NASCAR Championship: Full Playoff Standings After Cook Out 400 at Richmond

A new winner was crowned today at Richmond Raceway, where Chris Buescher secured his spot in the 2023 Playoffs with a trip to victory lane. The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has had a great year, but just hadn't been able to seal the deal. Today he did just that, marking the first win for Ford since the Coca-Cola 600 in May. Buescher was likely going to get in on points, but his win today set it in stone.

There have now been 12 different race winners this year, leaving four spots up for grabs with just four races remaining in the regular season. The four drivers that currently occupy those spots are Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, and Michael McDowell. Both Harvick and Keselowski should be able to point their way in, but nothing is guaranteed still at this point.

Wallace is now 54 points above the cut line with a strong showing today at Richmond. The 23XI Racing driver is still hoping to join his teammate a race winner this season. With upcoming races at Michigan and Daytona, he has a real shot at making that happen. McDowell did not have a great day at Richmond, but was able to hold on to the final Playoff spot, for now. He is 18 points above the cut line after today's race.

The drivers currently outside of the Playoffs are rookie Ty Gibbs (-18), AJ Allmendinger (-22), Daniel Suarez (-34), Chase Elliott (-40), and Alex Bowman (-42). Suarez and the two Hendrick Motorsports drivers will likely need to win one of the final four races to earn their way in. Allmendinger is eying the IMS road course and Watkins Glen the same way that Wallace is looking at Michigan and Daytona.