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Larson aiming for survival throughout 2024 Cup Series Playoffs and second title bid

The first 26 races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season generated its fair share of ups and downs for Kyle Larson. But he enters the 2024 Cup Playoffs as a prime candidate to reclaim the coveted prize within the sport he once achieved three seasons ago and nearly reclaimed a year ago.

The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, commenced his fourth consecutive season driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for Hendrick Motorsports by finishing 11th and 32nd, respectively, within the first two scheduled events. Then during the following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Larson notched his first victory of the 2024 season after leading a race-high 181 of 267 laps while fending off a late challenge from Tyler Reddick.

Since the Vegas victory, Larson proceeded to record five top-five results over his next ninth starts. During his ninth start within the span, he edged Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds at Kansas Speedway during an overtime shootout to etch the closest-recorded finish in the Cup Series history books.

Larson would then hit a snag for the remainder of May that started when he finished 34th at Darlington Raceway due to being involved in a late single-car incident. Over the next two weekends, he proceeded to pull double-duty roles. While preparing for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren and also navigating through the upcoming Cup Series North Carolina events at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Despite having time to travel and navigate between qualifying for the Indy 500 and competing in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, the Californian was left with a 50/50 option to compete in either the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren or the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte due to Mother Nature stalling his travel plans for both. Ultimately, Larson would opt to start in the Indy 500, where he finished 18th. He then traveled back to Charlotte, to climb back aboard his No. 5 Chevrolet that was being piloted by veteran Justin Allgaier.

By then, however, Mother Nature interfered once again by placing the event in an extensive rain delay period before being made official. As a result, Allgaier, who started the Coke 600, was credited with a 13th-place result while Larson was unable to turn in a single lap of the event.

Larson rallied two weeks later by notching a late victory at Sonoma Raceway, his home track, in early June. By then, he was granted a waiver from NASCAR to be eligible to make the 2024 Playoffs despite missing the Coke 600. Then after finishing no higher than four during his next five events, Larson triumphed at Indianapolis by leading through two overtime attempts and achieving his first Brickyard 400 victory.

With four regular-season victories under his belt, Larson would come within striking distance of toppling Tyler Reddick for the regular-season title as he notched two additional top-10 results during the remaining four regular-season events. Despite leading a race-high 263 of 367 laps and finishing fourth during the regular-season finale at Darlington, Larson would fall short of winning his second regular-season title by a single point to Reddick.

Nonetheless, Larson will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in first place in the Playoff standings with 2,040 points. In a season where he has recorded an average-finishing result of 13.6, led 1,088 laps and recorded 13 top-10 results to go along with his current four victories, Larson strives to navigate his way through each venue and each round methodically while keeping his car both intact and competitive that would enable him to make his third Championship 4 round and join an elite class of competitors to win multiple championships in NASCAR’s premier series.

“Hopefully, I can make it through each [Playoff] round as well as the car,” Larson said after the regular-season finale at Darlington. “Just proud of my team. Proud of the pit crew today and proud of the race car. You work hard all year long to get stage wins, get race wins to position yourself well in the Playoffs, to not necessarily allow yourself a mistake, but I think I saw where we’re 35 points above the cutline right now, so that’s nice, especially when you go to a track as scary as Atlanta, but they could be wiped out in an instant. I could be below the cutline after Atlanta. That’s just kind of the craziness of this system, so just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Our car’s been really fast and our team’s been executing great, so just keep it up and hopefully, we can advance on through.”

Kyle Larson’s pursuit for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Elliott, Bowman pleased with Playoff return, poised for improvements for 2024 title bid

After early season injuries plagued any comeback hopes of making the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs a year ago, both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports thrusted themselves back into the postseason battle for a championship in 2024 following a decent regular-season stretch highlighted with both achieving a single, respective victory and snapping a one-year winless drought.

For Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, fired off on all eight cylinders by finishing no lower than the top-20 mark through the first eight-scheduled events. During the stretch, he logged in back-to-back top-five results, where he finished fifth at Richmond Raceway before settling in third place at Martinsville Speedway after leading 64 laps.

Then at Texas Motor Speedway in April, Elliott survived two overtime attempts to notch his first Cup victory of the 2024 season and snap a 42-race winless drought since winning at Talladega Superspeedway in late 2022. The victory also automatically guaranteed himself and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team a spot back into the Playoffs.

Following the Texas victory, Elliott would endure a roller coaster adventure for the remaining 17 events of the 2024 regular-season stretch. With four top-five results and eight top-10 results recorded during the stretch, the Georgian remained in contention for the regular-season title. Ultimately, he would cap off the regular season in third place in the standings.

Overall, Elliott’s 2024 regular-season points and Texas victory were enough for him to be slated in seventh place with 2,014 points come the start of this year’s Playoff battle, which will mark his eighth appearance in the postseason battle for a title.

Despite expressing his excitement over his return to the Playoffs, however, Elliott, a three-time Championship 4 qualifier, emphasized the goal for both himself and his team to set aside any potential on-track mistakes while remaining focused towards being competitive and in contention to win the title like in 2020.

“[I am] Excited to have [Darlington Raceway] over with and looking forward to getting the Playoff started,” Elliott said following this past weekend’s regular-season finale at Darlington. “These next 10 [races], they’re intense, so we’re gonna have to, myself and our entire NAPA team, we’re gonna hit the reset button in a big way. Go to Atlanta and try to get things rolling in the right direction and see where we end up.”

Like Elliott, Alex Bowman was also left with mixed feelings over his regular-season stretch despite rallying from being plagued by injuires and a concussion that ended his title hopes early and forced him to sit out for select events during the previous two seasons.

The 31-year-old Bowman from Tucson, Arizona, commenced his fourth season driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports by finishing in second place in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway after being edged by teammate William Byron at the moment of caution on the final lap.

Bowman would proceed to finish in the top eight three times over his next eight starts before he notched five consecutive top-nine finishes at the conclusion of May. The following five events on the schedule throughout June saw Bowman finishing no higher than eighth, but finishing outside the top 25 twice.

Then during the series’ rain-shortened, second annual event at the Chicago Street Course, Bowman executed a late pit strategy to return to Victory Lane in the Cup Series for the first time in 80 starts as he leapt into the Playoff picture. Bowman’s victory at Chicago marked a pivotal moment for Hendrick Motorsports, with the Arizona native enabling all four Hendrick competitors into the Playoffs as he also delivered the first victory for sophomore crew chief Blake Harris.

Following the Chicago victory, Bowman would steer his way to finish third at Pocono Raceway before capping off the regular-season stretch by finishing no higher than 16th on the track.

As the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs approaches, Bowman will commence his first title pursuit in 12th place in the Playoff standings with 2,005 points. Having made the Playoffs a total of five times, including this season, Bowman has yet to make an appearance in the Championship 4 round as a finalist, with his closest opportunity occurring in 2020 after he was eliminated from the Playoffs following the Round of 8’s finale.

As Bowman shared teammate Elliott’s excitement over his Cup Series Playoff return and the opportunity to race for a title, he also shared identical sentiments towards addressing the regular-season struggles and improving the on-track performance for more consistency that would enable him to transfer through each round of the Playoffs.

Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“We got to get our stuff together,” Bowman added. “It’s been a rough month. Excited for the Ally No. 48 team to be back in the Playoffs, but at the same time, we have a long way to go after how we performed for the last month. We got to be on our A game for all [the Playoff races], so just got to go execute.”

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and battle for a championship for teammates Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are set to commence at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Suarez “excited” with recent on-track surge entering the 2024 Cup Playoff opener at Atlanta

After a one-year absence, Daniel Suarez returns to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2024 with early excitement and anticipation as he strives to keep pace with the competition and allow both himself and his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team the opportunity to contend for a Cup Series championship.

Suarez, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, commenced the 2024 season by finishing 34th in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway despite contending for the victory in the closing laps. He then rebounded during the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway by edging Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a three-wide photo finish, including 0.003 seconds over runner-up Blaney, to emerge victorious overall for the second time in his career and to notch his first oval/superspeedway victory in the Cup circuit. The victory was also his first with new crew chief Matt Swiderski and the driver’s first since winning at Sonoma Raceway in 2022.

Since the Atlanta victory, which was an automatic, guaranteed ticket into the Playoffs, Suarez would proceed to finish in the top 10 five additional times, but would end up with 15 finishes of 18th or worse throughout this year’s 26-race regular-season stretch.

Amid the on-track struggles, Suarez, who will line up in 11th place in the Playoff standings with 2,006 points, remains pleased with a recent surge in on-track progress made by his No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team, during which the Mexican finishing in the top 10 three times throughout the final five regular-season events. He also generated a strong run at Richmond Raceway last August, where he led 93 laps before finishing 10th.

In addition to expressing his excitement about returning to Atlanta, the track where he recorded his recent Cup Series victory, to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs, Suarez, who is set to remain at Trackhouse Racing in 2025, strives to extend his recent momentum that would enable him to surpass each Playoff round and have a chance to make the Championship 4 round at Phoenix Raceway in November.

During Suarez’s first Playoff campaign in 2022, he transferred from the Round of 16 to 12 and was in contention of advancing into the Round of 8 before a power steering issue during the round’s finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course drained his championship hopes as he settled in a career-best 10th place in the final standings.

“Starting the Playoffs in Atlanta is always pretty sweet, but in reality, the No. 99 team has got some good things going our way the last couple of months,” Suarez said after this past Sunday’s regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. “We have built some good energy, some good momentum. We have had a good streak of top 10s, good speed in some race tracks. We just continue to get better. I’m very excited to see what we can do over the first [Playoff] round. The first couple rounds are a little crazy, so I think if we execute, we clean (up) a couple things, we’re going to have a pretty good shot at [the title].”

Daniel Suarez’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Logano: “It’s game time now” for 2024 Cup Series Playoff battle and third title pursuit

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season stretch was a stretch that generated a roller coaster ride for Joey Logano, who managed to thrive late in the season and when it mattered most ultimately enabled him and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse team to make the Playoffs and have another opportunity to add another title to the driver’s successful racing resume in stock car competition.

The two-time Cup Series champion from Middletown, Connecticut, roared out of the gate by winning the pole position for the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. He would then finish 32nd in the main event after he was collected in a late multi-car wreck while contending for the victory. Including the 500 result, Logano would finish no higher than ninth once, but get strapped with four finishes of 22nd or worse before he recorded a strong runner-up result at Richmond Raceway in late March.

With six results of 16th or worse and only three top-10 results accumulated over his next 11 starts, Logano’s 2024 Cup Series Playoffs hopes were within reach as he was mired towards the top-16 cutline in the Playoff standings. Then, Logano’s championship hopes of the season were resurrected after the Connecticut veteran withstood five overtime attempts and a fuel tank that was on the verge of being dry to grab his first elusive victory of the season at Nashville Superspeedway in late June.

Since the Nashville victory, Logano has only finished in the top eight twice but has finished 19th or worse five times during a seven-race stretch. As a result, Logano’s points and results, including the Nashville victory, were enough for him to be strapped into ninth place in the current Playoff standings with 2,007 points.

Currently, Logano’s eight top-10 results he accumulated throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch are the lowest he has accumulated and his average-finishing result of 18.3 is low, both occurring in 2011. Nonetheless, the Connecticut native, who will square off against teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric along with Penske-affiliated teammate Harrison Burton, remains poised to transfer his way into the finale a year after being eliminated following the first round and raise the championship trophy as he did in 2018 and again in 2022.

“It’s nice to have all our [Team Penske] cars and you having four in [the Playoffs], even with the Wood Brothers car [and driver Harrison Burton], which is pretty much under our roof here,” Logano said following the regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. “It’s nice to have them all in there. It’s game time now, right? This is the time to shine and the cream always rises at the top through the Playoffs, so got to be able to execute through all these races. Got to go fast through them. The first round is obviously pretty crazy with the racetracks that are involved there. It’s no smooth ride from here. It’s not a simple way of getting [to the finale], so got to be solid here. We don’t have a whole bunch of Playoff points on our side, but we got a couple. We’ll fire away and see what we got.”

Joey Logano’s pursuit for his third NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Cindric remaining confident ahead of 2024 Cup Series Playoffs amid regular-season struggles

For a second time in his career, Austin Cindric will be one of 16 competitors vying for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship throughout this year’s 10-race, elimination-style Playoff battle. Compared to his first Playoff battle as a rookie competitor, Cindric enters this season as a junior competitor striving to set aside a difficult regular-season stretch and be in title contention by the time the finale at Phoenix Raceway occurs.

Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion from Mooresville, North Carolina, commenced his third consecutive season driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry for Team Penske by finishing 22nd in the 66th running of the Daytona 500 after he was sent for a spin with Ross Chastain on the final lap by Corey LaJoie while battling for the victory. He would rally the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway by leading 32 laps and finishing in a strong fourth place.

The next 12 regular-season events on the schedule generated a difficult stretch for Cindric, who finished no higher than 15th while being mired with 10 results of 20th or worse. By then, his 2024 Playoff hopes were dim and in need of a regular-season victory to be guaranteed a legitimate spot into the postseason.

Then at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway in early June, a miracle was awarded to Cindric as he took advantage of teammate Ryan Blaney running out of fuel on the final lap to achieve an upset victory and leap his way into the Playoff picture. For Cindric, the Gateway victory marked his second in the Cup Series as he also snapped a one-year winless drought for Team Penske’s No. 2 team and delivered the first victory for crew chief Brian Wilson, whom Cindric celebrated an Xfinity Series championship in 2020.

The remaining 12 events on this year’s regular-season stretch would see Cindric record an extra top-10 result in the form of a seventh-place run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, but mired with seven results of 18th or worse. With his Gateway victory in the early summer stretch, Cindric is set to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in 10th place in the Playoff standings with 2,007 points.

Amid his difficult regular-season period, Cindric remains confident over his team’s ability to run upfront and garner more victories throughout the Playoffs, starting with the postseason’s opening round consisting of three distinct venues. This season also marks an opportunity for the North Carolinian to heighten his title hopes to new heights and advance as far as possible within the Playoffs after transferring as high as the Round of 12 two years ago.

“I feel like we’re playing with house money,” Cindric said after the regular-season finale at Darlington. “It’s an awesome opportunity to be in the Playoffs. Being able to sneak some stage points in is gonna be huge, but also just not having blowups. I feel like the first races of the Playoffs are two races that we can, honestly, win, with Atlanta and Watkins Glen. We are capable of doing those things, but yeah, still some stuff to clean up. Really excited to do it with the [No. 2] guys. A lot of first-time Playoff guys on my team, so put our best foot forward and have a great time with it.”

Austin Cindric’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Ty Gibbs set for first Cup Series Playoffs in 2024

In his second full-time campaign at the NASCAR Cup Series level, Ty Gibbs has a new title to add to his young career: 2024 Cup Series Playoff candidate, a feat he accomplished by points and through steady consistency after falling short of the cutline during last year’s rookie season.

Gibbs, grandson of championship-winning team owner Joe Gibbs and the 2023 Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year recipient from Charlotte, North Carolina, commenced his sophomore Cup season in 17th place during the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February but rallied by finishing in the top 10 during his next five starts. He would then finish no higher than 10th throughout his next six starts before he notched a career-best runner-up result at Darlington Raceway in May.

Two weeks after recording his best on-track result in a Cup Series event, Gibbs notched his first career pole position for this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he would proceed to finish sixth. He would then finish no higher than third following his next six scheduled starts before he rallied by fishing third at the Chicago Street Course.

For the remaining six regular-season events in 2024, Gibbs recorded two top-five results despite being mired with four results of 20th or worse, including this past weekend’s Cook Out Southern 500. While he continues his pursuit of his first Cup Series career race victory, Gibbs will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in 15th place in the Playoff standings with 2,004 points. He will also square off against his three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., for the title.

Amid the disappointment of his 20th-place run this past weekend at Darlington due to being collected in a late multi-car wreck, Gibbs was left satisfied with making his first postseason appearance as a Playoff contender as he strives to add a Cup Series championship trophy next to his Xfinity Series title hardware achieved two years ago.

“[I] Wish we could have finished better [at Darlington], but most importantly, we made the Playoffs and that’s what we came here to do,” Gibbs said at Darlington on USA Network. “We accomplished that, so I’m very happy to being able to make it and we’ll go see what we can do in 10 weeks. We got to get through next week first. Atlanta is a tough one, but I feel like we’re really strong in the races for the rest of the season and we’ll see what we can do and go out there and give it our best shot. I’d love to win at all of [the Playoff races].”

Ty Gibbs’ pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Hamlin emphasizes winning as key to success entering 2024 Cup Series Playoffs

In his 19th consecutive season as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series level, Denny Hamlin will continue his quest to have the final word over his competition and critics by etching a first-time championship in NASCAR’s premier series when the final checkered flag of the 2024 season waves.

The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, roared out of the gates by winning the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in early February before finishing 19th during the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Four races later, he notched his first Cup points victory of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, an event mired with a pyramid of tire issues.

The early momentum for Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE team continued two races later at the Virginia veteran’s home track in Richmond Raceway as Hamlin muscled away from teammate Martin Truex Jr. to double up his win column in 2024. Despite finishing no higher than 11th during his next three starts, Hamlin responded by fending off fellow rival Kyle Larson to win at Dover Motor Speedway in late April for the second time in his career.

Since his latest series’ victory at Dover, Hamlin recorded a total of six top-five results and eight top-10 results despite getting mired with six results of 24th or worse during the remaining 15 events on this year’s regular-season stretch. He was also in contention for the regular-season championship until he was assessed an L2 penalty from NASCAR for an engine rules violation that involved his race-winning car from Bristol in March and that Toyota admitted to causing. The penalty resulted in Hamlin losing 75 points and 10 Playoff points, which dropped him out of contention for the regular-season title.

Nonetheless, Hamlin is set to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in sixth place in the Playoff standings with 2,015 points as he bids for his first elusive championship in the series. To do so, however, he will attempt to make his fifth Championship 4 round after missing the cutline to the finale by a single point position over the last two seasons.

When asked about his approach to tackling the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs following this past Sunday’s regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway, Hamlin echoed the term “win” as his key to success to transfer to the finale and contend for the title.

“[I] Just got to execute races and just win,” Hamlin said at Darlington. “I think that’s the key in the Playoffs is winning so you don’t put yourself in a bad point position. With some of the crazy tracks that we’ve got in the Playoffs this year, it’s going to try to avoid those 25th or worse finishes. That’s gonna be the key for us.”

Denny Hamlin’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Bell poised for more consistency, Championship 4 return in 2024 Cup Playoffs

Having mounted his way all the way to the Championship 4 round only to fall short of reaching the pinnacle and claiming the covenant prize in NASCAR’s premier series over the last two seasons, Christopher Bell has an opportunity to make his third consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs be an appearance where he can reach the pinnacle and etch his name as a Cup Series champion for the first time.

Thus far, the 2017 Truck Series champion from Norman, Oklahoma, is coming off a decent 26-race regular-season stretch that started by finishing third in this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Then after finishing outside the top 30 during his next two starts, Bell struck early by recording his first Cup victory of the season at Phoenix Raceway in March.

Over his next nine starts, Bell would finish in the top 10 four times but would get mired with four results of 17th or worse. He would regain his momentum by grabbing a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Following the Charlotte victory, Bell finished no worse than ninth over his next three starts before he capitalized on an overtime shootout to add a third Cup victory of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Then after accumulating a single top-five result over his next four starts before a two-week summer break amid the Summer Olympics in Paris, Bell would be paired with his car chief Chris Sherwood calling the shots atop the No. 20 pit box due to veteran crew chief Adam Stevens recovering from a double knee injury during the break.

Thus far, Bell has recorded three top-six results, including back-to-back third-place finishes in his latest four races with Sherwood. With the Playoff points he has accumulated along with his regular-season victories, Bell is set to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in second place in the Playoff standings with 2,032 points.

Using mountainous terms to characterize his 2024 regular-season stretch, Bell was not shy to identify the difficulties he experienced thus far on the track but remained confident towards his goal to return to the Championship 4 round and contend for the title come the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.

“The regular season was just like mountains,” Bell said following the regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. “It was the tallest of tall and then all the way to the bottom there. [I] Got to clean that up. Got to get a little bit more consistency, but the strength is obviously the car speed and the potential in our team. I feel like everywhere we go, we’re a contender. We can be a contender if everyone does their jobs. If we can eliminate our lows, I think we’ve got everything we need to go for a title run here.”

Christopher Bell’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 5, 2024
Harrison Burton to make 100th Cup start at Atlanta

As Harrison Burton prepares to campaign in his first NASCAR Cup Series race weekend as a Playoff competitor ahead of this weekend’s Playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he does so with a milestone start up for grabs. By competing at Atlanta, the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse will make his 100th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.

A second-generation racer from Huntersville, North Carolina, Burton made his inaugural presence in the Cup circuit at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2021. By then, he was campaigning in his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and was coming off a four-race victory season as he also achieved the 2020 Xfinity Rookie-of-the-Year title. Driving the No. 96 Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing, Burton rallied from starting at the rear of the field to finish 20th.

In July 2021, Burton was named as the driver of the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing for the 2022 Cup season, where he replaced Matt DiBenedetto and contended for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. Burton’s rookie Cup campaign commenced on a rough note after he was involved in a multi-car wreck during the 64th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. It resulted in the North Carolina native flipping on the roof before rolling back on all four wheels while battling towards the front on Lap 62 of 200 and ending up in 39th place in the final running order.

During his next 18 scheduled events, Burton would finish no higher than 11th and notch a total of six top-20 results before securing his first career top-10 result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July, where he led nine laps. Three laps later, he achieved his first career top-five result at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course by finishing in third place amid a wild overtime finish. While not in contention of making the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, Burton would proceed to finish in the top 20 seven additional times during the final 14 events on the schedule, which included an 11th-place run at Martinsville Speedway in October, before settling in 27th place in the final standings and in the runner-up spot behind Austin Cindric for the rookie title.

Remaining at Wood Brothers Racing for the 2023 Cup season, Burton commenced the season by finishing 26th during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He then finished no higher than 15th twice during his next 11 starts before posting his first top-10 finish with a sixth-place result at Darlington Raceway in May. Burton would then manage an eighth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in July during his next 13 starts as he would not make the Cup Series Playoffs for a second consecutive season. Managing a 15th-place result at Martinsville in November and three top-20s throughout the Playoffs, Burton ended up in 31st place in the final standings and an average-finishing result of 24.7 with only two top-10 recorded results.

Through the first 24 regular-season events of the 2024 Cup Series season, Burton had recorded a single top-10 result, where he finished 10th at Talladega in April, but was strapped with an average-finishing result of 26.9. By then, he was informed in early July that he would be replaced by Josh Berry in 2025.

Then in August, Burton outdueled Kyle Busch during an overtime shootout to score his first elusive Cup Series career victory at Daytona with his father and former NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton calling the event’s broadcast. The Daytona victory made Harrison Burton the 205th competitor overall to win in NASCAR’s premier series as he both secured a spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs and delivered the milestone 100th career win for Wood Brothers Racing.

Through 99 previous Cup starts, Burton has achieved one victory, two top-five results, six top-10 results, 73 laps led and an average finishing result of 24.2. Despite finishing in 21st place during this past weekend’s regular-season finale at Darlington, Burton will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs and his first pursuit for a first Cup title in 14th place in the Playoff standings with 2,005 points.

Harrison Burton is scheduled to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 on Sunday, September 8, with the event’s broadcast time to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 4, 2024
Buescher, Wallace lament missing 2024 Cup Series Playoffs

In a span of 367 grueling laps of the 2024 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace went from competing against one another for the 16th and final berth to this year’s Playoffs to both being knocked out of contention amid a new race winner capitalizing on the Playoff’s “Win and You’re In” format.

The diminished Playoff hopes for Buescher and Wallace occurred after both dominated the headlines throughout the Darlington weekend and withstood a series of on-track trials of their own to remain in Playoff contention until the drop of the checkered flag and the conclusion of this year’s 26-race regular-season stretch.

The battle between Buescher and Wallace commenced with the latter striking first as he led the first 34 laps from the pole position. Wallace would proceed to finish in second place at the conclusion of the first stage period and accumulate nine stage points while Buescher ended up in 10th place, which allowed Wallace to overtake Buescher for the 16th and final Playoff berth.

Throughout the second stage period, Buescher would regain the upper hand by a slight margin as Wallace slipped out of the top-five mark. Despite ending up in 13th place at the second stage’s conclusion while Wallace finished ninth, which enabled him to claim an additional two stage points, Buescher leaped back atop Wallace for the final Playoff berth.

Then throughout the final stage period, late drama struck for both Buescher and Wallace that began with 46 laps remaining when the former got squeezed into the backstretch’s outside wall by Todd Gilliland before he proceeded to spin the latter. Despite sustaining slight cosmetic damage to his No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry, Buescher remained both on the lead lap and above the cutline. Then with 24 laps remaining, Wallace’s Playoff hopes took a hit after he was collected in a multi-car wreck in Turn 2, when he ran into the rear of a wrecking William Byron before he was rammed in the rear by Noah Gragson sending Wallace spinning below the track. Despite plummeting below the leaderboard, Wallace was able to keep his damaged No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE under power and in race pace.

With Wallace initially appearing to lose ground to Buescher on points for the final Playoff berth, Buescher was then placed at a disadvantage as Chase Briscoe, who came into Darlington in a “must-win” situation, rocketed away with the lead during a late-race restart with 17 laps remaining. For the final 17 laps, Briscoe would fend off Kyle Busch, another Playoff “must-win” contender, to win the race and leapfrog both Buescher and Wallace in the Playoff standings to secure his spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.

For Buescher, the outcome resulted in the Prosper, Texas, native being the first competitor who was scored outside the top-16 cutline and missing his third opportunity to make the Playoffs a year after he transferred all the way to the Round of 8 and won three races.

From losing to a record-setting finish of 0.001 seconds to Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway to sustaining a cut tire amid a late-race battle for the win with Tyler Reddick at Darlington, both occurring earlier in May, Buescher reflected on various instances where he missed opportunities to secure a regular-season victory that would have locked him into the Playoffs. With a total of five top-five results and 12 top-10 results in 26 races, the Texan also attempted to reflect on the positives made earlier in the season that would enable him to conclude the 2024 season on a strong note.

“We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it,” Buescher said on USA Network. “We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in. It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year. Everyone at [Roush Fenway Keselowski] has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”

Like Buescher, Wallace, who made his first Cup Series Playoffs and finished a career-best 10th a year ago in the final standings, was also left disappointed on pit road despite a late summer surge to fight his way back into the Playoffs. But his hopes evaporated with the recent surge of surprise winners that include Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton. Nonetheless, the Mobile, Alabama, native praised the fight and determination exhibited by his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota team in keeping both the driver and team in contention until the regular-season finale’s conclusion.

Currently, Wallace has racked up career-high stats of five top-five results and 10 top-10 results, both of which equal his total accumulated results from the previous two seasons. With his current average-finishing result of 15.8, which marks his personal best, Wallace has 10 races remaining on the 2024 schedule to add to his stats and notch his first Cup victory in two seasons.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“We were back and forth on our U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry,” Wallace said. “We were a little too loose, a little too tight. And the caution a couple laps on tires where we stayed out, I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not. I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Man, hats off to [Briscoe]. I thought I did something yesterday. They one-upped us and showed up when it was game time, so that’s pretty badass so congrats to them. Man, just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year. I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from all of us on this No. 23 car. Best of luck to [Reddick] and hopefully, a Toyota wins.”

Overall, both Buescher and Wallace join Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, rookie Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, rookie Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, Daniel Hemric, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Zane Smith as full-time Cup Series competitors who did not qualify for the 2024 Playoffs. Nonetheless, all have the final 10-race Playoff stretch to contend for as high as 17th place in the final standings.

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the upcoming Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which will commence the Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.

September 2, 2024