.Bob Pockrass.FOX NASCAR Expert.The greatest worry of those defending a playoff area in the NASCAR Mug Set is that a chauffeur that isn't remotely in the mix vaults in to the playoffs with an upset victory.Hello, Austin DillonDillon, that was actually 32nd in the status getting into Richmond, placed himself in the playoffs with a success-- albeit a disputable one-- on Sunday, the 23rd race of the 26-race normal season.Following Richmond, 3 ethnicities stay to establish the playoff ground: Michigan, Daytona as well as Darlington.The NASCAR playoffs consist of 16 motorists-- the regular-season champion and after that the next 15 vehicle drivers positioned through victories with dead heats broken by points.With the top seven vehicle drivers in the standings all contending least one triumph, the regular-season champ probably will be among the winners. Thirteen chauffeurs have gained this year, implying around 3 places can be offered on aspects. So who's in, who performs the blister and also who goes to win-at-all-costs? Those 13 vehicle drivers with success who remain in: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Alarm, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Austin Dillon.The blister altered significantly along with Dillon's success as now maximum just three spots-- not four as just before the Richmond race-- may be available to winless vehicle drivers. Both Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain dropped below the cutline while Bubba Wallace relocated to the silver lining of being just one of the three winless drivers along with the best points.Joey Logano goes over Austin Dillon's overtime move to gain the 400 So let's specify: There are actually five winless vehicle drivers who would certainly be fighting for the present three locations available solely on points.Martin Truex Jr. has a 78-point edge on the cutline (currently Buescher and Chastain), with 60 factors on Ty Gibbs, who is actually 15 aspects above Wallace. Buescher and Chastain, tied in the standings, are three points responsible for Wallace.In other words, it is actually mosting likely to be a fight to the finish.Buescher succeeded at Michigan as well as Daytona in 2015, but those also are places where Wallace traditionally has actually run properly. Gibbs still seeks his initial job Mug win. Chastain is actually the chauffeur along with the absolute most latest adventure in playoff stress conditions, where he mainly has confirmed he can easily create factors happen.There are 16 other playoff-eligible vehicle drivers that basically face must-win circumstances: Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, Josh Berry, Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar, Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, Daniel Hemric, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, John Hunter Nemechek, Harrison Burton and Zane Smith.Bob Pockrass deals with NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has actually devoted decades dealing with motorsports, consisting of over 30 Daytona 500s, with jobs at ESPN, Sporting Updates, NASCAR Setting magazine and The (Daytona Seaside) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. Acquire even more from NASCAR Mug Collection Follow your favorites to get relevant information concerning games, news and also more.