Only two races remain in the Cup Series regular season, and the playoff picture has changed once again. A big crash took place near the end of the second stage at Michigan International Speedway and shook up the standings.
Kyle Larson lost control of the No. 5 Chevrolet on Lap 116. He spun up toward the outside wall and directly into the path of Bubba Wallace. Other drivers spun trying to avoid the wreck, but they ended up getting collected. Chris Buescher, in particular, damaged the splitter of the No. 17 Ford.
THAT'S A LOT OF DAMAGE.
Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and MORE INVOLVED. #NASCAR
📺 : USA Network pic.twitter.com/MUop6Dx8pt
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2024
Wallace was able to continue in the race, but he did not have the speed and handling that had helped him take the lead during the opening stage of the race. Buescher also continued but realized that he was no longer in contention for the win.
"I am adamant that we are not points racers but when our chance to win this thing was gone, ultimately that was some of the mentality, to figure out how to make the best of our day," Buescher told NBC Sports after the race.
"We had seen troubles from some of the other cars that were on the bubble."
Two wins on the season for Tyler Reddick. Two races remaining before the playoffs.
HERE. WE. GO. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/znp1QaLTaA
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2024
Buescher, who entered the race weekend on the cutline, is now 16 points above the playoff cutline after finishing sixth.
Wallace, who was three points to the good ahead of Michigan, is now back below the cutline. He is one point behind Ross Chastain with Daytona and Darlington remaining in the regular season.
Chastain was not without issues despite avoiding the wreck in stage 2 that collected other playoff hopefuls. He spun on his own during the first overtime attempt. He avoided damage but could only salvage a 25th-place finish, one spot ahead of Wallace. However, Chastain scored three more stage points than Wallace.
Larson was the points leader entering Michigan's race. Now, he is fourth in the standings after finishing 34th. Michigan winner Tyler Reddick is the points leader for the first time in his Cup Series career.
Chase Elliott is now second in the Cup standings and 10 points behind Reddick. He would have been closer in points to Reddick if not for contact with Ryan Blaney that knocked both drivers out of the top 10 on the final lap of the race.
Denny Hamlin is third in the standings and 28 points behind Reddick. The veteran driver finished ninth at Michigan, which was a rebound after he spun on Sunday and damaged the underbody of the No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin was outside the top 30 early on Monday, and he fell one lap down. However, he and his team continued working until he was in contention for a top 10.