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The NASCAR playoff field is set, but it wasn’t completed without one last surprise.
Chase Briscoe won his way into the postseason on Sunday at Darlington Raceway, where the Stewart-Haas Racing driver scored his second career victory in dramatic fashion at the Southern 500.
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Briscoe, who was 18th in the standings before his win, now joins the 16-driver playoff field for the second time in his four-year career. By virtue of his win, 2023 playoff drivers Bubba Wallace, Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain, among others, didn’t make it this season.
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Next up is the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network. How does the field stack up after the regular season? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 1
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Despite feeling ill in the car throughout Sunday’s race, Reddick gutted out a 10th place finish to secure his first ever regular season championship by one point. He did so with his boss Michael Jordan in attendance, making it a historic day for 23XI Racing in just its fourth season as a team.
2. Kyle Larson
Last week: 2
For most of the race, Larson looked primed to repeat as Southern 500 champion and steal the regular season crown from Reddick. He led 263 of 367 laps and won both stages, but had to settle for fourth after fading in the closing laps. Larson does, however, enter the postseason as the No. 1 overall seed with 40 playoff points.
3. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 3
Hamlin was seventh at Darlington, a good but not great result at a track where he often dominates. The 43-year-old veteran is the No. 6 seed after an engine penalty cost him 14 playoff points, but he’s still one of the main contenders as he seeks that elusive first title.
4. Christopher Bell
Last week: 4
For the second straight week, Bell finished third. He’s finished sixth or better in four of the last five races. Bell, who advanced to the Championship 4 in 2022 and 2023, enters the playoffs with more points than he did in either of the past two years.
5. William Byron
Last week: 5
Byron had a strong race going (10 stage points) before getting collected in a wreck in the final stage. The same thing happened last week at Daytona, so it’s been a tough stretch for the 26-year-old driver. The two-time Atlanta winner could easily turn things around on Sunday, though.
6. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 6
It’s only fair to leave Blaney in this spot after the luck he had on Sunday. On the second lap, Martin Truex Jr. lost control of his car and spun right in front of Blaney – which destroyed the No. 12 Ford. The defending champion will hope his fortunes turn around quickly as he looks to be the first driver to win consecutive titles since 2010.
7. Brad Keselowski
Last week: 8
While he wasn’t able to complete the season sweep at Darlington, Keselowski had a quietly solid run on Sunday. He finished 14th and earned a stage point to enter the playoffs as the No. 8 seed.
Teammate Chris Buescher is missing the postseason, so that means all eyes will be on the No. 6 car driver at RFK Racing.
8. Joey Logano
Last week: 9
After four straight finishes of 19th or worse, Logano was eighth at Darlington. He is the No. 9 seed in the playoffs behind Keselowski, but the two-time champion has always been dangerous in this postseason format. Logano won in Atlanta last spring while leading 140 of 260 laps.
9. Chase Elliott
Last week: 7
Even though he was third in the overall standings, Elliott is trending in the wrong direction as the playoffs arrive. He was 11th at Darlington after running outside the top-20 for most of the night. Capitalizing on the misfortune of others is important in NASCAR, but the No. 9 team hasn’t had strong results for much of the summer (no top-fives since June).
10. Ty Gibbs
Last week: First four out
Gibbs was collected in the same wreck as Byron after a solid run in the first two stages (9 points). That was enough for him to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in his young career. The 21-year-old is still searching for his first win.
First four out: Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman
