The Round of 16 opener at Darlington Raceway shook up the Cup Series playoff standings. Now, teams will head to Gateway, a track that could become a pivotal turning point for every driver not locked into the Round of 12.
Basically, every driver not named Chase Briscoe has some level of discomfort this week. Briscoe punched his ticket to the Round of 12 by winning at Darlington Raceway.
Gateway, while a new addition to the playoffs, could serve as the safest place for drivers to battle for points and the all-important win. It's less of a wild card than Darlington Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
"It definitely changes the first round, especially Atlanta last year with a speedway race and that format," Austin Cindric said during Media Day. "Whereas St. Louis I'm sure most probably look at that as their best opportunity for a base hit.
"It's not a very normal racetrack, but you could look at it and think, 'OK, there's Darlington and Bristol. This is the only one that's not crazy.' I think it's best to not be able to put yourself in a position to where that race has to be incredibly important."
Cindric is the defending winner at Gateway. He used this 1.25-mile track to punch his ticket to the playoffs last season as he capitalized when teammate Ryan Blaney ran out of fuel. He knows how to contend for the win at this unique track, which became the pivotal turning point of his season.
AUSTIN CINDRIC WINS AT WWT RACEWAY AS RYAN BLANEY RUNS OUT OF FUEL! 🫨🫨🫨
🎥: NASCAR pic.twitter.com/5JK0n2x0Xv
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) June 2, 2024
This should provide some semblance of confidence, especially considering that Cindric sits 12 points above the Round of 12 cutline. The Team Penske driver could realistically put himself in position to advance just by delivering a quiet, clean performance.
The situation is significantly different for multiple drivers below the cutline. Josh Berry and Alex Bowman, in particular, are 19 points out of the Round of 12 heading to a track where they have failed to post a top-10 finish.
Berry crashed in his lone Gateway start last season and finished last. Bowman's best finish in three starts is 13th. He finished 26th and 28th in his two other starts.
"I think you look at Gateway is a short track, but kind of a faster short track," Berry said. "Strategy and fuel mileage can be so important there, so there are things that can definitely go awry."
Bowman is far from the only Hendrick Motorsports driver entering what could be a pivotal Gateway weekend for his playoff chances. The four drivers in the HMS lineup have only combined for three top-10 finishes in three races. Kyle Larson (+38) has two of them. William Byron (+25) has one. Chase Elliott (+9) has a best finish of 13th in two starts.
"This is going to be a tough round," Elliott said before the playoffs began. "You know, Darlington's been a tough track for me. We've had some good runs here and there, but certainly not very consistent.
"And you look at Gateway, I think, as a company, we've been kind of off there. Bristol's been a good track for us, but, you know, that's only a third of it, right? So, we've got to make sure we give this round the respect it deserves and show up ready to go this weekend."
Obviously, Gateway could be a pivotal track for Hendrick Motorsports, but it could be more so for Shane van Gisbergen.
The Cup Series rookie entered the playoffs as the sixth seed after winning four races in the regular season. He entered the first round with the goal of delivering above average results. This would help him advance to the Round of 12, which features the Charlotte Roval.
Van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing struggled at Darlington Raceway. The car didn't have the handling or speed that the three-time Supercars champion needed and then an ill-timed caution trapped him two laps down.
Now, van Gisbergen heads to Gateway only three points above the cutline. He can not afford to lose any more points if he hopes to reach the Round of 12. The problem for van Gisbergen is that the round only grows more difficult.
"Gateway and Bristol are going to be tough," van Gisbergen said. "I haven't been to Gateway, and Bristol I struggled a bit at."