RICHMOND, VA - SEPTEMBER 09: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 Mountain Dew Chevrolet,, Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW Chevrolet,, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Caramel Toyota, Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford, Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Hurricane Harvey Relief Toyota, Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 McDonald's Chevrolet, Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Great Clips Chevrolet, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford, Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John's Ford, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, pose for a photo after making the playoffs following the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway on September 9, 2017 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Here are the six drivers in danger of being eliminated on Sunday at Dover


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Four drivers have already clinched a spot in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR playoffs, and a handful of other drivers are in good shape entering Sunday's race at Dover.

Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch automatically moved to the next round after their wins, and they would've advanced anyway thanks to their playoff points.

Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski are also automatically into the next round based on the points they have accumulated.

If the current standings hold, the four drivers who would miss the cut are Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne. But a lot can change in one race, and Jamie McMurray and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are also in jeopardy of being eliminated if they perform poorly.

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Of the six drivers at the most risk of being eliminated, only Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman have wins in Dover. Busch won at Dover in 2011, while Newman won three time between 2003 and 2004.

Stenhouse only has one top-10 finish at Dover in his 10 starts during his career. Dillon is in the same predicament as Stenhouse as he only has one top-10 finish in eight starts at Dover.

Kahne has never won at Dover, but he has had success at the track in recent years. He has top-10 finishes in three of his last five races at the Monster Mile.

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McMurray has also never won at the track, but he does have eight top-10 finishes and finished seventh in June. A similar performance on Sunday would likely be enough to advance him into the next round.

Any stage win from those six drivers would also help, but the easiest way to qualify for the next round is to win the race outright. If not, they will be in jeopardy of being eliminated.

(h/t For The Win)

 

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