team. Nemechek crashed out in Texas and is now behind teammate Erik Jones in the standings, 57 points below the cutline.
- Michael McDowell: Finishing one point below Nemechek was McDowell, the two-time Cup winner having crashed out of a battle for the lead. He’s now back to 23rd in the standings, 66 points below the cutline and likely in need of a victory to make the playoffs for the third time in four years.
- Alex Bowman: His Hendrick Motorsports teammates all either dominated early or contended for the win late, but Bowman’s race was ended by an early crash before he could fully show the potential of his No. 48. The 37th-place result leaves Bowman just 11 points clear of the provisional cutline in 14th.
- Ryan Blaney: A Next Gen winner at Texas (remember the 2022 All-Star Race?), Blaney had a quiet day at the track Sunday – that is, until he was caught up in a late crash. Blaney came home 33rd and has faded to seventh in the standings, which is incredibly still the highest points place for a Ford driver. You have to go back to Briscoe in 12th to find the next one.
Playoff Grid
| Rank | Driver | Wins | Points | Gap |
| 5 | William Byron | 3 | 297 | 69 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 307 | 90 |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 1 | 335 | 156 |
| 4 | Chase Elliott | 1 | 303 | 87 |
| 10 | Christopher Bell | 1 | 250 | 33 |
| 18 | Daniel Suarez | 1 | 210 | -7 |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | 0 | 318 | 101 |
| 6 | Ty Gibbs | 0 | 280 | 63 |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | 0 | 278 | 61 |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | 0 | 269 | 52 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 0 | 256 | 39 |
| 11 | Ross Chastain | 0 | 247 | 30 |
| 12 | Chase Briscoe | 0 | 231 | 14 |
| 13 | Chris Buescher | 0 | 229 | 12 |
| 14 | Alex Bowman | 0 | 228 | 11 |
| 15 (t) | Joey Logano | 0 | 217 | 0 |
| Playoff Cutoff | ||||
| 15 (t) | Kyle Busch | 0 | 217 | 0 |
| 17 | Brad Keselowski | 0 | 216 | -1 |
| 19 | Erik Jones | 0 | 179 | -38 |
| 20 | John H. Nemechek | 0 | 160 | -57 |
| 21 | Austin Cindric | 0 | 159 | -58 |
| 22 | Carson Hocevar | 0 | 152 | -65 |
| 23 | Michael McDowell | 0 | 151 | -66 |
| 24 | Ryan Preece | 0 | 137 | -80 |
| 25 | Todd Gilliland | 0 | 132 | -85 |
| 26 | Josh Berry | 0 | 130 | -87 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 0 | 127 | -90 |
| 28 | Austin Dillon | 0 | 122 | -95 |
| 29 (t) | Corey LaJoie | 0 | 120 | -97 |
| 29 (t) | Noah Gragson | 0 | 120 | -97 |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | 0 | 112 | -105 |
| 32 | Justin Haley | 0 | 98 | -119 |
| 34 | Harrison Burton | 0 | 85 | -132 |
| 35 | Zane Smith | 0 | 78 | -139 |
Above the Cutline
(All But) Locked In
Winners: William Byron (3), Denny Hamlin (2), Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez
Drivers 60+ points up on the cutline: Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney
Safe (For Now)
Drivers 40-59 points above the cutline: Tyler Reddick
In the Danger Zone
Drivers within 40 points of the cutline: Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano
Below the Cutline
Within Reach
Drivers within 50 points of the bubble: Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Erik Jones,
Looking For A Win
Drivers 51+ points below the cutline: John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Cindric, Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, Ryan Preece, Todd Gilliland, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, Zane Smith
Race Results
- William Byron
- Kyle Larson
- Chase Elliott
- Bubba Wallace
- Ryan Blaney
- Joey Logano
- Tyler Reddick
- Alex Bowman
- Ryan Preece
- Chase Briscoe
- Denny Hamlin
- Erik Jones
- Todd Gilliland
- Ross Chastain
- Chris Buescher
- Kyle Busch
- Carson Hocevar
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Ty Gibbs
- Noah Gragson
- Michael McDowell
- Daniel Suarez
- Austin Cindric
- Brad Keselowski
- Josh Berry
- Kaz Grala
- Josh Williams
- Daniel Hemric
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Justin Haley
- Zane Smith
- Corey LaJoie
- Harrison Burton
- Austin Dillon
- Christopher Bell
- John H. Nemechek
- David Starr
Stage Points
Results from Texas
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | ||||
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Pos. | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 10 (+ 1 Playoff Point) | 1 | Ross Chastain | 10 (+ 1 Playoff Point) |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 9 | 2 | Bubba Wallace | 9 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 8 | 3 | Ryan Blaney | 8 |
| 4 | Tyler Reddick | 7 | 4 | Erik Jones | 7 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 6 | 5 | Chase Briscoe | 6 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 5 |
| 7 | Chase Elliott | 4 | 7 | Harrison Burton | 4 |
| 8 | Michael McDowell | 3 | 8 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 3 |
| 9 | William Byron | 2 | 9 | Ty Gibbs | 2 |
| 10 | Bubba Wallace | 1 | 10 | Chase Elliott | 1 |
Total Stage Points
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 102 | 5 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 76 | 2 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 75 | 1 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 69 | 1 |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 53 | 1 |
| 6 | Bubba Wallace | 52 | 0 |
| 7 | Chase Elliott | 50 | 1 |
| 8 (t) | Christopher Bell | 42 | 2 |
| 8 (t) | William Byron | 42 | 0 |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | 39 | 2 |
| 11 (t) | Joey Logano | 35 | 0 |
| 11 (t) | Ross Chastain | 35 | 1 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 32 | 0 |
| 14 | Austin Cindric | 28 | 1 |
| 15 | Chase Briscoe | 27 | 0 |
| 16 | Kyle Busch | 26 | 0 |
| 17 | Daniel Suarez | 25 | 0 |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | 24 | 1 |
| 19 | Alex Bowman | 23 | 0 |
| 20 | Todd Gilliland | 18 | 0 |
| 21 (t) | John H. Nemechek | 17 | 0 |
| 21 (t) | Josh Berry | 17 | 0 |
| 23 (t) | Erik Jones | 15 | 0 |
| 23 (t) | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 15 | 0 |
| 25 | Chris Buescher | 14 | 0 |
| 26 | Ryan Preece | 11 | 0 |
| 27 | Austin Dillon | 10 | 0 |
| 28 | Harrison Burton | 7 | 0 |
| 29 | Corey LaJoie | 4 | 0 |
| 30 | Noah Gragson | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | 2 | 0 |
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(Top photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
