With just seven races left in the regular season, the winless drivers are making haste in doing what they can to secure their playoff spot. We all saw the fierce battle for a playoff spot that took place at Grant Park 165 in Chicago. What stood out was the deliberate attempt by Bubba Wallace to get the lead in the final laps by pushing Alex Bowman into the sidewalls. But in a turn of events, it was the No.23 car that spun out and went straight out of the field. Wallace finished 28th. It wasn’t the battle the two drivers needed on the day as Bowman is +39 in the standings, while Wallace is just two points above the playoffs bubble.

With a mix of road course and a superspeedway race at Dayton still in the mix, there are going to be more twists in the playoff race. But, after the Chicago showdown, Steve Letarte shared his take on what the playoff picture will look like after the next seven races. And let’s just say he didn’t mince words in calling out some big names.

Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace cannot afford a bad race

Letarte, who has an impressive career record as the HMS crew chief, has made some predictions with his extensive experience in NASCAR. Out of the 8 drivers standing outside the playoff cutline, Letarte claims the No.45 Tyler Reddick has the highest probability of entering the playoffs. Reddick should feel good. “He’s what? 143. If Reddick’s in, I’m going to say we get one more new winner.” Considering the past two races, where Reddick finished 4th in Atlanta and 3rd at Chicago, he definitely has a chance if he keeps up the pace

But for the drivers that are below Reddick, Letarte says that they don’t have a chance unless they win a race. “I think anyone other than Reddick has got to think that it’s going to take a win. It’s not going to, but you have to be racing like it’s going to take a win to advance. All right.” Yes, for those behind Reddick, like Bowman, Buescher, and Wallace, it’s tough to rely on points and hope for a place in the last 16. The saving grace, though, from Letarte was that he feels that there would be only one or two winners from the driver placed below the cutline.

Tyler Reddick stands at 15th with 143+ points because of his consistent performance. Out of the 22 starts made, Reddick has six top 5s and four top 10s. Trailing behind Bowman is the No.17 Chris Buescher with 35+ points, with a pretty decent performance that constitutes ten top 10s and three top 5s. However, the No. 23 team just hasn’t been able to string a group of good performances that could lead to a big race. Bowman, meanwhile, if he missed the playoffs will look back at that Homestead race where he should’ve gone aggressive against his teammate, Kyle Larson.

Sadly, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch doesn’t really have a good track record since 2023. The No.8 RCR driver Busch’s best performance in 2025 is a top 5 finish at the Chicago Street Race, which is very unlikely compared to the prime years of the Rowdy driver. The odds of Busch making it into the playoffs are very minimal. However, some drivers outside the cutline can script a major upset story.

Will Ty Gibbs & Co. make a jump into the playoffs?

The Joe Gibbs Racing team has been doing its best to ensure a seat for the grandson of Joe Gibbs in the playoffs. Despite the slow and stagnant season, young Ty has been making some strides with a few consistent performances. Gibbs had the opportunity to finish p2 at the Michigan International Speedway, but he had to slow the due to a fuel efficiency problem. Despite the chaos that ensued in Chicago, Gibbs finished P2 at the Grant Park 165. “My team called a great strategy and got me in position to get me up front to compete for the win. It worked out for us today, so I’m glad to have a good finish, but we wish we could have gone for the win.” From Michigan to Chicago, the #54 team has been building steam, all they need to do is execute during the race day when opportunity comes their way.

The No.71 Michael McDowell aims to make it into the playoffs this season. He was leading the charge of the Chicago race and even got the better of SVG on the start, but mechanical issues forced him to pit. Heading to Sonoma next week, he is one of the favorites, two top 5s and a runner-up finish in the Wine Country, McDowell could shake things up in the playoff race. Speaking of road course ringers, AJ Allmendinger will be optimistic about making a splash, or who knows, run away with a surprise win next weekend.

Keep an eye out for Erik Jones or Ryan Preece, they have been sneakingly good for the past few weeks. And with oval races at Dover, Brickyard, Richmond and Daytona still in the mix, they can make up ground and topple the likes of Bowman and Wallace if they don’t make sizeable gains.