After 26 weeks, the NASCAR playoffs have finally arrived.
Sixteen drivers battled their way into the playoffs after winning races and accumulating points during the regular season.
Now that the field is set, it’s time to break it all down. Who made the playoffs? What’s the format? And where are the playoff races being held?
Here’s all the answers to your questions about the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs:
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How do the NASCAR playoffs work and what is the format?
Buckle up, because this can be tricky.
This is the basic outline of how the NASCAR playoffs work:
- Sixteen drivers qualify for the playoffs, but all other drivers still participate in playoff races (typically 20 other drivers). Competitors qualify for the playoffs by winning a regular season race or earning the most points among winless drivers.
- There are four rounds in the playoffs – the Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8 and Championship 4.
- There are 10 races in the playoffs – three in the Round of 16, 12 and 8 and one in the Championship 4.
- After each of the first three rounds, the four drivers with the fewest points are eliminated, cutting the field from 16 to 12 to eight to four. Drivers automatically advance to the next round if they win a race in a round, though.
- Points do not matter in the Championship 4 race – whoever crosses the line first among the final four drivers is crowned as the season champion. Again, though, there will be 36 drivers racing in the final event – but only four are championship eligible. So, while a driver technically only needs to beat the other three to win the title, the eventual champion has won the Championship 4 race every year since the format began in 2014.
Who made the 2023 NASCAR playoffs?
The 16 drivers who made the playoffs are seeded based on their regular season performance. All of their point totals are reset to 2,000 and then their playoff points are added – five points per race win, one point per stage win and other points added for the regular season standings.
Here are the seeds for the 2023 NASCAR playoffs:
1. William Byron, 2,036 points
2. Martin Truex Jr., 2,036 points
3. Denny Hamlin, 2,025 points
4. Chris Buescher, 2,021 points
5. Kyle Busch, 2,019 points
6. Kyle Larson, 2,017 points
7. Christopher Bell, 2,014 points
8. Ross Chastain, 2,011 points
9. Brad Keselowski, 2,010 points
10. Tyler Reddick, 2,009 points
11. Joey Logano, 2,008 points
12. Ryan Blaney, 2,008 points
13. Michael McDowell, 2,007 points
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2,005 points
15. Kevin Harvick, 2,004 points
16. Bubba Wallace, 2,000 points
A record 10 different organizations are represented in the 2023 playoffs – Joe Gibbs Racing (Truex, Hamlin, Bell), Hendrick Motorsports (Byron, Larson), RFK Racing (Buescher, Keselowski), 23XI Racing (Reddick, Wallace), Team Penske (Logano, Blaney), Richard Childress Racing (Busch), Trackhouse Racing (Chastain), Front Row Motorsports (McDowell), JTG Daugherty Racing (Stenhouse) and Stewart-Haas Racing (Harvick).
Who missed the 2023 NASCAR playoffs?
Even though half of the 32 full-time drivers made the playoffs, there were plenty of big names who missed out.
Most notably, 2020 champion Chase Elliott missed the playoffs for the first time in his eight-year career. The five-time Most Popular Driver sat out seven races during the regular season – six due to a broken leg from a snowboarding accident and one due to a suspension for intentionally wrecking Hamlin at Charlotte. He was unable to gain enough points to catch Wallace and did not win a race, so his Championship 4 appearance streak will end at three.
In addition to Elliott, five playoff drivers from last year did not qualify in 2023: Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon and Chase Briscoe.
Other drivers to miss the 2023 playoffs include rookie Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Todd Gilliland, Erik Jones, Harrison Burton and Ty Dillon.
What is the 2023 NASCAR playoffs schedule?
The playoffs will be held over the next 10 weeks. Here’s the full schedule:
ROUND OF 16
1. Darlington Raceway, Sept. 3
2. Kansas Speedway, Sept. 10
3. Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 16
ROUND OF 12
4. Texas Motor Speedway, Sept. 24
5. Talladega Superspeedway, Oct. 1
6. Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Oct. 8
ROUND OF 8
7. Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Oct. 15
8. Homestead-Miami Speedway, Oct. 22
9. Martinsville Speedway, Oct. 29
CHAMPIONSHIP 4
10. Phoenix Raceway, Nov. 5
How to watch and stream the 2023 NASCAR playoffs
All NASCAR playoff races will air on NBC or USA Network. Additionally, every race – plus practice and qualifying sessions – will be available to stream either on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app or Peacock. Here’s the watch info for every race:
1. Darlington: Sept. 3, 6 p.m. ET on USA, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
2. Kansas: Sept. 10, 3 p.m. ET on USA, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
3. Bristol: Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
4. Texas: Sept. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
5. Talladega: Oct. 1, 2 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
6. Charlotte: Oct. 8, 2 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
7. Las Vegas: Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
8. Homestead-Miami: Oct. 22, 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
9. Martinsville: Oct. 29, 2 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
10. Phoenix: Nov. 5, 3 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports app
Who are the favorites to win the 2023 NASCAR championship?
Based on the seeds alone, Byron and Truex are in the best position to win the championship. Both drivers enter with 36 playoff points – putting them in a good spot to advance through the rounds even if they have trouble in a race.
Truex, despite missing the playoffs last year, has made the Championship 4 six times in the last nine years. Byron, 25, had his best playoff run last season when he was eliminated in the Round of 8.
Hamlin, seeded third, has famously never won a title – but it’s not for a lack of trying. He has 50 career wins, tied with Junior Johnson for the most ever by a driver without a championship. The 42-year-old veteran has made the Championship 4 in four of the last five seasons, never finishing better than third.
There are plenty of longshot threats beyond the top three, too. Busch and Logano have each won two championships in the current playoff format, with the latter hoisting the Bill France Cup last November. Harvick (2014) and Larson (2021) are also former champions in this system, while Keselowski (2012) won a title before the elimination format was adopted in 2014.
Chastain and Bell both made their first Championship 4 appearance last season, giving them valuable experience for 2023. On the other side, Wallace is the only driver making his playoff debut.
