Photo credit: NBC Sports
Racing

Missed opportunities haunt Cup Series bubble drivers

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Chase Briscoe knelt next to the No. 14 Ford after he won his way into the playoffs from well below the cutline. Meanwhile, the drivers he eliminated looked back on missed opportunities that kept them from pursuing championships.

The emotions were evident on the faces of Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Kyle Busch. These drivers all had opportunities to lock up playoff spots during the regular season, but they fell short while drivers such as Briscoe and Harrison Burton delivered stunning wins at Darlington and Daytona.

"There's been a lot of opportunities," Busch told NBC Sports after finishing second and missing the playoffs for the first time in the elimination era (2014-present).

"Daytona 500 we were up front all day. I can count 'em at least on a hand. Maybe I need two hands to count opportunities that have slipped away."

Busch and the No. 8 team struggled throughout the season, but they also contended for wins at multiple tracks. He finished third at Atlanta in one of NASCAR's closest finishes. He finished fourth at Dover after starting from the pole.

Busch was in position to win at Daytona last weekend before Burton made the race-winning pass. He settled for second. Darlington was his final opportunity to reach the playoffs, but he finished second once again while another driver won.

The two-time Cup Series champion is not the only driver in the field who missed out on race-winning opportunities. Buescher was in position to win the spring race at Darlington before Tyler Reddick made a mistake and sent both of their cars into the wall.

Buescher finished 30th instead of winning. This happened one week after he finished second to Kyle Larson at Kansas in NASCAR's closest-ever Cup Series finish.

Buescher didn't win three races like he did last season, but he still performed consistently. He was 11th in points entering Darlington, but he was the last driver above the cutline due to the number of race winners. Fifteen drivers celebrated in victory lane. Fourteen locked-up spots in the playoffs. Austin Dillon lost his eligibility as part of a penalty from NASCAR.

"We felt like we did, for the most part, what we needed to do today," Buescher said after finishing sixth but failing to make the playoffs. "We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it. We just didn't quite get it done again and we're on the outside looking in.

"It's just the system we're all playing in. We had such a great year. Everyone at RFK has worked so hard. We've been so fast. We've outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that's the system and we didn't work it right."

Buescher was 11th in the Cup standings while Wallace was 12th after what was, statistically, a career-best regular season. He matched his full-season marks for top-fives (five), top-10s (10), and pole wins (one) in only 26 races.

Like the RFK driver, Wallace just didn't secure the win that has become even more important in a Next Gen era where cars are closer in terms of performance.

There were moments when the 23XI Racing driver was in a position to point his way into the playoffs and eliminate Buescher. Wallace scored 11 stage points and he put enough distance between himself and the No. 17 Ford during the final stage.

This advantage did not last due to multiple cautions, differing pit strategies, and a multi-car crash that Wallace nearly avoided. He ultimately finished 16th after starting from the pole, which put him behind Buescher in points once again.

Ultimately, it didn't matter as Briscoe won from below the cutline and took the spot that would have gone to either Buescher or Wallace.

"I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn't been all day and got caught up in someone else's mess," Wallace said. "It's unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Hats off to the 14 (Chase Briscoe).

"I thought I did something yesterday, they one-upped us and showed up when it was game time so that's pretty badass so congrats to them. Man, just wasn't good enough for 16th this year. I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn't for a lack of effort for all of us on the 23 car."

Chastain's season was not as strong as Wallace's or Buescher's. He only had nine top-10 finishes and he never finished better than fourth during the regular season. His average finish (14.4) was sixth-best among Cup Series regulars.

While Chastain and the No. 1 team didn't have the same level of speed as others on the bubble, they did enough to remain in contention entering Darlington. Chastain was only 27 points below the cutline.

Missed stage points early in the race led to the No. 1 team throwing some Hail Marys. They first opted for a three-stop strategy during the final stage but changed it amid a flurry of late cautions. Chastain then stayed out on older tires for a late restart with under 30 laps to go in the race.

This gamble paid off initially as Chastain jumped to the lead on the restart. He just couldn't hold off Briscoe, who passed him before the caution flew for a multi-car crash. This late incident sent everyone down pit road, Chastain included.

Briscoe went on to win the race while Chastain finished fifth and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2021. And while he congratulated the Stewart-Haas driver by bumping his car on the cooldown lap, he also made it clear that he wasn't particularly happy about the missed opportunities.

Chastain told NBC Sports after the race that a little pain is good. He also said that he looked at all of the cars that would compete in the playoffs. He will use this image as fuel as he goes through the final 10 weeks of the Cup Series season.