Potential 2025 NASCAR Playoff SPOILERS

HAMPTON, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 25: Daniel Suarez, driver of the #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, crosses the finish line ahead of Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford, to win the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 25, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

What’s Happening?

With only a few races left before the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, many driver’s attentions turn from accruing enough points to make the Playoffs to winning a race. There are a few races coming up in the regular season that could produce a Wild Card winner, spoiling the Playoff party for plenty of drivers, and these drivers are the most likely to play spoiler.

  • In order to be a “Playoff spoiler”, a driver needs to be well out of the Playoff hunt. Drivers currently in the Playoffs as of this writing (July 5, 2024), will not be eligible for this list.
  • This year has seen some big upsets. Most notably, Daniel Suarez won at Atlanta and Austin Cindric took home the checkered flag at Gateway. Joey Logano also scored a win at Nashville after being out of the Playoffs for a good chunk of 2024.
  • Fans are always anticipating Playoff spoilers. Every year, someone jumps up and gets that clutch win to get into the Playoffs, and there are plenty of drivers out there who can still do that.

Michael McDowell

Anytime the Cup Series rocks up to a “Wild card” track like a road course or superspeedway, Michael McDowell is near the top of the list of potential upsets. It makes sense, as it has one win on a superspeedway and one on a road course at the Cup Series level. He also has three poles, meaning he has a lot of pure speed, and that, combined with a road course plus a superspeedway on the remaining schedule, makes him a threat.

Bubba Wallace

It’s strange to see Bubba Wallace on the “Spoilers” list, but he is currently nearly a full race out of the Playoffs. Sure, he can point his way in, but a win does help. He has the equipment to do it, and he has some good tracks coming up, like Daytona and Pocono.

Austin Dillon

Austin Dillon has two career superspeedway wins, and he produced NASCAR’s equivalent of a walk-off home run by winning the final race of the regular season in 2022 to make the Playoffs. He could easily do that again, but it has been a trying year. Sitting outside the top 30 in points, Dillon does need a miracle to make the Playoffs.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Never count out Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on superspeedways, with Daytona remaining in the regular season. He has three career wins, all on superspeedways, including two at Daytona. Even if this year has not been as strong as last year, Stenhouse Jr. can do it.

Josh Berry

Josh Berry has one big ace up his sleeve: short tracks. He spent most of his adult life racing late models on short tracks, and he has a pair of short track top-10s this season, with a seventh at Iowa and a third at Loudon. With Richmond still on the schedule, Berry is looking at that date to make some hay.

Ryan Preece

Like Berry, Ryan Preece is a shot track ace, and he showed that last year. He won the pole and led 141 laps at Martinsville before a speeding penalty, and he finished in the top five at Richmond in the summer. Look where they’re going on August 11th, Richmond.

Erik Jones

While 2024 has been a disappointment so far for Legacy Motor Club, Erik Jones has his two best tracks, Daytona and Darlington, left on the regular season schedule. These are venues where he has scored each of his three Cup Serres wins, so that’s exactly what he might need.

Chase Briscoe

Chase Briscoe is the top SHR driver in points right now, and that performance alone makes him a threat. He came close to a win at New Hampshire, and he finished in the top five at Darlington, the place where the regular season finale is.

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch has had an abysmal season in 2024, and he’s primarily on this list because he’s the winningest active driver in the Cup Series. He’s had moments of speed, such as a top-five at Dover and nearly finishing in the top three at Nashville, but there is not much left on the schedule to be excited about. At the end of the day, however, he’s still Kyle Busch.

Corey LaJoie

Corey LaJoie still has one big chance left on the 2024 schedule: Daytona. He finished fourth at the Daytona 500 in February, making him a definite threat. However, that could be the only real shot he has, given how he’s been running.

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Trucks: Dawson Sutton Hard into the Wall at EchoPark Speedway

What’s Happening?

After a relatively clean race, we got our first caution of the race for an incident in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The multi truck incident happed due to the result of a stack-up acter Kris Wright and Cole Butcher tangled. Here’s what happened.

  • As the laps were winding down, things were starting to get dicey in the back of the lead pack. Running in the middle, Kris Wright in the No. 81 truck got loose and slid up the track.
  • Wright made contact with Cole Butcher in the No. 13 truck, causing him to get into the wall. This resulted in significant damage to that ThorSport Ford.
  • As that was happening, the lower lanes clipped the apron to avoid a larger incident. This caused Dawson Sutton in the No. 26 to get turned. He ran up the track and plowed into the outside SAFER Barrier of the dogleg.
  • Dawson Sutton was able to exit his truck under his own power and was checked and released from the infield care center.

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Trucks: Mid-Race Report from EchoPark Speedway

What’s Happening?

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are thundering away at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) in Hampton, Georgia. Here’s what’s going on as the second stage draws to a close in Hotlanta.

  • The ThorSport Trucks dominated the opening stage with polesitter Jake Garcia and his teammate Ben Rhodes leading a bulk of the first two stages. They, along with fellow Ford driver Chandler Smith, formed a dominating single-file truck line at the top of the stage.
  • Corey Heim returned to the Craftsman Truck Series this weekend. He started the race strong, methodically working his way up through the pack, eventually taking the race lead away from the ThorSport Trucks late in Stage 1. He went on to win the stage.
  • On Lap 4 of the race, Christian Eckes, who returned to the Truck Series after an ill-fated stint in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Kaulig, had some issues. He’s off to a tough 2026 season. Back at MHR driving the No. 91 truck, he suffered a broken driveshaft, ending his day.
  • With both stages now in the books, the top point earners so far in this race are Stewart Friesen (15 points with the Stage 2 win) and Andres Perez (7 points).
  • Cup drivers such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 45), Carson Hocevar (No. 77), and Kyle Busch (No. 7) have yet to upset the truck regulars and not for a lack of trying. Kyle Busch tried to make the bottom work in Stage 1 but was never able to clear the leaders. Still, they all three ran solidly in the Top 10.

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What to Watch Out for in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at EchoPark Speedway

What’s Happening?

After the season-opening race at Daytona, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series returns to yet another drafting-style track–the EchoPark Speedway (formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway). This race part of a thrilling NASCAR double-header with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series slated to follow. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on in today’s Fr8 Racing 208 at EchoPark Speedway.

  • ThorSport swept the front row for today’s race during yesterday’s qualifying session. Jake Garcia will roll off from the pole in the No. 98 with his teammate, Ben Rhodes alongside in the No. 99
  • Their FORD Teammate, Chandler Smith, snuck away with the win in the season-opening race at Daytona. Because win-and-you’re-in is over, he’ll need to continue that consistency today at EchoPark, a similar-style drafting track.
  • Kyle Busch is in the field today. The winningest driver in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history is the highest starting Chevy, driving the Spire No. 7. He’s the defending winner of this race looking for early bragging rights to start the season.
  • Adam Andretti, the cousin of Michael and Marco Andretti, is in this race and is even starting inside the top 10. Keep an eye out for him today as he’ll be running a partial schedule.
  • The weather was a big point of concern today. The race was delayed for thirty minutes but skies ultimately broke, track drying began, and the start time was rescheduled to 2:34 PM EST.

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