Trackhouse Racing star Ross Chastain is among several NASCAR Cup Series drivers handed a major playoff boost this past weekend.
Chastain's teammate Shane van Gisbergen showed his road course excellence once again at Watkins Glen, taking his fourth victory of the season to add to his ever-growing playoff points tally.
However, his win also had huge consequences for several of his competitors. It is now impossible for there to be 16 different race winners this season and a regular season champion that has not won a race.
This means that all drivers who have one win so far this season - Chastain, Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott - are now officially locked into the playoffs.
Although it has never happened since the playoff format was introduced, if there were more than 16 race winners this season, NASCAR would begin to take points into account, which could have seen one of the above names miss out, with those lowest in the standings the most vulnerable for obvious reasons.
However, all can now breathe a sigh of relief and start to plan ahead for playoff action, which kicks off at Darlington Raceway on August 31.
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Cup Series playoff standings after Watkins Glen
Here is the full playoff picture heading into the final two races of the regular season:
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team | Wins | +/- to Cut Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 4 | LOCKED IN |
| 2 | Shane Van Gisbergen (88) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | 4 | LOCKED IN |
| 3 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 3 | LOCKED IN |
| 4 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 3 | LOCKED IN |
| 5 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2 | LOCKED IN |
| 6 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske Ford | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing Toyota | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 10 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske Ford | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 11 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 12 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske Ford | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 13 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing Ford | 1 | LOCKED IN |
| 14 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing Toyota | 0 | +117 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman (48) | Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 0 | +60 |
| 16 | Chris Buescher (17) | RFK Racing Ford | 0 | +34 |
| — Playoff Cut Line — | ||||
| 17 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing Ford | 0 | -34 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 0 | -102 |
| 19 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 0 | -125 |
| 20 | AJ Allmendinger (16) | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | 0 | -129 |
| 21 | Brad Keselowski (6) | RFK Racing Ford | 0 | -153 |
| 22 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 0 | -156 |
| 23 | Erik Jones (43) | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | 0 | -157 |
| 24 | Michael McDowell (71) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 0 | -160 |
| 25 | John H. Nemechek (42) | Legacy Motor Club Toyota | 0 | -160 |
| 26 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) | HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet | 0 | -198 |
| 27 | Zane Smith (38) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | 0 | -203 |
| 28 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 0 | -212 |
| 29 | Daniel Suárez (99) | Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet | 0 | -225 |
| 30 | Justin Haley (7) | Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 0 | -230 |
| 31 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | 0 | -242 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon (10) | Kaulig Racing Chevrolet | 0 | -263 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson (4) | Front Row Motorsports Ford | 0 | -319 |
| 34 | Cole Custer (41) | Haas Factory Team Ford | 0 | -324 |
| 35 | Riley Herbst (35) | 23XI Racing Toyota | 0 | -331 |
| 36 | Cody Ware (51) | Rick Ware Racing Ford | 0 | -455 |
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