Who got eliminated from 2024 NASCAR Playoffs after Charlotte race? Everything you need to know

The Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway witnessed the elimination of four drivers from the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, namely Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Alex Bowman. The race weekend at Charlotte was the third and final race of the Round 12. It also marked the last road course race in this year’s calendar.

The elimination of the four drivers meant no playoff driver on the bubble got jumped, with Kyle Larson taking victory at Charlotte.

Chase Briscoe faced challenges early in the race, and his struggles intensified on lap 35 when a puncture in the right rear tire of his No. 14 Ford Mustang necessitated a caution period. Four laps later, Briscoe made contact with Brad Keselowski, leading to another pit stop for repairs. Unfortunately, the team was forced to retire the car on lap 44, effectively ending Briscoe's playoff campaign and eliminating Stewart-Haas Racing's remaining championship hopes.

Daniel Suarez also had issues with his car, particularly a reported faulty braking system. The driver entered the pits on lap 56, and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing crew had to pop the hood to inspect the car. He carried on, but his P31 finish wasn’t enough to get him out of the drop zone.

Austin Cindric had a strong outing in P4 at the reconfigured road course. Despite his impressive performance, the No. 2 Team Penske driver fell short of accumulating enough points to secure a spot in the Round of 8. The top five finishers were all playoff contenders, including Chase Elliott in fifth, who entered the race eighth in the playoff standings.

Notably, the top three finishers were Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and William Byron, respectively.

Fellow Team Penske driver Joey Logano also exited the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after finishing 8th at Charlotte. However, after Alex Bowman failed the post-race inspection, the Team Penske driver is back in the championship fight while Bowman is the lone HMS driver out of the playoffs.

Here is the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings after the Bank of America Roval 400:

1. Kyle Larson - +33
2. Christopher Bell - +13
3. Tyler Reddick - +10
4. William Byron - +4
5. Ryan Blaney - -4
6. Denny Hamlin - -8
7. Chase Elliott - -9
8. Alex Bowman - -16

The opening race of the Round of 8 will be held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 20.

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NASCAR had a controversial race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series

NASCAR was criticized for a late caution call in the final race of the Round of 12 of the Xfinity Series. The controversial call robbed Parker Kligerman of the victory after being two feet away from the start/finish line for the win.

On lap 66, Leland Honeyman hit the wall and stopped on track. However, the race officials waited about 20 seconds before throwing the yellow flag. Had Kligerman crossed the line after caution, the No. 48 would’ve won his first Xfinity Series and advanced to the Round of 8.

The No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet driver was out of playoff contention along with Sheldon Creed, Shane van Gisbergen, and Riley Herbst.

Here is the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings after the Drive for the Cure 250:

1. Justin Allgaier - +18
2. Cole Custer - +11
3. Austin Hill - +9
4. Chandler Smith - +8
5. Sam Mayer - -8
6. Jesse Love - -12
7. AJ Allmendinger - -18
8. Sammy Smith - -19