Three more NASCAR Cup Series drivers lock into playoffs at Indianapolis
Three drivers locked into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs following Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin and Michael McDowell locked in after A.J. Allmendinger, who is ineligible for the playoffs, won Sunday.
Almirola won at New Hampshire and McDowell won the Daytona 500, which locked each of them into the playoffs.
Hamlin locked into the playoffs on points. He is 198 points ahead of Kevin Harvick, who is the next highest winless driver in the points.
Harvick, who currently holds the 15th playoff spot, is 95 points ahead of Austin Dillon.
Harvick can lock into the playoffs at Michigan if there is a repeat or non-playoff-eligible winner.
Tyler Reddick, who holds the 16th and final playoff spot, is 28 points ahead of Dillon.
Reddick must win a race or not have a repeat winner in the next two races, in order to lock into the playoffs.
The next race for the NASCAR Cup Series is the August 22 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (3 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
In 2020, the track hosted an August 8-9 doubleheader weekend. Kevin Harvick is the defending NASCAR Cup Series winner at the track.
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com