Bubba Wallace continues to hold a provisional playoff spot heading into Sunday’s Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC).
There has been a shakeup below the 23XI Racing driver. Michael McDowell has fallen to 17th in the regular-season standings after finishing 24th at Michigan. He is now three points below the cutline with three races remaining before the playoffs.
In McDowell’s place is Ty Gibbs. The rookie Cup driver finished 11th after scoring points in stage 1. Now he is three spots above the playoff cutline heading toward Indianapolis.
Daniel Suarez was 34 points below the cutline after a 33rd-place finish at Richmond. He capitalized on the trip to Michigan with 14 points in the first two stages and a sixth-place finish. He is now only five points back of Gibbs and the cutline.
AJ Allmendinger lost two spots after finishing 26th at Michigan. He is 24 points back of the cutline heading to back-to-back road course races. Indy and Watkins Glen will be his best opportunities to win his way into the playoffs.
Alex Bowman remained 20th in the standings after Michigan. He scored 10 points in the first two stages, and he ran inside the top 10 during the final stage. He finished 33rd after a crash on Lap 127.
Chase Elliott dropped two spots after crashing during the first stage at Michigan. He finished 36th and fell to 55 points below the cutline. Austin Cindric moved ahead of him with a 12th-place finish at the 2-mile track.
Three races remain in the regular season for the Cup Series. Twelve drivers have won this season. They are marked by the yellow box in the below graphic. That leaves four playoff spots via points at this time. None of the previous winners can lose their playoff spots with new winners.
