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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Makes Big Prediction For NASCAR Playoffs Round Of 12

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 2:58 PM ET

With the Round of 12 for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs set to begin this Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has unveiled his latest batch of predictions.

The playoff standings are currently led by Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney. On this Thursday's episode of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, Earnhardt said he believes the top five drivers will advance to the Round of 8 barring a mechanical issue.

Earnhardt also thinks Chase Briscoe, who is sixth in the standings, will safely make it to the Oct. 12 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

So who's in jeopardy of missing the Round of 8? As of now, Earnhardt has the following four drivers getting eliminated in the Round of 12:

Chase Elliott
Austin Cindric
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick

Earnhardt believes Joey Logano could be in danger, but he expects him to advance to the Round of 8 at Las Vegas.

“This is so tough. They’re all so good,” Earnhardt said, via On3. “This is really hard. No scientific data here. No evidence or real hard study to back up this prediction. But my four that are going to struggle to make it into the next round are Chase Elliott, Cindric, Chastain, Reddick. I think that Logano, who tested at Loudon … I feel like Loudon and Kansas are two good tracks for Joey. So, I think he’ll do just enough to advance."

We'll have a much better idea of the NASCAR playoff picture after this Sunday afternoon's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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