The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Are Bound To Be Interesting

 13 months ago, everyone waited with baited breath to see what Martin Truex would do. 

In a season where the 2017 Cup Series champion was winless - and would eventually miss the playoffs, the prospect of a return looked grim. 

But the 43 year old from New Jersey came back - and he might've made the best decision of his career. 

Fast forward to September of 2023, and with 3 wins, a Regular Season Championship, and a win in the LA Clash, Truex is viewed as one of the championship favorites. 

That just goes to show how wild the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season has been. 

While William Byron has been solid for Hendrick Motorsports since joining the team in 2018, nobody could've predicted a 5 win Regular Season and #1 Playoff Seed, including 2 wins in a row at Las Vegas & Phoenix. 

Speaking of Hendrick, who would've predicted that Chase Elliott, the 2020 champ and 5 time winner in 2023, would have missed the postseason, along with HMS teammate Alex Bowman? Injuries set both back, but a 1 race suspension after Charlotte for Elliott, and an incredibly rough stretch for Bowman, 2 drivers who easily made the postseason in 2022 won't be chasing a championship in 2023.

6 drivers, including the aforementioned Truex, who didn't make the Playoffs in 2022, did make the Postseason in 2023. Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, and Ricky Stenhouse join Truex as drivers who either return after a 2022 absence or come to the Playoffs for the first time, such as Wallace. 

While those above drivers bounced back or exceeded expectations, a few drivers who made the postseason in 2022 either missed the postseason this year, or have followed up fantastic seasons with relatively mediocre ones. 

Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe are 3 drivers who won their way into the postseason in 2022 but failed to do so this year. Speaking of SHR, Kevin Harvick is the only driver from their 4 car stable to make the field, as both Ryan Preece and Aric Almirola did nothing of note aside from crashes in a dismal campaign. 

Meanwhile, drivers like Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and defending champion Joey Logano have all won and been their normal selves, though Blaney, Logano & Chastain have all been unspectacular of late. Larson and Busch have won multiple races, but have struggled with inconsistency lately.

What makes the 2023 Playoffs so interesting is the variation of the situations of its competitors. Going from Bubba Wallace - who just squeaked into the Postseason for the first time, to William Byron, who has 5 wins and has made the Playoffs in 5 straight seasons is a big jump, but one that is shorter than it may seem, for every driver has at least one track circled on the Playoff calendar. 

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin Sunday at 6 PM ET with the Southern 500 on USA Network and MRN. 

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