NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble watch: Points battle tightens after Pocono

Misfortune for the likes of Ty Gibbs and Ross Chastain has tightened up the NASCAR Cup Series playoff bubble battle. With only five races remaining in the Cup Series regular-season, here's where the bubble drivers stand in the points.

13. Martin Truex Jr (+127)

Truex remained steady on Sunday, bringing home an eighth-place finish to cap a solid weekend. The No. 19 team is still searching for their first win of the season, but they're in a good position to make the postseason field.

14. Ty Gibbs (+67)

Gibbs' blown engine didn't hurt as badly as it could've — a 27th-place finish was the result of numerous other DNF's — but mechanical failures at this point in the season certainly aren't welcome. The good news? Gibbs won the pole and led laps early, proving that he's continuing to develop into a weekly contender.

15. Chris Buescher (+44)

Buescher only lost one point to the cut line and gained a spot in the points at Pocono, so Sunday should be considered a success for the No. 17. Buescher led laps and put together a solid 11th-place effort, and while Buescher shouldn't feel comfortable, more races like Sunday will be the key to Buescher making the postseason.

16. Ross Chastain (+27)

Chastain's 2022 Championship Four appearance suddenly feels like it happened a century ago. An incident on Sunday relegated Chastain to a 36th-place finish and now puts him on the playoff bubble. It's time for Phil Surgen and the No. 1 team to hit the panic button, or they may be left out of the postseason entirely.

17. Bubba Wallace (-27)

Wallace's gritty 10th-place run seemed impossible early in the day, when the No. 23 car struggled to find any semblance of speed. If Wallace can scratch together another top-10 effort next Sunday in Indianapolis, he'll be putting the pressure on Chastain as the Olympic break commences.

18. Chase Briscoe (-75)

Briscoe — and everyone below him — is likely in a must-win situation to make the playoffs with only five races remaining. A 15th-place finish on Sunday isn't horrible, but it's going to take a lot more than a mid-pack run for Briscoe to make the postseason in his final year with Stewart-Haas Racing.

19. Kyle Busch (-102)

If there was a way for Busch's career-worst 2024 season to sink any lower, this would be it. Pre-race mechanical issues would be the least of his troubles, as contact with Corey LaJoie sent Busch's No. 8 car spinning into oncoming traffic, causing a major crash. A ninth-place finish at Chicago may have temporarily stopped the bleeding, but the wounds of Busch's dismal 2024 campaign are now opened back up.

20. Todd Gilliland (-127)

Gilliland's streak of nine straight top-20 finishes came to an end on Sunday, as a broken toe link would prove to be the death knell for his run at Pocono. Gilliland's 34th-place finish shouldn't deter the No. 38 team, however — they've been one of the best teams through the summer, and a have a chance to get back on track at Indianapolis.