NASCAR: The big winner at Richmond not named Austin Dillon

As a seasoned gamer of NASCAR races, I’ve seen my fair share of twists and turns over the years. The latest one at Richmond Raceway left me utterly astounded! Austin Cindric, the lowest-ranking winner, finally clinched his playoff spot, thanks to Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon‘s victory not counting toward playoff eligibility.

As I prepare for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Sunday night, the countdown to the end of the 26-race 2024 regular season is on, with just four races left. So far this season, we’ve seen no fewer than 12 drivers take the checkered flag, which means we could potentially see up to 16 different winners before the postseason kicks off in a few weeks. It’s anyone’s game right now!

In a given scenario, there are 16 playoff positions up for grabs. However, it’s important to note that the title of the regular season champion automatically secures one of these spots. The remaining 15 playoff positions will be awarded to the drivers who have amassed the most wins throughout the regular season, regardless of their overall ranking.

If a team had an entire regular season without winning but there were 16 distinct winners, the team with the lowest points standing among these winners would be excluded from further competition.

Austin Cindric from Team Penske, who secured a victory at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in June, found himself ranked 19th in the point standings ahead of the Cook Out 400. Meanwhile, Martin Truex Jr., driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and the highest-ranked winless driver, was in seventh place with a deficit of 96 points from the leading position.

In the remaining four races of the season, where non-winners can earn 55 points (35 for second place and additional 10 for victories in stages one and two), there’s still an opportunity for Truex to advance and secure the regular season championship, even without a race win.

If four different winners (other than Truex) had won during the last four races of the regular season, Cindric’s position in the playoffs could potentially be jeopardized.

That is no longer the case.

In last night’s race, Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing did indeed secure a win, making him the 13th different winner. However, NASCAR decided that his victory wouldn’t be included in his playoff eligibility due to certain rules. So, although he retains the win, there are now only 12 drivers whose victories contribute to their playoff qualification status.

As a result, Cindric is finally officially locked into the playoffs.

Regardless of whether Dillon’s victory would have qualified him for the playoffs, Cindric had already been all but assured a spot due to his substantial lead in points. Following a drop in rank to 20th, Cindric now holds a comfortable advantage of 132 points over Dillon, who is currently in 31st place (previously 26th), considering the 25-point penalty imposed post-race on Dillon.

Furthermore, Truex ended up in last position (37th) because his engine malfunctioned and he couldn’t complete the race. Despite this, he remains the driver without a win, currently ranked 8th in the overall standings, trailing by 117 points from the leader.

As we approach only three more races during the regular season, it’s almost impossible for a driver to become the champion without any wins.

If Dillon had won, a series of events would have needed to occur for Cindric not to make it to the playoffs.

In order for three racers other than Truex to win the last three races of the regular season, they all had to rank higher than Cindric in the points standings. Additionally, Dillon needed to make up a significant gap of 132 points and surpass Cindric, while Truex had to overcome a deficit of 117 points and pass Kyle Larson (as well as six other drivers he trails, some of whom have more than a 100-point advantage).

Despite ending up in 24th position at Richmond, Cindric still emerged victorious, securing his spot for his second playoff entry in just three years as a full-time driver in the Cup Series, having navigated the four-corner, compact 0.75-mile (1.207-kilometer) track successfully.

The next-to-second-last race on the 2024 season schedule is the FireKeepers Casino 400, airing live on USA Network from Michigan International Speedway starting at 2:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, August 18. Chris Buescher, who hasn’t claimed a win yet this year but was victorious in the previous race, represents RFK Racing. Don’t miss out on the action – sign up for a free FuboTV trial now!

2024-08-15 15:02