NASCAR Championship: Full Driver Playoff Standings After Indianapolis

The race for the final few Playoff spots got even tighter today when Michael McDowell clinched his spot in the postseason with his victory at Indianapolis. The Front Row Motorsports driver earned just his second career win, but he did so in dominant fashion, leading 54 of the 82 laps. He was one of the many drivers that are in the mix for one of the final spots, in this win and you're in scenario with just two regular season races remaining.

Despite all of the movement, the top-five in the standings remain the same, with William Byron leading the way with four wins. There are now 13 drivers locked in with wins, with Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski not among them. Those two veterans should be able to easily make it in on points though, as they are now 145 and 143 points above the Playoff cut line. Bubba Wallace holds on to that 16th and final spot, but he can feel the pressure on him.

Bubba had an average race today, but he lost 30 points by the time it ended. He is 28 points ahead of Daniel Suarez, who sits in 17th after a pit stop mistake cost him a shot at the win. The biggest blow came to Ty Gibbs, who entered this race above the cut line, but now finds himself 49 points below it.

Chase Elliott fell from 55 points to 80 points behind, and will have to win at Watkins Glen or Daytona to make the Playoffs. If Chase comes with the same setup as today, he might be able to get the job done next weekend, but it will not be easy. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman is in the exact same boat, as the two are tied with 480 points this season.