The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are in full swing, with drivers battling it out for a chance to compete for the championship. However, two drivers who have been facing significant challenges in the playoffs are Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Both drivers have encountered setbacks that have raised questions about their playoff prospects. In this article, we will delve into the struggles of Larson and Briscoe, analyze the impact of their woes, and assess the severity of the damage to their playoff hopes.
Kyle Larson entered the playoffs as one of the favorites to contend for the championship, given his dominant performances throughout the regular season. However, Larson has faced adversity in the playoffs, with inconsistent finishes and unexpected setbacks. A crash at Bristol Motor Speedway resulted in a disappointing finish for Larson, and he has struggled to regain his momentum since then. Despite showing flashes of speed, Larson has been unable to translate it into strong results, leaving him on the outside looking in as the playoffs progress.
Chase Briscoe, a rookie in the Cup Series, has also encountered challenges in the playoffs. Briscoe’s playoff hopes took a hit early on when he failed to advance past the Round of 16. A string of underwhelming performances and bad luck have plagued Briscoe, preventing him from making a significant impact in the playoffs. As a young driver with limited Cup Series experience, Briscoe’s struggles highlight the steep learning curve and intense competition in NASCAR’s premier series.
Assessing the Damage:
The playoff woes of Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe have undoubtedly impacted their championship aspirations. For Larson, the pressure is mounting as he tries to turn his fortunes around and secure a spot in the next round of the playoffs. With each race becoming more crucial, Larson must find a way to overcome his challenges and showcase the form that made him a standout performer earlier in the season. As for Briscoe, the playoffs have been a learning experience that will shape his development as a driver. While his playoff hopes may be dashed this year, Briscoe can use this opportunity to gain valuable insights and improve for the future.
The playoff woes of Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe serve as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of NASCAR and the challenges that drivers face in pursuit of the championship. While the damage to their playoff hopes may be severe, both Larson and Briscoe have the talent and determination to bounce back from adversity. As the playoffs unfold, all eyes will be on these drivers as they strive to overcome their struggles and make their mark on the sport.
Briscoe was the biggest loser of the day as his odds of escaping the Round of 16 dropped by 43.9 percentage points with the last-place finish, the largest decline in advancement odds for any driver after Sunday’s race.
We noted last week that Briscoe’s skills didn’t necessarily match up well with any of the first-round sites, but Atlanta was nonetheless a place where avoiding catastrophe would be paramount, just because of the track’s chaotic tendencies since being reconfigured and running like a superspeedway starting in 2022. By being caught up in the worst-case scenario so early, Briscoe now stares at a 21-point deficit versus the elimination line, and with it, just a 16% chance to advance.
It’s still not impossible to dig out of Briscoe’s hole in the standings. In the simulations, a top-10 finish at Bristol Motor Speedway — where he has run at an above-average clip –boosts Briscoe’s odds of advancing to 41%, and a top 10 at Watkins Glen International would see his odds rise to 46%. That’s still not great … but if he finishes in the top 10 in both races, he would have an 88% chance to advance. So Briscoe still has a chance, but his margin for error is nonexistent at this point.
An interesting thing about Sunday’s wreck was that the fallout was asymmetrical. Larson started the chain of events that knocked both Briscoe and himself out, but Larson’s odds to advance only dipped by 10.3 percentage points — damage that was less severe than the race exacted on Martin Truex Jr. (minus-35.9), Harrison Burton (minus-33.1), Denny Hamlin (minus-13.8) or Brad Keselowski (minus-13.0).
Some of this is due to Larson’s status as a high-ranking driver — he had more breathing room to work with — and, indeed, he remains 15 points over the elimination line despite the near-last-place finish. (Before the playoffs, we wrote that he really just needed to avoid disasters at all three first-round races — so he has two more chances to keep that from happening.) Some also owe to Larson being one of the best-projected drivers in each of the next two races, particularly at Bristol. On average, the model shows he will have a pair of strong drives and make the troubles of Atlanta a distant memory.
“Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe-Playoff Woes : How Severe Is the Damage?”
