NASCAR Cup Series playoff field set. Here are the 16 drivers racing for a championship
.JPG "Austin Dillon celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)")
The regular-season results are in, and the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are set.
Austin Dillon, with his win at Daytona thanks to some calm racing through the carnage and a winning move down the final stretch, jumped into the 16-car playoff picture seemingly out of nowhere. But he’s not the only one whose postseason fate was decided on Sunday.
Barring any post-Daytona penalties or disqualifications, here are the 16 drivers who have cemented their spots in the Cup Series playoffs.
The Cup postseason begins next weekend at Darlington.
16-driver NASCAR Cup Series playoff field
Chase Elliott, Chevy: NASCAR’s most popular Cup Series driver clinched the regular-season points title at Watkins Glen and will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. The driver of the No. 9 car notched a field-best four wins in 2022 — at Dover, Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono.
Kyle Larson, Chevy: Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate is one of seven drivers with two trips to Victory Lane in 2022. Those two? At Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and at Watkins Glen earlier this month.
Ross Chastain, Chevy: TrackHouse Racing has two drivers in the Cup playoffs, one of them being the No. 1 car. Chastain has made waves this regular season driving a rambunctious, “physical” style, and it’s proven successful thus far. He earned a playoff spot by virtue of his two wins — the first at the Circuit of Americas in March and the second at Talladega in April.
Joey Logano, Ford: The No. 22 driver on Sunday capped off a solid season, which saw him notch two victories. One was at the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum in February, and the other was at Darlington in May.
William Byron, Chevy: A two-race winner, Byron won at Atlanta in March and Martinsville in April.
Kevin Harvick, Ford: The all-time great resurrected his season with back-to-back wins at Michigan and Richmond. The win at Michigan broke a 65-race winless streak for the 46-year-old driver, and the win at Richmond’s short track was arguably even more impressive — it featured him pulling away from a pack down the stretch as The Closer has done many times before.
Denny Hamlin, Toyota: The 23XI part-owner and No. 11 driver took two wins in 2022, including the Coke 600 crown jewel that he hadn’t won before. Hamlin took the checkered flag in Pocono in July, but an almost-unheard-of post-race disqualification delivered Elliott the win.
Ryan Blaney, Ford: Despite a disappointing result on Sunday — a result because of some big damage suffered in a Stage 1 wreck — Blaney squeaked into the playoffs, edging Martin Truex Jr. in points.
Tyler Reddick, Chevy: The No. 8 car notched two wins and was consistently fast in 2022. Reddick commanded really the only fast car at the Brickyard on Indy’s road course in July. His other win? Road America.
Christopher Bell, Toyota: The No. 20 car had so many close-but-not-quite finishes in 2022, but his win in New Hampshire in July cemented his playoff spot.
Chase Briscoe, Ford: The No. 14 car won in Phoenix in March.
Kyle Busch, Toyota: The two-time Cup Series champion has had a regular season riddled with bad luck — and that piles on to an already stressful season considering his looming free agency — but his win at Bristol in April delivers him a playoff berth.
Daniel Suarez, Chevy: The driver of the No. 99 car became the first Mexican driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race when he won at Sonoma in June. What a year it’s been for TrackHouse Racing.
Austin Cindric, Ford: The rookie won a wreck-riddled Daytona 500 in February, and that win will get him in the playoffs. He also had a good run in his latest attempt in Daytona.
Alex Bowman, Chevy: The No. 48 car won in Las Vegas in March.
Austin Dillon, Chevy: The No. 3 car, with a little bit of rain and luck and steady hands, navigated through Daytona’s late-race carnage and ended up with a win on Sunday. The victory earned him a last-second playoff berth.
This story was originally published August 28, 2022 at 4:26 PM.
