Here Are Updated NASCAR Standings With One Race Left Before Playoffs
Will Jimmie Johnson qualify for the playoffs in his final season?
It’s hard to believe, but there is only one regular-season race remaining on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
A busy weekend at Dover International Speedway saw Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick win Saturday and Sunday, respectively. With only next weekend’s race at Daytona International Speedway left to run, 13 drivers are locked in to the playoff field, with the final three spots up for grabs.
Here are the updated NASCAR Cup standings:
Of course, the main storyline next weekend will be whether Jimmie Johnson, who plans to retire after this season, can qualify for the playoffs in his final full-time NASCAR campaign. The 44-year-old trails Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by just four points, and has a real shot at squeezing into the postseason.
However, the seven-time NASCAR champion only is worried about what he can control.
“I’m going to do my best to forget about it,” Johnson said after Sunday’s Drydene 311, via NASCAR.com. “There really isn’t any worrying I can do this week to help me on a plate track. Studying, worrying, none of that is going to make a difference. Go down there and say a few prayers and maybe say a prayer per lap and see how that plays out. We’ll race hard and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
Johnson hasn’t won a Cup race since 2017, and last qualified for the playoffs in 2018.
