Where the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture sits after Nashville

Ryan Blaney locked up a NASCAR Cup Series playoff berth with his win in Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, but the playoff bubble itself also changed quite a bit after the 14th race of the 2025 season. With over half of the regular-season officially complete, here's where the playoff picture stands near the cut line. 

13. Chase Briscoe (+53) 

Briscoe was unable to capitalize on his second straight pole position, as he finished 17th at Nashville. However, he did gain six points to the cut line, and the No. 19 team does seem to be coming into its own as the summer heats up. 

14. Alex Bowman (+45) 

Bowman's freefall continued at Nashville, as he notched his fourth finish of 29th or worse over the last six races. A 36th-place effort saw Bowman lose 21 points to the cut line. If the No. 48 team's luck doesn't turn around soon, Bowman could be on the bubble itself. 

15. Chris Buescher (+8) 

Both a solid 14th-place finish and a 30-point reduction to a 60-point penalty handed down to the No. 17 team after Kansas contributed to Buescher getting back onto the right side of the cut line. Of all the drivers around the cut line, Buescher may be one of the safer bets to point his way into the postseason. 

16. Kyle Busch (+2) 

A quiet path to a 12th-place finish at Nashville helped Busch gain 16 points on the cut line. The two-time champion is back on the right side of the playoff bubble, but he'd love to get back to victory lane and end a career-long winless drought. 

17. Ryan Preece (-2) 

A spin in Stage 2 at Nashville relegated Preece to a 28th-place finish that saw him lose 15 points to the cut line. The No. 60 team has shown solid speed to start the year, but they can't afford many races like Nashville if they want to make the playoffs in their first year. 

18. Carson Hocevar (-4) 

Hocevar earned a career-best runner-up finish at Nashville a week after engine troubles at Charlotte derailed a potential winning bid in the Coke 600. The No. 77 team is in a great spot to potentially point their way into the playoffs, but it won't be surprising if Hocevar ends up in victory lane before the end of the regular-season. 

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-6) 

Speaking of Hocevar, it was contact from the No. 77 that ended Stenhouse Jr.'s race at Nashville. Stenhouse ended up with a wrecked car and a 39th-place finish, which lost the No. 47 team 23 points to the cut line. Stenhouse has had decent pace this year, but results like Sunday are crippling for the No. 47 team in their hunt for a playoff bid. 

20. AJ Allmendinger (-7)

Allmendinger was dealt a penalty on Saturday evening stemming from a violation in practice, but the veteran driver battled to a 20th-place finish on Sunday evening. However, Allmendinger did gain six points on the cut line — a solid result despite the adversity the No. 16 faced on Sunday.