This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are now down to eight after a wild ending at the Charlotte ROVAL on Sunday. It was a perfect storm for Christopher Bell who was able to take advantage of some late cautions to get to the front and ultimately win and advance to the Round of 8. In what was a mostly calm race throughout, things changed late.
The biggest story of the drivers eliminated is defending champion Kyle Larson who hit the wall late in the race and ultimately finished 35th. He was overtaken by Chase Briscoe on points during the last restart with Briscoe climbing to a ninth place finish. There are only two drivers in the final eight who have won Cup championships to this point in their careers, which could add even more carnage as we move through the playoffs. Next week we will have the first of three races in the Round of 8 where drivers will try to punch their tickets to the Championship 4 at Phoenix.
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Christopher Bell - A miracle was needed for Bell to make the Round of 8 and he got that on Sunday. Some late race cautions helped him get to the front and he took advantage, passing Kevin Harvick who had more wear on his tires, and never looking back on the final restart. Executing something like this at the end of a race says a lot about both this driver and team, as they now transfer into the fourth position
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are now down to eight after a wild ending at the Charlotte ROVAL on Sunday. It was a perfect storm for Christopher Bell who was able to take advantage of some late cautions to get to the front and ultimately win and advance to the Round of 8. In what was a mostly calm race throughout, things changed late.
The biggest story of the drivers eliminated is defending champion Kyle Larson who hit the wall late in the race and ultimately finished 35th. He was overtaken by Chase Briscoe on points during the last restart with Briscoe climbing to a ninth place finish. There are only two drivers in the final eight who have won Cup championships to this point in their careers, which could add even more carnage as we move through the playoffs. Next week we will have the first of three races in the Round of 8 where drivers will try to punch their tickets to the Championship 4 at Phoenix.
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Christopher Bell - A miracle was needed for Bell to make the Round of 8 and he got that on Sunday. Some late race cautions helped him get to the front and he took advantage, passing Kevin Harvick who had more wear on his tires, and never looking back on the final restart. Executing something like this at the end of a race says a lot about both this driver and team, as they now transfer into the fourth position in points and just inside the cut line for the Championship 4 as we start the next round.
Chase Briscoe - There will be a little controversy over what looked like a block thrown by Cole Custer to help his teammate advance on the final lap, but the fact still remains that Briscoe was able to race himself into the Round of 8 on points. Coming into the day, we knew that this was one of the better stops that Briscoe could ask for in an elimination race. He showed that even with some ups and downs, he could display a never give up attitude, and racing hard all the way through the last lap helped him continue his playoff run.
AJ Allmendinger - After winning the Xfinity race on Saturday, Allmendinger came home fourth on Sunday after a strong run. During a week in which he had some potential off-track distractions with the team announcing that he will move to Cup full time in 2023, I was very impressed how he ran two great races over the weekend.
Kyle Busch - Yes, it was a struggle most of the day for Kyle, but you see him here because of the fact that this team never gave up. It would be easy for this team to lay over and quit, especially when their car isn't the best with everything going on here. This says a lot about both the driver and team. Could we see one last win for Busch at Joe Gibbs Rackng before the end of the season?
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Kyle Larson - The defending champion was eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday after a late race mistake. He got into the wall, breaking a toe link, which needed repair as he fell all the way back to 35th. This was kind of a fitting end to his playoff run as he has had some horrible luck this season. Something always seemed to go wrong for this team this year after everything seemed to go right last season. I'm sure he will struggle with this for quite some time, but Larson is too good of a driver not to come back even stronger in 2023.
Daniel Suarez - For a bit it looked as if Trackhouse was going to put two cars in the final eight of the playoffs. Suarez then had power steering issues, which ultimately ended his playoff hopes. It was a strong season with a disappointing ending for him, but will have to watch on as his teammate Ross Chastain fights for a Championship.
Austin Cindric - It looked as if Cindric would have some hope to sneak into the playoffs late on Sunday but ultimately he finished 21st and out of the top eight. The team made an early race strategy mistake by trying to get stage points but then didn't early pit the stage when they realized they wouldn't get a top 10 finish. After winning the Daytona 500, Cindric did struggle a lot of the season. However, any season you win the Daytona 500 can be called a success in my books.
Biggest Surprise
Kaulig Racing - Maybe not a major surprise that Allmendinger had a strong run on Sunday, but teammate Justin Haley joined him in the top five. Could Kaulig have a breakout in 2023 like Trackhouse has had in 2022? It surely looks like they are making strides. Haley had four top 20s already on road courses this season, but hadn't pushed ahead for a top finish to date.
