NASCAR Playoff picture as Kyle Busch and Bubba Wallace left sweating
The NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture features four drivers with three wins and a chasing pack featuring Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch for the points places.
Shane van Gisbergen's win in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway didn't impact the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings: the New Zealander was already a lock with a pair of victories before this one.
He's now one of four drivers with three wins and guaranteed spots in the final 16 along with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell (who had three in a row).
Eight other drivers have one win: William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Josh Berry, and Chase Elliott.
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That leaves four spots based on the points ranking left with a little less than half the 2025 season. 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick leads the pack ahead of Chris Buescher, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace.
Wallace, who boasts three top-five finishes and six total top-10 showings, sits three points ahead of Ryan Preece on the bubble. Behind him are Kyle Busch (-37) and AJ Allmendinger (-50).
Busch missed the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs last season for the first time since 2005 when he was a 20-year-old driver for Hendrick Motorsports. He finished 10th at Sonoma and is among those sweating as the race hots up on the bubble, with Wallace also in a nervy position.
“We had to come from behind all day with our zone Chevrolet," Busch said after Sunday's race. "On the initial start, our car had no drive or rear lateral any direction."
"We kept working on the balance and in Stage 3, the car was the best it had been. It was simply avoiding wrecks at the end. Proud of the No. 8 team for pushing through and getting a top-10 finish.”
At the top of the table, Van Gisbergen has been a revelation. He credited his team for his third victory of the season.
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“This is amazing. This is why we go racing. I had a great time. It’s awesome to have Red Bull on the car this weekend. Trackhouse Racing gave me a great Chevrolet again," he beamed.
"What a great couple of weeks! Just to execute, make no mistakes, have great pit stops, great strategy and be able to hold them off there at the end – it’s incredible," he continued.
The Cup Series turns to the Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday for the 2025 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
