☰
The battle for the final four playoff spots is exciting. Most of the big-name drivers made it through as expected, but some drivers like Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch have yet to secure a spot in the final round.
Darlington will host the regular season finale this time, but the race at Daytona International Speedway is still considered a major turning point in this playoff race. Winning a race and securing a spot in the playoffs seems like a better prospect than betting on points. It’s a tough situation for any driver, so just ask Bubba Wallace. He knows a thing or two about this situation.
But despite a heartbreaking finish at Daytona last season, the 23XI Racing star finds himself in a similar situation. He’s yet to win and is relying on points to advance to the next round. However, a win by one of the new drivers could thwart his plans, and there’s a good chance that RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher could pull off that upset.
History repeating itself could be detrimental to Bubba Wallace’s playoff chances
Last year’s season finale took place at the legendary Daytona International Speedway. Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski won the RFK race, finishing first and second, respectively. The win secured Bubba Wallace a spot in the playoffs and ended Chase Elliott’s hopes.
For the first time in his career, the HMS driver failed to advance to the next round. This time, however, it’s a different story, as Buescher himself is fighting winless. Frankly, he’s been unlucky and the results have been against him when he needed them.
But with the Daytona race coming up and knowing he’ll have to face the challenge of Bubba Wallace and a few others, he’s hoping to turn the situation in his favor. Currently, Buescher is ahead of Chastain and Wallace in points, but only by a small margin; he’s only 17 points behind Bubba Wallace in 14th place. So a series of top-10 results and a stage win or two could see Buescher’s qualifying scenario in jeopardy. There’s no doubt that the No. 17 Ford is the better race car for drivers looking to make the playoffs, and it’s only a matter of time before he wins again.
Despite being under immense pressure, Bubba Wallace isn’t ready to give up just yet. Instead, he’s accepted the challenge and wants to get revenge on his critics again with a late entry into the Round of 16.
Wallace isn’t out of the playoff picture just yet
Despite being a direct competitor that could hinder Wallace’s progress in 2024, Buescher began to put pressure on other drivers, especially Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe. He certainly made progress with the remaining three weeks of racing where others fell short of their goals. Three weeks before the Brickyard weekend, Bubba Wallace was 51 points below the cut line, but now he’s just seven points behind Chastain. A solid run of top-five performances backed up by a stage win at the Brickyard has definitely helped him. He also finished the race with a solid top-10 finish when the No. 1 car crashed at Pocono and couldn’t run.
Like most drivers, Wallace has critics and skeptics who always get on his nerves. But he’s not going to give them another chance because he’s optimistic about his chances of making the playoffs. “We don’t live our lives thinking of ourselves as underdogs.
We thought we were eliminated last year, right? We couldn’t manage that either. “Keep fighting and prove me wrong,” he was quoted as saying. Wallace is no doubt using the “no” as extra motivation to achieve his season goals. And that will no doubt make the remaining four races of the regular season an exciting experience for fans.