The NASCAR Cup Series wrapped up the first of two straight road races this weekend and Michael McDowell claimed his first win of the season. He won the first stage and came back to secure the checkered flag in the final stage. The top five finishers included McDowell, Chase Elliott, Daniel Suárez, Tyler Reddick, and Alex Bowman. Denny Hamlin claimed the second stage, but finished 19th by the end.
Who is projected to make the playoffs after the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard?
The playoff field will include the regular season champion and the 15 drivers with the most wins. If there are not enough drivers to meet those requirements, the winless drivers with the most overall points earn the remaining spots. Buescher clinched his spot with a win last week and so nobody else has clinched a playoff berth yet. There are two races left in the regular season.
Here is a list of drivers who are currently projected to make the playoffs, in order of regular season points ahead of the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. McDowell effectively clinched a berth in the playoffs with his win. If more than 16 drivers win races, then it becomes messy, but there are not enough races left for that to happen.
With the win, McDowell bumps Ty Gibbs off the board and Daniel Suárez has moved ahead of Gibbs. Suárez now trails Bubba Wallace by 28 points for the final playoff spot.
Who earned playoff points at Verizon 200 at the Brickyard?
Michael McDowell won five points with the race victory and another point for winning stage 1. Denny Hamlin claimed a point for winning stage 2.