CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 16: (L-R) Clint Bowyer, driver of the #15 Cherry 5-Hour Energy/Special Operations Warrior Foundation Toyota, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Patriotic Chevrolet, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Ortho Ford, and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford, stand on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

The playoff field is almost set with one race remaining


Advertisement

Sunday's Southern 500 made the playoff picture clearer, but not every driver in the 16-team field has secured a bid to the postseason yet.

Martin Truex Jr. clinched the regular season championship at Darlington Raceway, fand he earned 15 additional playoff points for the regular season title. Denny Hamlin won his second race of the season, so he had already clinched his spot prior to Sunday's win.

The other 11 drivers locked into the field are Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and Kasey Kahne.

Related: Playoff contender fails to finish at Darlington 

Advertisement

If the playoffs started this week, Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray would round out the field. They are the only three drivers who can qualify for the playoffs based on points as none of them have a win this season.

That means drivers such as Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones, Joey Logano and Daniel Suarez will have to win Sunday at Richmond Raceway to make the postseason. There are 17 drivers who can qualify with a win, and McMurray would likely be the driver who was left out if someone behind him in the points won on Sunday.

Sunday is Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s last chance to make the postseason, and he is currently No. 22 in the points. Unless something unexpected happens, he will miss out on the playoffs in his final season.

Logano won earlier this year at Richmond, but the win was deemed an encumbered victory due to Logano's car failing the post-race inspection. So the win didn't count towards the postseason, and Logano has struggled since that win.

Advertisement

The regular season finale will still be a dramatic race as several drivers attempt to defy the odds and make the postseason.

(h/t NBC Sports)