From the rise of the green flag dropped on the Daytona 500 to the fall of the checkered flag in the Southern 500, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season was full of unexpected developments. Developments which are firmly reflected in the field of drivers for this year's playoffs.
2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, but missed out on a regular-season championship by only a single point that he may have had if he hadn't missed the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte due to travel issues stemming from a rain-delayed first try at the Indianapolis 500. 15 different drivers won a race during the regular season, but one of them -- Austin Dillon -- was not allowed to maintain his playoff eligibility after driving through two cars to win on the final lap at Richmond. And those 15 drivers, by the way, include Harrison Burton and Chase Briscoe, both of whom earned major upsets to earn playoff spots in the final two weeks of the regular season.
All of that has set up the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the 10-race tournament that will whittle the field of 16 drivers down to the four who will race for the championship at Phoenix in November. The field includes six former Cup champions, including defending Cup champion Ryan Blaney who is seeking to become NASCAR's first repeat champion since Jimmie Johnson won a record five-straight from 2006 to 2010. Two-time Cup champion Joey Logano seeks his third title, while Larson, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski look for their second -- as does 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. in his final Cup season.
Then, there's others like Denny Hamlin -- trying to finally become a champion and earn the one prize that has eluded him in NASCAR -- William Byron, who is looking to become the first driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the Cup championship in the same year since Johnson did it in 2013, and regular-season champion Tyler Reddick among those looking to hoist the Bill France Trophy at year's end and put their name in the record books as the 2024 champion of stock car racing's highest level.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff format
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs features an elimination-style format with four rounds in all. Drivers are seeded based on their number of race wins as well as the number of "playoff points" -- points earned from either winning a race, winning a stage mid-race, or through their points position at the end of the regular season -- they have accumulated throughout the entire season.
A driver can advance one of two ways:
- If they win a race, they automatically advance to the next round of the playoffs.
- Alternatively, they can also make it into the next round on points so long as they are above the cutoff line at the end of each respective three-race round.
- The four drivers below the cutoff line at the end of each round are eliminated from the playoffs and eliminated from championship contention. After each round, every remaining driver's points totals are reset, with playoff points continuing to determine seeding.
The four rounds of the playoffs are the Round of 16, the Round of 12, the Round of 8, and the Championship 4. The Championship 4 has special rules, as all four remaining drivers will have their points totals reset to an equal number for the final race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. That effectively turns the final race of the year into a pure match race, as whichever Championship 4 driver has the best finish in the season finale wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
- #5 - Kyle Larson -- 2040 pts (+35) -- 4 wins, 40 playoff points
- #20 - Christopher Bell -- 2032 pts (+27) -- 3 wins, 32 playoff points
- #45 - Tyler Reddick -- 2028 pts (+23) -- 2 wins, 28 playoff points
- #24 - William Byron -- 2022 pts (+17) -- 3 wins, 22 playoff points
- #12 - Ryan Blaney -- 2018 pts (+13) -- 2 wins, 18 playoff points
- #11 - Denny Hamlin -- 2015 pts (+10) -- 3 wins, 15 playoff points
- #9 - Chase Elliott -- 2014 pts (+9) -- 1 win, 14 playoff points
- #6 - Brad Keselowski -- 2008 pts (+3) -- 1 win, 8 playoff points
- #22 - Joey Logano -- 2007 pts (+2) -- 1 win, 7 playoff points
- #2 - Austin Cindric -- 2007 pts (+2) -- 1 win, 7 playoff points
- #99 - Daniel Suarez -- 2006 pts (+1) -- 1 win, 6 playoff points
- #48 - Alex Bowman -- 2005 pts (+0) -- 1 win, 5 playoff points
- #14 - Chase Briscoe -- 2005 pts (-0) -- 1 win, 5 playoff points
- #21 - Harrison Burton -- 2005 pts (-0) -- 1 win, 5 playoff points
- #19 - Martin Truex Jr. -- 2004 points (-1)
- #54 - Ty Gibbs -- 2004 pts (-1) -- 4 playoff points
NASCAR Cup Series playoff schedule
Round of 16
Sunday, Sept. 8 -- Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 15 -- Watkins Glen International
Saturday, Sept. 21 -- Bristol Motor Speedway
Round of 12
Sunday, Sept. 29 -- Kansas Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 6 -- Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, Oct. 13 -- Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval
Round of 8
Sunday, Oct. 20 -- Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 27 -- Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sunday, Nov. 3 -- Martinsville Speedway
Championship Race
Sunday, Nov. 10 -- Phoenix Raceway
FAQs
Participants will receive 10 points for each driver correctly selected to advance to the next round of the playoffs, except for the Championship Round™. For the final round, all coming down to the finale at Phoenix Raceway, the correct driver chosen to win the 2024 Cup Series championship earns participants 40 points.
Who are the 12 drivers in the NASCAR playoffs? ›
Who's in the NASCAR playoffs?
- Kyle Larson. No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy. ...
- Christopher Bell. No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota. ...
- Tyler Reddick. No. 45, 23XI Racing, Toyota. ...
- William Byron. No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy. ...
- Ryan Blaney. No. 12, Team Penske, Ford. ...
- Denny Hamlin. No. ...
- Chase Elliott. No. ...
- Brad Keselowski. No.
Participants will receive 10 points for each driver correctly selected to advance to the next round of the playoffs, except for the Championship Round™. For the final round, all coming down to the finale at Phoenix Raceway, the correct driver chosen to win the 2024 Cup Series championship earns participants 40 points.
What happens if more than 16 drivers win a race in NASCAR? ›
(In case there are more than 16 race winners in the season, then the top 16 in race wins move on).
How does the Championship 4 work in Nascar? ›
Championship 4
The four remaining drivers will battle it out in the 36th and final race of the season as the points are reset to 5,000. During the race, there are no stage points awarded to the Championship 4 drivers. The format becomes very straightforward here: whoever finishes highest, wins the title.
How many drivers are in NASCAR Cup Series Championship? ›
Drivers currently in contention to make the 16-driver playoffs following the end of the regular season. The regular-season champion is guaranteed playoff eligibility, followed by drivers prioritized by number of regular-season race wins, then by total points earned.
Who is qualified for the Nascar playoffs? ›
The Cup Series playoffs consist of 16 drivers — the regular-season champion and then the next 15 drivers ranked by wins with ties broken by points. All three drivers who have a shot at the regular-season title are among the 13 drivers who have a win this year that have locked them in the playoffs.
How many drivers make the NASCAR playoffs? ›
NASCAR's postseason is an elimination format with four drivers at the completion of each three-race round. The Round of 16 consists of Darlington Raceway, Kansas Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. The points are reset to 2,000 with each driver's playoff points added to their total.
Where is the NASCAR championship race in 2024? ›
All of that has set up the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the 10-race tournament that will whittle the field of 16 drivers down to the four who will race for the championship at Phoenix in November.
What is the point system for NASCAR 2024? ›
At the end of the race, the winner gets 40 points, 2nd gets 35 points and it drops by 1 all the way down to 2 points for 35th. Drivers finishing 36th on back get 1 point each. The winner of each stage gets 1 playoff point. The race winner gets 5 playoff points.
Only the drivers who compete for wins are making a good salary since they can make prize money. The higher you finish, the more prize money you win. Winners of races can win something between $1.5-2 million.
Can a girl become a NASCAR driver? ›
At least 134 women have qualified for and started a race in one of NASCAR's touring series, including 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series. As of April 2021, Shawna Robinson, Hailie Deegan, Manami Kobayashi, and Gracie Trotter remain the only women to have won a race in one of NASCAR's touring series.
How many pounds can a NASCAR driver lose in a race? ›
Temperatures in the car often exceed 100 degrees, reaching as much as 170 degrees by the floorboards. Drivers can lose 5-10 pounds in sweat during a race. If a driver loses more than 3 percent of his body weight in sweat and doesn't replace those fluids, focus and reflexes start declining.
What is the point format for the Nascar playoffs? ›
Drivers are seeded based on playoff points, which are earned throughout the season by winning races (5 playoff points each), winning stages (1 playoff point each) and placing in the top 10 of the points standings (15 playoff points to regular season champion, 10 to second, 8 to third and down to 1 for 10th).
How many NASCAR drivers won 4 races in a row? ›
Since 1972 there have been eight drivers that have been able to win four consecutive races. Those drivers are Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Bill Elliott, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
Do NASCAR drivers work in teams? ›
A NASCAR team is limited to four cars in each of the NASCAR national series. Teams mostly utilize one manufacturer (Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota) for all of their cars, but have a different car number and crew chief for each driver. Different teams that share the same manufacturer often work together in an alliance.
Who drives the number 12 car in the Cup series? ›
Ryan Michael Blaney (born December 31, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 12 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Team Penske.
Who drives the #12 Menards car in Nascar? ›
Ryan Blaney Action Racing 2024 #12 Menards/Great Stuff 1:24 Regular Paint Die-Cast Ford Mustang.
