In its first-ever playoff race, Watkins Glen provided a memorable last-lap finish while title contenders were nowhere near the lead.
Chris Buescher, who was shockingly eliminated from postseason contention in the regular-season finale two weeks ago, passed Shane van Gisbergen in the closing moments of Sunday’s race, which was dominated by non-playoff competitors.
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The first playoff driver was Chase Briscoe in sixth, which marked the first time in NASCAR playoff history (which began in 2004) that no title-eligible drivers finished in the top-five.
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The Round of 16 concludes Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network) in Tennessee for the iconic Bristol Night Race. How does the field stack up entering the elimination race? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 1
A surprisingly poor qualifying run buried Reddick deep in the field, and he finished 27th after several incidents throughout the race. The regular season champion is still 30 points above the cut line, which should be enough to move on next week barring a disaster.
2. Christopher Bell
Last week: 2
Bell spun twice and recovered to finish 14th at Watkins Glen, which snapped his three-race top-five streak. He did take over the points lead, though, and he just needs to finish 23rd next week to automatically advance to the Round of 12.
3. Kyle Larson
Last week: 3
If you haven’t picked it up by now, many of the usual contenders had problems on Sunday. Larson was among them, but he scored a solid 12th-place finish to put him 26 points above the cut line. Bristol has been one of his best tracks (four straight top-fives), so he should be confident about advancing.
4. Joey Logano
Last week: 7
With Buescher’s win, Logano remains the only playoff driver who is guaranteed to be in the Round of 12. Last week’s winner followed up his Atlanta victory with a 15th-place finish at The Glen. Logano is a two-time Bristol Night Race winner (2014 and 2015).
5. William Byron
Last week: 5
The defending Watkins Glen winner could not replicate his 2023 success on Sunday. Byron wrecked in the closing laps and finished two laps down in 34th. He’s still 25 points above the cut line, but a new winner could put him at risk.
6. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 4
Blaney completed zero laps on Sunday in what was a short afternoon of work. He was involved in the opening-lap wreck and couldn’t drive his car back to pit road due to a steering issue. So, after entering the race as the points leader, he’s now eighth – 29 points above the cut line.
7. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 6
Hamlin’s conservative approach at Atlanta could come back to bite him after another bad result at Watkins Glen. He was collected in the lap one crash, but was able to continue on and eventually finish 23rd. Hamlin is 13th in the standings, six points behind Ty Gibbs for the final spot in the Round of 12. He’s won the last two Bristol races, so making up those points is entirely possible.
8. Chase Elliott
Last week: 8
The two-time Watkins Glen winner had a quiet race, scoring five stage points and finishing 19th after a late incident cost him some spots. Elliott is now tied with Reddick at 30 points above the cutline.
9. Austin Cindric
Last week: First four out
Cindric has been the surprise star of the first round. He was the No. 10 seed, and after two races he’s worked his way up to second in the standings. Watkins Glen was another 10th place run, which gave Cindric consecutive top-10s for the first time since July 2022. While he’s never finished better than 20th at Bristol, he only needs 17 points to automatically advance.
10. Alex Bowman
Last week: 10
While Bowman is below his three Hendrick teammates in the power rankings, he’s ahead of all three in the standings. His 18th-place finish on Sunday elevated him to fourth, with a 41-point cushion on the cut line.
First four out: Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher
