Here are the biggest first-round NASCAR Cup playoff eliminations

Every NASCAR Cup Series playoff round is about surviving and advancing to race for the championship but sometimes things go wrong — very wrong — and sometimes right away.

Here are the top 10 worst first-round playoff performances with the 2014-present format with four eliminations every three races ahead of the Championship 4.

10. Ryan Blaney, 2020 (-37)

9. Brad Keselowski, 2024 (-37)

Ryan Blaney’s first-round experience in 2020 was more unusual than any other opening round in NASCAR history.

COVID meant less time at the track and shop for teams — and a harder time getting out of a slump when momentum was lost.

It showed for Blaney who started the playoffs with a pre-race issue that cost him his crew chief for the Southern 500 at Darlington and 10 points after the race, which he finished one lap down with a 24th-place result. Richmond and Bristol had better finishes — 19th and 13th respectively — but he finished two laps down in each race and fell out of the playoffs.

Blaney had started the playoffs with 2,013 points, nine above the cutline. Altogether, he lost 46 points to the cutline.

Brad Keselowski came into the 2024 playoffs with 2,008 points, three above the cutline, after winning at Darlington in May and finishing the regular season eighth in points.

Like Blaney, Keselowski lost his momentum in the opening race — finishing 19th at Atlanta — before being better off as a ramp for William Byron the following week at Watkins Glen. Keselowski ended the round with another 26th-place finish — in the Bristol Night Race — to seal his fate.

Keselowski ultimately lost 40 points to the cutline in the round.

8. Matt Dibenedetto, 2020 (-41)

Matt DiBenedetto brought Wood Brothers Racing to their first playoff appearance after Paul Menard succeeded Ryan Blaney for two years of no appearances.

Through consistent runs and minimal incidents, DiBenedetto pointed his way into the playoffs over Jimmie Johnson, upsetting the 7-time champion in his final full-time year.

Unfortunately, DiBenedetto couldn’t put together a Johnson-esque playoff run. He started with the baseline 2,000 points, five below the cutline, and steadily lost points with three mediocre runs in the round that eliminated him.

DiBenedetto lost 36 points to the cutline in the first round.

7. Denny Hamlin, 2018 (-44)

Denny Hamlin started the playoffs with 2,003 points, just two below the cutline with Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the playoff opener.

Unfortunately, Hamlin rolled snake eyes in the round — right from the get-go. He spun with 22 laps to go at Vegas, losing his momentum and finishing a lap down in 16th at Richmond Raceway a week later.

Hamlin’s playoff fate was sealed in the inaugural race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval road course to end the round. He only managed a 12th-place finish and fell out of the playoffs in what proved to be his only winless year to date.

Hamlin lost 42 points to the cutline in the first round.

6. Michael McDowell, 2021 (-49)

After his surprising Daytona 500 win to open the season, few expected Michael McDowell to be a true contender come playoff time.

Those doubts were accurate. After scoring four more top-10 finishes in the 13 races after Daytona, McDowell and Front Row Motorsports failed to record a top 10 finish in the other 22 races — slumping to finishes of 37th at Darlington, 28th at Richmond and 24th at Bristol in the first round to get eliminated.

McDowell entered the playoffs tied with the cutline. He ultimately lost 49 points to the cutline.

5. Clint Bowyer, 2015 (-50)

Clint Bowyer is the first driver to be earmarked with a penalty on this list.

An illegal suspension part, discovered before the race at Chicagoland Speedway, led to a 25-point penalty. That took him from being tied with the cutline to being -31 points to it after effectively earning zero points at Chicagoland.

After finishing 26th at New Hampshire and 14th at Dover, they fizzled out of the 2015 playoffs.

In all, Bowyer lost 50 points to the cutline.

4. Harrison Burton, 2024 (-54)

Harrison Burton snuck into the 2024 playoffs with his summer Daytona win. Even with a win, not too much was expected out of this team in the playoffs.

Burton entered the playoffs tied with the cutline. Ultimately, he tumbled 54 points away from it after he finished no better than 24th.

3. Josh Berry, 2025 (-56)

Josh Berry is the most recent entry to this list, with his win at Las Vegas in March getting him into the 2025 playoffs.

While expectations weren’t high for his 21 team, Berry didn’t have the worst outlook — starting with 2,006 points, just one below the cutline.

Back-to-back top-10 finishes showed some hope — that was quickly dashed one corner into the playoffs.

A lazy snap into the side of Tyler Reddick ended Berry’s day at Darlington. Onto Gateway and Chase Elliott got into him, resulting in a second incident. Then, a fire at Bristol put them out of their playoff misery.

Berry finished no better than 36th in any playoff race and exited the playoffs at the end of the round. He lost 55 points to the cutline.

2. Erik Jones, 2018 (-56)

Unfortunately, Erik Jones rounds out this list. Like Berry, he had his share of DNFs and damage that contributed to his troubles.

Jones started off the 2018 playoffs with 2,005 points, just two above the cutline but quickly dropped below the cutline with a 40th-place crash DNF at Las Vegas.

The next week, he rebounded to 11th at Richmond but contact on a restart at the Charlotte Roval led to a crash out of the race and the playoffs.

Jones ultimately lost 58 points to the cutline in the first round.

1. Erik Jones, 2019 (-77)

In Erik Jones’ only other playoff appearance, he found himself in a familiar situation.

The 2019 playoff campaign started at Las Vegas with 2,005 points, four above the cutline.

Then, major issues midway through the opener when throttle issues cost him 13 laps, netting him a 36th-place finish.

Looking for a comeback performance, the team rolled into Richmond where Jones and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates ran circles around the competition — finishing first through fourth.

In a twist of fate, Jones’ car failed post-race tech inspection, relegating him to last and stripping away all but one point he earned at Richmond.

Jones needed to win at the Charlotte Roval but a multi-car wreck abruptly ended his race late in the first stage. Jones finished last again and ended the round with four points in the three races.

By the end of the round, his staggering 77-point deficit stood as the largest ever. It’s even more staggering when you consider he lost 81 points in total to the cutline.