The NASCAR regular season is long and grinding, constantly shooting fans and drivers to the farthest corners of the United States.
It also _ thankfully _ is almost over.
Thankfully not because we're glad the racing season is dwindling, but because of what else that signifies:
The start of the Cup Series playoffs and the hunt for a NASCAR championship.
Sixteen drivers will advance to the postseason, with only one able to walk away with the title in November. But before we get into playoff cutdowns and elimination races, there's the issues of, you know, actually making the playoffs.
Currently, nine drivers have qualified by virtue of winning a race. That means no matter what happens these last six weekends of the regular season, those lucky nine _ Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman _ are safe.
That means seven spots are still up for grabs though, and there are a number of drivers vying for them in an ultra-competitive points standings. The gap between Kyle Larson in 12th and Daniel Suarez in 18th is a measly 31 points. That can easily swing in the course of six races, although the time for massive leaderboard jumps is also fast-escaping.
And while some drivers will be able to hang to their points cushions and slide into the playoffs that way (looking at you, William Byron), there's only one surefire way to earn your golden ticket:
Win.
Starting with Pocono this week, there are winnable tracks still out there over the next two months. Watkins Glen, Bristol and Darlington all lend themselves well to close racing, meaning the 10 or so drivers competing for the last seven playoff spots will truly have to earn their way into the postseason.
Still, some have a better shot at winning than others. Specifically, it wouldn't be a shock if any of these three drivers made their way to Victory Lane before the end of the regular season:
