Ross Chastain Finishes Fifth, but Still Drops Below Playoff Cutline
3 months agoAlthough Ross Chastain exceeded expectations by finishing fifth at Richmond, which gave him his best finish in seven races, the race proved to be his worst playoff nightmare as not only did Austin Dillon's ignominious victory blow up the playoff bubble but Bubba Wallace finished fourth and scored stage points while Chastain did not, which dropped him three points below the playoff cutline in a tie with Chris Buescher (assuming Dillon does not lose his playoff eligibility in a post-race penalty). Buescher holds the tiebreaker because his best finish is second while Chastain's is fourth. Considering Trackhouse Racing's intermittent speed, Chastain actually ran well and beat Daniel Suarez as usual even though Suarez outran him, but he still might be in playoff trouble unless Dillon loses his playoff eligibility because he seems to lack winning speed.
Source: Racing Reference
Source: Racing Reference