Going into the MENCS playoffs, there are a handful of drivers that are in danger of not making it to the round of 12. With four drivers being eliminated after the third race of the playoffs at the Charlotte Roval, these drivers and teams need to step it up to stay in the playoffs. The round of 12 consists of three totally different tracks. Las Vegas (mile and a half), Richmond (Short track), and the Charlotte Roval (Road Course). Each of these tracks present different challenges for the teams to deal with. Here are the drivers that are in danger of being eliminated at the end of the round of 16.
Ryan Newman (16th place, 2000 points, -4 from cutoff)
The Rocket man has a lot of work to do if he wants to make it out of the round of 16. In the first 26 races of the season, Newman has 1 top 5 and 9 top 10s. He has not been a front runner for most of the season. Newman has run around 15th place during races and getting solid finishes at the end of the races. This has to change if Newman wants to make it to the round of 12 as stage points are going to be important moving throughout the round.
Clint Bowyer (15th place, 2000 points, -4 from cutoff)
Bowyer has been a very inconsistent driver this season. He has shown stretches of greatness and stretches that he would like to forget. Bowyer has 6 top 5s and 12 top 10s this season. The team has either hit the nail onm the setup or have missed it so bad that Bowyer becomes irrelevent in races. Bowyer is going to need to go on one of those hot streaks he had earlier this season if he plans on making it through to the round of 12.
Aric Almirola (14th place, 2001 points, -3 from cutoff)
Talk about a team that has taken a nose dive. Almirola has gone missing from the front during the past stretch of eight races. Almirola does have a top 5 and 10 top 10s, but he has not gotten a top 10 since a 7th place finish at Daytona in July. It was at its worst at Darlington when Almirola was running around 30th the entire race. If Almirola wants to make it to the round of 12, he is gonna have to pull it together and string together some top 10 finishes.
William Byron (13th place, 2001 points, -3 from cutoff)
Byron has improved a lot this year as compared to last year. Byron makes his playoff debut after scoring 3 top 5s and 9 top 10s. The addition of Chad Knaus this year has made a big difference for the 21 year old. The team has the speed to make it to the round of 12, but how will Byron handle the pressure of being the playoffs. Lack of experience is the biggest factor that can keep Byron from moving onto the round of 12.
Ryan Blaney (12th place, 2004 points, on the bubble)
Blaney has taken a step back compared to last year. This team seemed much stronger last year and contended for more wins. This year Blaney has 7 top 5s and 12 top 10s. The 12 team has not been a factor to win many races as his teammates have combined for 5 wins. Blaney was on the bubble going into the Charlotte Roval last year before he won that race. Blaney and the 12 team will need to run stronger if they want to solidify their spot into the round of 12.
Kyle Larson (11th place, 2005 points, +1 above cutoff)
Larson comes into the playoffs with some momentum. Before the crash at Indianapolis, Larson had five consecutive top 10 finishes. Larson has 6 top 5s and 12 top 10s this season. Along with that he does have four stage wins which prove he runs up front during races. The only thing that will stop Larson from progressing onto the round of 12 is a crash or an error by the team. The team has had some low points this seasons and they just need to put together 3 clean, mistake free races.
Alex Bowman (9th place, 2005 points, +1 above cutoff)
Bowman has had rough stretch going into the playoffs. The 88 team has lacked the speed they had at the beginning of the summer. Bowman has 4 top 5s and 7 top 10s. Since Bowman’s win at Chicagoland, he has had one top 10 and that came at Michigan. If Bowman and the 88 team doesn’t regain that speed that team had a couple months ago, a first round exit is very possible.
Round of 16 Conclusion
All these drivers have a lot of work to do these next three races to make it to the round of 12. The NASCAR playoffs always go crazy so it is not for certain that all four drivers that get eliminated are on this list. These drivers don’t have any wiggle room to make a mistake and finish poorly in any of the races. It’s a three race season for the drivers and teams and that starts this Sunday at Las Vegas.
