NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Picture: After Indianapolis

Here is the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Picture following the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, race 22 of 36 of the 2024 season. Four races remain until the Playoffs begin. This page will be updated after each race, including races inside the Playoffs.

*Only drivers eligible to compete for a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth are included on this list*

Drivers highlighted in yellow are (currently) locked into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by either winning a race or mathematically clinching a berth by way of points.

Current NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid (4 Races Remaining Until Playoffs)

If you're looking at the Playoff Grid, and thinking, "How the heck does any of this work?" Don't worry, we've got you covered!

Playoff Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berth, a driver must elect to score points in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the driver must compete in every NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race (unless a Playoff Waiver is granted by NASCAR for missing an event or events). If a driver attempts to qualify for a race but fails to make the starting field, it is at the discretion Series Managing Director to deem the qualifying attempt enough to keep the driver eligible for the Playoffs.

There have been two Waivers granted by NASCAR in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024. Erik Jones was given a Medical Waiver after missing two races (Dover, and Kansas) while recovering from a compression fracture in a lower vertebra in a crash at Talladega Superspeedway. Kyle Larson also received a Waiver from NASCAR after his absence in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as Larson was competing in the Indianapolis 500.

How Do Drivers Clinch a Playoff Berth?

There are a few paths for drivers to secure their place in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The most clear-cut path is by winning the regular-season championship. No matter what, the playoff-eligible driver who wins the Regular-Season championship receives a berth in the Playoffs regardless if they win a race or not.

The next pathway into the Playoffs is by winning a race. You'll hear announcers proclaim a driver has, "punched their ticket into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs," by winning that race. While that's never not been true in the history of the Playoff Format, winning doesn't 100 percent guarantee a NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs-eligible driver a berth in the Playoffs.

If there are more than 16 winners, or more than 15 winners, and a winless regular-season champion, there would be at least one winner on the outside of the Playoff Cutline.

If there are not 16 winners during the regular season, the final positions in the Playoff Grid are filled by the drivers who scored the most NASCAR Cup Series championship points in the regular season. Pointing your way into the Playoffs is the final, and most pressure-packed way, to achieve a Playoff berth.

How Are Championship Points Scored?

The NASCAR Cup Series point system remains consistent from week to week. Every race weekend, the race winner is awarded 40 points for their finishing position, while second place receives 35 points. The point total will drop one point for every position from the second position to the 36th position in the final finishing order. For instance: Third place earns 34 points, fourth place earns 33, etc.

Drivers who finish races in positions 37 through 40 will all receive one championship point for their finishing position.

That is the breakdown for each position's standard base amount of points, but there are bonus points that can be earned.

In 2017, NASCAR adopted a new Stage Racing format, which split NASCAR Cup Series races into three segments (four segments for the Coca-Cola 600). Each Stage has Stage Points on the line for drivers who finish inside the top 10 finishing positions.

Stage Winners receive 10 championship points, and the point total decreases by one point (2nd gets nine points, 3rd gets eight points, etc.) for each position through 10th.

What Are Playoff Points and How Are They Earned?

Playoff Points is a unique wrinkle that was added to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff format in 2017 with the addition of the Stage Racing format. These bonus points carry through for drivers in each elimination round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The goal is to accumulate as many Playoff Points as possible in order to make your path to clinching your place in the next round of the Playoffs as easy as possible. It also gives drivers a safety net in the event that they find mechanical trouble in an elimination round race.

Each time a driver wins a Stage in a NASCAR Cup Series race, they are awarded one Playoff Point. Every race win equates to five Playoff Points for drivers. There are also additional bonus Playoff Points that are awarded to the top 10 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Regular-Season Championship Standings at the conclusion of the 26th race of the season.

The Regular-Season champion receives 15 Playoff Points, while the runner-up driver takes home 10 Playoff Points, and third place is awarded 8 Playoff Points. Playoff Points decrease by one point for every position from third to 10th in the Regular-Season Championship Standings, for example: fourth place gets 7 Playoff Points, fifth place gets 6, etc.).

Seeding and Tiebreakers

Seeding for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is ordered by Playoff Points. The 10-race Playoff will be divided into three three-race elimination rounds, four drivers will be eliminated at the end of each round.

If there are any ties to be broken to determine Playoff seeding, or which 16 drivers make it into the Playoffs, the tie-breaker will be total race wins, if the amount of wins is unable to break the tie, it will go to most second-place finishes. If there is still a tie, the tiebreaker will be most third-place finishes, and so on, until the tie is broken.

When the Playoffs begin, each driver will have their season points total reset to 2,000 points plus their accumulated Playoff Points. Drivers that advance to the second round of the Playoffs will have their season points total reset to 3,000 plus their accumulated Playoff Points, and so on until the Championship Round.

Drivers can secure their advancement to the next round, regardless of their points standing within the current round of the Playoffs, by winning one of the three races in the given Playoff Round.

If there is a tie at the Playoff Cutline at the end of a Playoff Round, the tie will be broken by best finish within the three races in that particular round. If both drivers have the same best finishing position, the tie will be broken by whichever driver has the better second-best finish within the round, and so on.

When drivers are eliminated from Playoff contention, they will revert to their original Playoff points reset (2,000 championship points) plus Playoff Points, and any finishing position and Stage Points accrued through the Playoff races prior to elimination.

All 12 drivers, who fail to advance to the Championship 4 in the Playoffs, will have the opportunity to fight their way to fifth place in the year-end championship standings.

The Playoffs will culminate in a winner-take-all final race where the four eligible drivers will have their season points totals reset to 5,000 points, with no Playoff Points added to the totals. The Championship 4 drivers will also score no additional Stage Points throughout the event, regardless of their finishing positions in Stages 1 and 2. The highest finishing of the four remaining drivers in Playoff contention will be awarded the NASCAR Cup Series championship at the conclusion of the Championship Race.

Photo Credit: Tyson Gifford, TobyChristie.com