NASCAR Playoffs: All the non-Playoff drivers who took upset victories during the Championship hunt

Back in 2017, NASCAR introduced the regulatory set that we now know as the contemporary “Playoffs.” After the conclusion of the regular season, 16 drivers compete through three rounds of eliminations, leaving four drivers duking it out for the title in the final race of the season.

Since 2017, 10 different non-Playoff drivers have taken upset wins against drivers looking to score a critical victory to guarantee themselves a slot in the next round of the Playoffs. We’re going to look at all 10 drivers today.

NASCAR Playoff upsets

Ross Chastain

In the last two years, Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain has secured one upset victory during the Playoffs — with the most recent coming at last weekend’s 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

The Kansas win was important for Chastain, who missed out on the 2024 Playoffs and who hadn’t secured a win in over 30 races.

But Chastain’s most notable upset came at the 2023 Championship finale at Phoenix. As the laps wound down and the race came to a close, Chastain led the field as championship contender Ryan Blaney fought hard to overtake him. Chastain wouldn’t let Blaney have it and crossed the finish line first.

It was the first time in NASCAR Playoffs history that the championship-winning driver didn’t win the championship finale — but Blaney’s P2 was good enough for the crown.

Chris Buescher

This year, Watkins Glen International made its debut as part of the NASCAR Playoffs, and while everyone expected one-off driver and road course specialist Shane Van Gisbergen to take a win, Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Chris Buescher took victory there instead.

And it wasn’t Buescher’s first time spoiling the Playoffs for contending drivers! Back in 2022, Buescher also took victory at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.

Because Bristol was also the final race in the Round of 16, Buescher’s win also prevented any drivers on the Playoff cutline from winning and guaranteeing their place in the Round of 12. As a result, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Kevin Harvick were all eliminated from a shot at championship contention.

A. J. Allmendinger

Most fans know Charlotte Motor Speedway for its oval track, but back in 2018, NASCAR opted to challenge its drivers by making them run on the track’s infield road course instead. In 2023, road course ringer A. J. Allmendinger spoiled the Playoff party by surviving five cautions in the final 31 laps to take his third-ever Cup Series win.

Because the Roval event was also the final race in the Round of 12, Allmendinger’s win eliminated four drivers from the championship fight: Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski.

Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace has made it to the Playoffs a handful of times, but that wasn’t the case in both 2021 and 2022, when he took victories.

His first came in 2021 at Talladega’s YellaWood 500. Rain shortened the race that had been pushed to Monday for weather, and Wallace made history by becoming the first Black man to take a Cup Series victory since Wendell Scott’s win in 1963.

He repeated the upset in kind at Kansas in 2022, snatching a win in the second race of the Round of 16.

Erik Jones

The first race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs took place at Darlington for the Southern 500, and it was a fascinating one. On lap 344 of 367, the engine of leader and Playoff contender Kyle Busch failed heading into a restart — handing the lead to Erik Jones of Petty GMS Motorsports.

Jones held on until the end to take the checkered flag first.

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Tyler Reddick

The first race of the 2022 Round of 12 took place at Texas Motor Speedway for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500, and for Tyler Reddick, the race came ever so slightly too late.

Reddick had qualified for the Round of 16, but a series of poor performances saw him knocked out of the chase after the first round of eliminations. His victory at TMS was a reminder of his talent, but not enough to move him forward in the championship.

Kyle Larson

Another Playoff driver to be eliminated before winning again in 2022 was Kyle Larson. The defending NASCAR champion qualified for the Playoffs thanks to a win at Auto Club Speedway, and he qualified for the Round of 12 on points.

However, he failed to make it through to the Round of 8, and in the second race of that round, Larson secured a win at Homestead-Miami.

Alex Bowman

In 2021, Alex Bowman qualified for the Playoffs by taking victory during the regular season, but he was eliminated in the Round of 12 after failing to score enough points to stay in the game.

But Bowman wasn’t ready to call it quits, and in the final race of the Round of 8 — the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville — he pushed Denny Hamlin out of the way in the closing laps to take his fourth win of 2021.

His win knocked Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano out of contention for the championship heading into the season finale.

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch had been consistent all throughout 2020, but he failed to secure his first win until he had already been eliminated from the Playoffs.

Busch survived on points through the Round of 16 and into the Round of 12, but before the Playoff field was carved down to eight participants, he was knocked out. Nevertheless, he took a win at Texas Motor Speedway, the second event of the Round of 8.

Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth qualified for the Round of 16 in the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs, and he held on for dear life during the next round. Sadly, by the Round of 8, he has been knocked out of contention.

No matter for Kenseth: at Phoenix in the final race of the Round of 8, the driver spoiled the hopes of four drivers making it to the Playoffs — Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Jimmie Johnson – by securing a win in the final 10 laps of the Can-Am 500.

It turned out to be Kenseth’s final victory, his 39th overall, in his NASCAR career.

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