What happens in the final two races of the regular season could show just how significant the Michigan race was for those trying to secure a playoff spot
Twelve of the 16 playoff spots are set via wins heading into Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock).
That leaves four positions open.
Martin Truex Jr. (77 points above the cutline), Ty Gibbs (+39), Chris Buescher (+16) and Ross Chastain (+1) hold those spots. Bubba Wallace is the first driver outside a playoff position. He trails Chastain by one point. Every other eligible driver needs to win at Daytona or in the regular season finale at Darlington on Sept. 1 to make the playoffs.
Michigan proved to be a whirlwind of emotions for Gibbs, Buescher, Chastain and Wallace.
Chastain was 11th a lap before the scheduled distance when he spun on the backstretch as the field jumbled after Alex Bowman hit the wall. Chastain went on to finish 25th, losing 14 points from where he was running before the incident.
“I saw the same thing, I don’t know why we spun,” Chastain told NBC Sports after the race.
Wallace and Buescher both were collected in an accident earlier in the race that started when Kyle Larson spun in traffic.
Larson spun in front of Wallace, who hit the wall and Larson. Wallace continued but his car wasn’t the same. He finished 26th.
“Two races left, we’re still in the game, so throw Michigan away and on to Daytona,” Wallace said after the race. “Our guys did a good job … to show up here with speed and made it better from practice. Had good track position all day and it just didn’t work out.”
Buescher managed to come back and finish sixth.
“I am adamant that we are not points racers but when our chance to win this thing was gone, ultimately that was some of the mentality, to figure out how to make the best of our day,” Buescher said.
“We had seen troubles from some of the other cars that were on the bubble. I wouldn’t say we weren’t aggressive on restarts, though. We were moving, but we were also trying to be smart and methodical about it and not put ourselves in a really bad spot. It was on our mind there at the end. It is what you have to do once you aren’t in contention to win the race.”
Gibbs finished third — only his second top 10 in the last 10 races. Gibbs entered Michigan 18 points above the cutline but his steady run, scoring points in the second stage and good strategy by crew chief Chris Gayle grew their advantage on the cutline. The 42 points Gibbs scored at Michigan equaled what he had scored in the previous three races combined.
Gayle said the team has run well but not gotten the finishes. Michigan’s result could help the team change that.
“The more you have trouble — you don’t get the finish — human nature is to assume that’s going to continue to happen until you break it,” Gayle told NBC Sports after the race.
“So, I think what has to happen is days like (Monday) reinstall some confidence that OK it’s not just rhetoric, we’re doing more like we can do it, even with a rain out in qualifying and starting (19th), we can get there. So, OK, now I’ve got a little more hope for the next time. Then you have to put the next race together (and) next race and that’s how you start the streak the other way.”