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The common 2024 NASCAR Cup sequence season could have closed at Darlington, crowning Tyler Reddick its champion, however the 2024 Collection title is much from settled. That is all decided within the subsequent 10 races as a part of the Cup playoffs. If you happen to’re already misplaced, or a fan who wants a refresher, we have you.
This 12 months marks the tenth 12 months with the knockout-style format. Initially known as ‘The Chase’ in 2004 and involving ten drivers who merely tried to assemble extra factors than the others over the course of the ultimate ten races, the system has grow to be one thing totally totally different within the fashionable period. It was a decade in the past that NASCAR did a a whole overhaul and launched an expanded playoff area, eliminations, and ten races break up into 4 distinct rounds to find out the Cup Collection’ Season Champion.
So, how precisely does it work? This is a simplified breakdown of all of it:
16 contenders
After the primary 26 races, each full-time driver with a win is locked into the playoffs. The remainder of the 16-driver area is made up of these with essentially the most common season factors, however no wins throughout the 12 months. In 2024, the one drivers to make it in on factors alone had been Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs.
Factors reset: The standings then reset with each playoff driver awarded 2,000 playoff factors. Bonus factors accrued throughout the common season are added to the whole — 5 factors per race win, one level per stage win, and a handful of extra factors for the ten highest drivers within the standings earlier than the reset. This features a whopping 15 for the common season champion. Nevertheless, they will not be alone out on the monitor. All of the drivers who failed to make the playoffs will nonetheless be competing and doing so with one aim in thoughts — steal race wins.
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, zone / GetGo Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images
Three rounds of elimination
Spherical of 16: The primary three races of the playoffs make up the Spherical of 16, the place the 4 lowest drivers in factors (normally thirteenth via sixteenth) will likely be eradicated from title competition. Just like the common season, a win by any playoff driver — regardless of how few factors, robotically advances them into the next spherical.
2024 races: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen Worldwide, Bristol Motor Speedway
What to anticipate: That is the spherical the place lots of the ‘pretenders’ fall out of the playoffs, akin to those that aren’t usually aggressive however managed to search out their method to Victory Lane at one level throughout the common season. Nevertheless, that will change this 12 months with the introduction of a drafting monitor (Atlanta) to the opening spherical, in addition to a street course. Bristol might be one other wildcard after the shocking tire wear that threw the spring race into chaos, as the identical compound is about to return for this September’s cut-off race. It is a spherical the place the drivers seeded close to the highest of the standings solely want to remain out of bother to make sure development.
Spherical of 12: The factors are reset to three,000 with all the bonus factors added again, in addition to any extra bonus factors earned throughout the Spherical of 16. The format between these rounds may be very comparable with one other three races, eradicating the 4 drivers with the least quantity of factors. When this spherical ends, half of the unique playoff area will likely be gone.
2024 races: Kansas Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL
What to anticipate: The mid-point of the playoffs is understood to have its fair proportion of shock exits. That is partly because of the inclusion of a street course and a drafting monitor, however this 12 months, each the Spherical of 16 and Spherical of 12 share this distinctive attribute. Consequently, 2024 might possible be essentially the most unpredictable playoffs but. At Talladega, producer loyalty will likely be the whole lot as these not a part of the title hunt turned belongings to those who are throughout the Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota camps. The ROVAL returns as an elimination race, which normally results in odd methods and drivers within the hazard of falling brief willingly giving up monitor place in a determined try and garner stage factors. A.J. Allmendinger capitalized on this in 2023, short-pitting the levels and snatching a win away from the playoff drivers.
Watch: See a number of angles of Chastain’s last-lap transfer to advance at Martinsville
Spherical of 8: The factors reset to 4,000, together with bonus factors for yet another three-race stretch. This leads into the penultimate race of the season the place the underside 4 drivers with out a win will as soon as once more be eradicated. A win by any of the remaining eight drivers over the course of this spherical robotically ensures them a shot on the title within the finale. There will likely be as much as not less than one driver transferring in on factors, relying on who wins these races.
2024 races: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway
What to anticipate: This spherical is understood for its drama with the championship drawing close to. It has featured a number of bodily altercations between title combatants, notably in 2014 when an all-out brawl ensued between the groups of Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. In 2015, Matt Kenseth was suspended after deliberately wrecking Joey Logano out of playoff competition in payback for a earlier incident. The listing goes on, together with the now banned wall-ride maneuver that launched Ross Chastain into the 2022 Championship 4 and made him a viral sensation. This spherical is normally the climax of the season, much more so than the title-decider. Ending at a brief monitor, contact is frequent and tempers are anticipated to flare.
Word: Any factors ties throughout these rounds will damaged by a driver’s highest end throughout the three races inside that particular person spherical.
Championship 4
The winner-take-all finale! The 4 remaining drivers will battle it out within the thirty sixth and closing race of the season because the factors are reset to five,000. Through the race, there aren’t any stage factors awarded for the Championship 4 drivers. The format turns into very simple right here — whoever finishes highest, wins the title. A tie, which occurred within the previous format throughout the 2011 season, is now not potential. Wherever they qualify, the 4 contenders are assured to pick their pit bins earlier than the remainder of the sphere.
Host monitor: Phoenix Raceway
What to anticipate: For the reason that present format’s inception, the champion has needed to win the finale each single season — till final 12 months. Ross Chastain turned the primary non-playoff driver within the knockout period to spoil the celebration and seize the checkered flag within the title-decider, drawing the ire of 2023 champion Ryan Blaney as he did so.
The 4 drivers for the 2014 Dash Cup: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Crew Penske Ford, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: NASCAR Media
Phoenix has hosted the finale since 2020, identified for its wild restarts the place all the area followers out as they reduce the frontstretch apron in a weird, however completely authorized show. Three of the final 4 champions have all began from pole at Phoenix, so qualifying will likely be essential. Final 12 months, Blaney received the title from fifteenth on the grid.
And one last item to remember concerning the present format: Something can and can occur. The dominant driver is assured nothing and underdogs are given the prospect to jot down their names into the historical past books. It will not be the fairest method to crown a season champion, nevertheless it by no means lacks for pleasure.
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