Denny Hamlin says four drivers that should be concerned about their playoff chances.
Denny Hamlin says four drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series should be concerned about their playoff prospects. On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Chris Buescher are the drivers on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs.
“If you’re those guys, you haven’t won yet,” Hamlin remarked. “Do you really believe you’re going to have an Austin Cindric weekend? Perhaps you have that outlook. They’re 180 or 170 points down because they haven’t had the speed required to win all year.
“You could argue that Buescher or Logano are the most dangerous of the group. Logano qualifies so well that he will almost always be in contention to win races.
Buescher finds a way to position himself in front at the conclusion of these races, and next thing you know, holy s***, he might win, despite the fact that he is rarely the fastest vehicle. I never see it, but he executes flawlessly.
Scott Graves and his staff do an excellent job calling races, scheming, and developing a solid enough car to give him a chance to win many of these weekends.
Denny Hamlin explains waht’s going on with Bubba Wallace
Hamlin went on to analyze what Bubba Wallace has done this year. “Bubba’s got speed, but since the short tracks he hasn’t had the top-five speed that we want to see,” he said. And for Busch, Hamlin said, “Not top-five speed that I’ve seen. His finishes fluctuate quite a bit.
Logano, Busch, Wallace and Buescher would likely make the playoffs if it began today. But the four drivers know they need to get a win soon to clinch a spot in postseason play as their seasons have had their share of ups and downs.
Wallace is looking for his first win since 2022. He made the playoffs in 2023 and finished 10th in the standings. In 2024, Wallace got off to a fast start, earning top-five finishes at Daytona and Atlanta. Since then, Wallace has earned another top-five finish and top-10 finish to keep himself in the playoff race.
So far this season, there have been nine drivers to win at least one Cup Series race. Hamlin, Kyle Larson and William Byron are the only drivers to win at least three races each.
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