Why these three Cup Series drivers could have surprise playoff runs

NASCAR's best prepare to begin their quest for the Bill France Cup in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway on Sunday (6 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), kicking off a Round of 16 slate that also includes World Wide Technology Raceway (Sept. 7) and Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 13).

While regular-season champion William Byron and Kyle Larson have a 26-point advantage and Denny Hamlin (+23) and Ryan Blaney (+20) have some breathing room, the rest of the field is extremely tight, leaving the door open for some drivers to go on a surprise run.

Here are three drivers who could quietly go on a deep playoff run:

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

The 2025 season has not been a smooth one for Bowman, to say the least. His 36th-place finish at Daytona was his sixth result of 30th or worse this season, speaking to the inconsistency that eventually put him on the bubble and the 16th seed to begin the Round of 16.

While it took a superb drive from 13th to first in the last two laps for Ryan Blaney to keep Daniel Suarez, Justin Haley and Cole Custer from knocking Bowman out of the playoffs, Bowman has been much better leading into the Round of 16 with four top-10s in the last six races.

The Round of 16 tracks do not line up well for Bowman with zero wins at each of them, but he originally advanced to the Round of 8 last season until a post-race disqualification eliminated his title hopes. Don't be surprised to see him go on a similar run this season.

Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

Similar to Bowman, Wallace could not seem to put a full race together for much of the season, with five finishes outside the top 30. He finally broke through for his first win since 2022 when he won the Brickyard 400 on July 26, snapping a 100-race winless streak.

Although Wallace - the ninth-seed to begin the playoffs (+2) - is tied for the most DNFs in the series with seven, he has been near the front each of the last six races with four top-10s and 123 laps led at Richmond before a pit road penalty dropped him to 28th.

Wallace has not been great at World Wide Technology Raceway or Bristol, but has had four straight top-10s at Darlington from 2022 to 2024. If he runs well at "The Lady in Black" and puts together clean races to close out the opening round, Wallace could be on his way to the Round of 12.

Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Many did not know what to expect from Briscoe in his first season with the powerhouse JGR organization. He has had a career year, starting on pole six times, recording 12 top-10s and picking up the win at Pocono on June 22.

With a slim four-point cushion as the eighth-seed, Briscoe is barely on the plus side to begin the Round of 16, but should not be overlooked as the defending Southern 500 winner.

He also has back-to-back top-10s at Bristol, so if he can have a mistake-free race at World Wide Technology Raceway, where he has a best finish of 17th in 2024, he could be a sneaky title contender.