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What we learned from the first round of the NASCAR Playoffs

The first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs offered little in the way of surprises.

Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota appear to be the early favorites, having swept the round, but there is still plenty of racing left to go. Team Penske is doing what it does best in managing the postseason, and time will tell if they again make a deep run with one or more of their drivers. And those who were unlikely to be championship contenders were among the first eliminated.

But as every previous year has taught us, it’s not over until the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway. There are no favorites. There are no guarantees. Now, the work from the first round is behind us, as everything has been reset ahead of New Hampshire.

The drivers who are still in contention all finished 15th or better in the overall standings at the end of the regular season. In other words, the drivers and teams who were getting it done through the first 26 races are continuing to handle business. It will only get harder from here on out.

So, what did we learn from the Round of 16?

It’s the same story, different year

Shane van Gisbergen was up against it in his first NASCAR Playoffs. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

In a preview piece for the postseason, one question posed was, “Which teams are going to beat themselves?” If you had Alex Bowman and the No. 48 team from Hendrick Motorsports, collect your winnings. But it’s hard to imagine too many did, because Bowman and company had put together a solid summer that had them ninth in the overall championship standings, and it would have been unsurprising to see that run continue.

The postseason, however, could not have gone worse for Bowman’s team. Unless they were Josh Berry and the No. 21 from Wood Brothers Racing, of course. Whereas Bowman’s struggled largely on pit road, Berry’s team bit themselves with the car setup in the first race, crashing on the first lap when it bottomed out, after qualifying third. The following two races were not necessarily of their doing, but in the end, elimination is elimination.

Shane van Gisbergen and his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team were in a similar boat. While it was going to be a tough task to advance out of the first round, given van Gisbergen’s continued progress on the ovals, they never gave themselves an opportunity with a horrible first race at Darlington Raceway. van Gisbergen was the sixth seed and had 16 points on the cutline going into the playoffs. A solid top 20 or top 15 day at Darlington would have opened the door to at least having a shot in the next two races, given how some of the competition had their own struggles. Instead, van Gisbergen became the first driver not to advance to the second round after starting with the largest point gap on the cutline any driver has ever had.

In another way of what else was the same old, same old were the teams who simply managed the first round but didn’t look flashy doing it. William Byron, the regular-season champion, comes to mind. Ross Chastain was another.

Bubba Wallace is for real

New crew chief and a new outlook have elevated Bubba Wallace this season. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

It’s been an underlying story all season long, and not one that has necessarily been in everyone’s face. But for those who are inside the garage or the media center, there has been a tracker on Wallace this season, and how he would perform with a new crew chief. Along the way, some were even wondering how long this “new attitude” he carried was going to last.

The answer is 29 races and counting. Wallace, who became a father in late 2024, has repeatedly spoken about how that’s changed his life and perspective. Yes, he is still devoted, passionate, and competitive when it comes to racing, but it’s not bleeding over into his mental health any longer. Wallace has been far different in his attitude at the racetrack and with those he engages with on a weekly basis. Simply put, even through some tough weekends, Wallace rema ins engaging and pleasant to converse with, rather than offering very little in terms of interviews.

But on the racetrack, Charles Denike and the No. 23 team have been getting the job done. Wallace won for the first time before the playoffs started this season, and they have been solid through the first three weeks. Unlike years past, Wallace went to Bristol in little danger of not advancing. Not only did Wallace lead laps in all three races in the first round, he earned the fourth most points of all playoff drivers – and all drivers in the Cup Series – in those races (98 to the series-leading 133 of Chase Briscoe).

Christopher Bell is not just happy to be here

Christopher Bell has a fire in his belly after near misses in recent years. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Bell was not the first driver and won’t be the last to vent on the team radio during or after a race. The reason Bell’s comments after St. Louis got so much attention is that Bell is not usually that type of driver, inside or outside of the race car. But his buildup of frustration, which he further explained at Bristol Motor Speedway, made it clear that Bell is not content with just being in the Cup Series and running inside the top 10.

The 30-year-old has come out of his shell over the last few years. Bell is no longer reserved about giving his opinion or sharing more emotion. In the early days of his career, and even the early years of his Cup Series tenure, Bell was also respectful with the media, but always had a hint of reservation with his emotions.

The timing is not coincidental. Bell is in his sixth season as a Cup Series driver, and in the last three, he was a contender for the Championship 4. In 2022 and 2023, he made the title race but came up short, with pit road being an issue in the first year and a mechanical issue knocking him out of the race early the following year. And last year, it was well documented that the drama around the cut race at Martinsville Speedway when NASCAR penalized Bell for riding the wall. It put a chip on Bell’s shoulder that, while he says is no longer there, has likely added fire to the current form of the driver, who knows what the No. 20 team is capable of (winning and championships), and they need to be accomplishing that.