For the past month, a pressing question was who would make it into the playoffs. All that is in the clear; now that Michael McDowell and Bubba Wallace have ruled out all chances for Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, among others. However, the telltales straight out of the NASCAR school have been about what the McDowells and the Wallaces bring new to the table vis-a-vis someone like Elliot.

Along these lines, in the latest episode of J.C.’s Garage, the host predicted how the Front Row icon and the 23XI speedster would fare in the decisive races at Darlington, Kansas, and Bristol.

The Underdog is called the underdog for a reason

Driving in the NASCAR Cup Series for over a decade, Michael McDowell’s career highlighted just 3 top-5 finishes and zero wins till the beginning of the 2021 season. A pleasant surprise came in the form of his Daytona 500 win the same year, his first Cup Series race in 358 starts.

As reported by New York Times, McDowell had then exclaimed, “To get a first victory in a Daytona 500 — are you kidding me? We’re a Daytona 500 champion. I cannot believe this.”

Fast forward to this year, the underdog aced the Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Michael McDowell’s victory at the home of the Indianapolis 500, proved to be almost as sweet as his first victory in the series that he had bagged more than two years ago.

At Watkins Glen, he showed impressive speed, so much so that even Dale Earnhardt Jr felt that if the #34 Ford sensation had not suffered from a few difficulties on the pit road, William Byron might not have been able to snatch the lead from him.

While other veteran drivers have struggled to make it into the playoffs, McDowell seemed to come out of nowhere and reserve his seat in the rumble. Currently, he sits on the 13th spot and he owes it to his dominant victory in the Verizon 200. Who would believe that just a week ago, he had lost the final spot in the round of 16s to someone much less experienced like Ty Gibbs? And that too, with just three races to go!

Watch this story: Chase Elliott Goes Against Dale Earnhardt Jr and Bubba Wallace as He Settles an Age-Old Debate

McDowell is the type of driver who will push his way through adversities and come out clean on the other side. But the lack of consistency in his performance might pull him down. J.C. Fickenscher said, “I think Michael McDowell…he’s been pretty consistent all year around. But again, the three tracks we are going to, I just can’t see that team beating out the other guys we have.”

However, deep down, Fickenscher knows that Michael McDowell is probably one of the most unpredictable drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. But what about the other name in the discussion?

J.C. Fickenscher gave Bubba Wallace his green flag

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When asked about drivers just below the 12th spot in the playoff standings, Fickenscher seemed to dote on both Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace. According to him,

“Both of those drivers, Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace (are) gonna get it and then advance into the round of 12.”

While a group of NASCAR enthusiasts opined that the third year at the 23XI Racing team might be a charm for Bubba Wallace, some pointed out how his pit crew had been dragging him down repeatedly. Moreover, he never had a winless season since he joined Denny Hamlin’s team. Although both his wins came after the playoffs had already begun, a win is a win. So, the question was not if he will make it into the playoffs but when he will make it.

Wallace drove his teammate Kurt Busch’s #45 to the second round of the postseason last year and grabbed the win. That is the closest he has come to qualifying for the playoffs. Back in 2021 when 23XI Racing debuted, Wallace got his first top-10 finish only after 19 races into the season. And he was below the cutline by 54 points.

His next top-10 finish was in the regular seasonal race finale at the Daytona 500, but by then it was too late. This year has been a rollercoaster ride for the African-American driver. Although the start to the season was not that great, three consecutive top-3s brought him his ticket into the playoffs discussion.

To end things on a sweet note, Chris Buescher won this year’s season finale and assisted Bubba Wallace in securing his long-awaited playoff berth. It’s just a matter of time before we get to see how these two underrated NASCAR drivers fare, over the upcoming ten weeks.

Read more: “Not Gonna Win Any Awards” – Despite Hendrick Motorsports Taking the Cake, Dale Earnhardt Jr Disappointed by ‘Shortest’ Watkins Glen Outing