Kyle Busch's Cup Series playoff hopes took a huge dent in Mexico City on Sunday, with his NASCAR rivals taking full advantage.
The start of the 100-lap race was somewhat chaotic at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with rain falling and drivers struggling to stay in control of their vehicles as a result.
Unfortunately for Busch, he was one of those drivers, causing a wreck on lap seven after making a braking error into turn one. The incident caught up six of the field, but crucially, the damage that the No. 8 sustained meant that Busch was forced to retire.
Officially classified 37th, the lack of points collected in Mexico has had a major impact on the two-time champion's playoff bid, with Busch falling below the cut-off line by 50 points as the drivers around him profited from his error.
Chris Buescher, for example, who sits 16th and just above the bubble, scored a solid P10 in Mexico City, also collecting stage points along the way, whilst it was a similar story with Alex Bowman (15th), who finished third in stage two and fourth overall.
Even outside of the current playoff 16, Busch was overtaken, with Michael McDowell (18th) and AJ Allmendinger (19th) leapfrogging the two-time champion with their P5 and P13 finishes.
Coming out of Mexico City, 10 drivers are now locked into the 2025 playoffs, with Shane van Gisbergen the latest driver to add his name to that list following his victory on Sunday, despite sitting 30th in the regular season standings.
NASCAR playoff standings after Mexico City
Here is how the battle for the 2025 Cup Series playoffs looks following Sunday's race in Mexico City.
| Rank | Driver | Car No. | Wins | Playoff Points | +/- to Cutoff Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 5 | 3 | 23 | Locked In |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 3 | 18 | Locked In |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | 20 | 3 | 16 | Locked In |
| 4 | William Byron | 24 | 1 | 12 | Locked In |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 1 | 8 | Locked In |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 22 | 1 | 7 | Locked In |
| 7 | Austin Cindric | 2 | 1 | 7 | Locked In |
| 8 | Josh Berry | 21 | 1 | 6 | Locked In |
| 9 | Shane van Gisbergen | 88 | 1 | 6 | Locked In |
| 10 | Ross Chastain | 1 | 1 | 5 | Locked In |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | 9 | 0 | 0 | +146 |
| 12 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 0 | 0 | +123 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 0 | 2 | +57 |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | 19 | 0 | 0 | +39 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | 48 | 0 | 0 | +22 |
| 16 | Chris Buescher | 17 | 0 | -4 | +19 |
| PLAYOFF CUTOFF LINE | |||||
| 17 | Ryan Preece | 60 | 0 | 1 | -19 |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | 71 | 0 | 0 | -43 |
| 19 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | 0 | 0 | -45 |
| 20 | Kyle Busch | 8 | 0 | 0 | -50 |
NASCAR Cup Series winners in 2025
Here is a full list of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule so far, with each race winner listed accordingly.
| Round | Winner | Event | Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Byron | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | Ambetter Health 400 | Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix | Circuit of The Americas |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | Shriners Children's 500 | Phoenix Raceway |
| 5 | Josh Berry | Pennzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | Straight Talk Wireless 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | Cook Out 400 | Martinsville Speedway |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | Goodyear 400 | Darlington Raceway |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway |
| 10 | Austin Cindric | Jack Link's 500 | Talladega Superspeedway |
| 11 | Joey Logano | Würth 400 presented by Liqui Moly | Texas Motor Speedway |
| 12 | Kyle Larson | AdventHealth 400 | Kansas Speedway |
| 13 | Ross Chastain | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway |
| 14 | Ryan Blaney | Cracker Barrel 400 | Nashville Superspeedway |
| 15 | Denny Hamlin | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway |
| 16 | Shane van Gisbergen | Viva Mexico 250 | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez |
