The NASCAR Cup Series begins its 2023 playoffs Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
After 26 races, 16 drivers remain in championship contention. Thirteen managed to win a race to qualify for the postseason, while another three earned their way in by accumulating points throughout the regular season.
Here’s what you need to know before the green flag drops for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday.
Points
| Rank | Driver | To cutline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | +29 |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | +29 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | +18 |
| 4 | Chris Buescher | +14 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | +12 |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | +10 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | +7 |
| 8 | Ross Chastain | +4 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski | +3 |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick | +2 |
| 11 | Joey Logano | +1 |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | +1 |
| 13 | Michael McDowell | -1 |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | -3 |
| 15 | Kevin Harvick | -4 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | -5 |
After each round of the Cup Series playoffs, the four lowest-ranking drivers in the standings are eliminated from championship contention. Points reset after each round, with drivers carrying over playoff points accumulated over the season from wins, stage victories, and their regular-season finishing position. The final four drivers then race for the championship in a top-finisher-takes-all finale at Phoenix.
Martin Truex Jr. captured the regular-season championship, but it’s William Byron who enters the playoffs as the top seed thanks to his five wins on the campaign.
In the span of five weeks, Chris Buescher’s gone from the cutline bubble to a moderately comfortable 14-point margin to start the postseason with three wins in quick succession.
Defending champion Joey Logano has no room for error entering the playoffs. Kevin Harvick – who’s retiring at the end of the season – has work to do to overcome a four-point deficit. And Bubba Wallace makes his postseason debut as the bottom seed.
Round of 16
Races: Darlington, Kansas, Bristol
The playoffs kick off with a bang under the lights at Darlington Raceway. Not only is it the start of the fight for the championship, but the Southern 500 is also among the most coveted crown jewels in NASCAR.
Last year’s race saw multiple playoff drivers fall victim to mechanical issues and crashes. Four championship-eligible drivers finished in the top five, but it was non-playoff driver Erik Jones who pulled off the upset to win the Round of 16 opener.
The Cup Series then heads to Kansas Speedway, where Wallace won last season. A year later, he’s making his debut in the drivers playoffs and will need a strong performance here if he’s to make the Round of 12.
The first round ends with one of the biggest fan-favorite races of the year: the Bristol night race. On the short half-mile track, chaos is bound to ensue as drivers look to scratch and claw their way above the cutline.
Round of 12
Races: Texas, Talladega, Charlotte Roval
The second round is the biggest wildcard of the NASCAR playoffs. Featuring a road course and a superspeedway, the Round of 12 is as much about survival as it is speed.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, was eliminated in this round a year ago. The unpredictable nature of Talladega and the unique skill set required to be successful at the Roval provide the remaining 12 championship-eligible drivers a challenge unlike any other they’ll face.
Want to avoid the stress of Talladega and the Roval? Just win at Texas. The mile-and-a-half oval is the safest bet of the Round of 12 to snag a win or accrue as many points as possible.
No matter how big a gap a driver may have in points entering the Round of 12, everyone is at risk of being eliminated after the checkered flag at the Charlotte Roval.
Round of 8
Races: Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville
If you make it through the Round of 12, you better bring your “A” game in the Round of 8.
Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville – three tracks dominated by the powerhouse teams in the sport – comprise the final round before the championship race.
Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports have combined to win nine of the last 10 races at Las Vegas, seven of the last eight at Homestead-Miami, and each of the last 10 at Martinsville.
When it’s crunch time at the end of the season, the best of the best rise to the occasion. There’s no sneaking into the championship race.
Should drivers like Byron, Buescher, and/or Tyler Reddick make it to this round, they’ll face pressure they’ve yet to encounter in their Cup Series careers. Buescher and Reddick haven’t made it this far to date, while Byron has done so as an underdog – not as the top seed with expectations to make the championship race.
The same is true for organizations like RFK Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and 23XI Racing – with the two former teams having been here in the past but not for a number of years and the latter still being fresh to the playoff scene.
Even with a playoff field as wide-open as we’ve ever seen, the top teams are still favorites for a reason when we get to the Round of 8.
Championship 4
Race: Phoenix
The playoffs culminate on Nov. 5 at Phoenix Raceway, where one of four championship-eligible drivers will take home the Bill France Cup.
Each of the past two years, the winner of the opening race of the Round of 8 at Las Vegas has gone on to win the championship. Chase Elliott won the penultimate race in 2020 before capturing the title in the finale.
Kyle Busch is the last driver to have won the title without a win in the Round of 8 in 2019. In fact, he did so without even previously winning a playoff race that year.
It’s hard to look past Byron as the championship favorite, considering he’s the top seed, the winningest driver of the season, and he won at Phoenix in the spring. He’s going for his first career title and has yet to make the Championship 4 in his career.
His teammate Larson led the most laps at Phoenix earlier in the year and is looking for redemption after bowing out early in the playoffs a season ago.
The Hendrick’s top competition comes from Joe Gibbs Racing, which leads the way with three drivers in the playoffs. Truex Jr.’s bounced back in a major way after missing the playoffs a season ago, Hamlin remains remarkably consistent and continues to chase his first championship, and Christopher Bell gained valuable experience last November when he made his first Championship 4.
In a down year for Team Penske, the top threats to the two juggernaut organizations come from Busch at RCR and a resurgent RFK program with Buescher.
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs get underway Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.