NASCAR: Kurt Busch can clinch a playoff spot without racing

Kurt Busch can clinch a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this weekend at Watkins Glen International, despite the fact that he won’t be competing.

23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch announced Thursday that he will miss not only this Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International but next Saturday night’s regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, marking his fifth and sixth consecutive missed starts.

Ty Gibbs has served as Busch’s replacement behind the wheel of the #45 Toyota ever since Busch began experiencing concussion-like symptoms following his qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway last month. Gibbs is set to replace him in these two races as well.

Following his first missed start, Busch was granted a playoff waiver by NASCAR, meaning that any missed starts will not count against his playoff eligibility.

However, Busch still needs to be positioned as one of the 16 playoff drivers by the end of the regular season to make what would be his 10th consecutive postseason appearance.

Despite winning the race at Kansas Speedway back in mid-May, he isn’t necessarily locked in. There have been 15 different winners so far this season, meaning that there is still a chance that there can be more regular season winners (17) than playoff spots (16).

If there are, then the lowest placed single-race winner in the point standings will fail to qualify for the playoffs.

Right now, Busch is the lowest placed of the eight single-race winners, sitting in 21st in the point standings following four consecutive missed starts.

Because he won’t compete in the next two races, he cannot pass any of the other seven single-race winners, meaning that all seven are locked into the playoffs, along with the seven multi-race winners who were already locked in due to having more than one victory.

However, despite being sidelined for this coming Sunday’s 90-lap race around the eight-turn, 2.454-mile (3.949-kilometer) Watkins Glen, New York road course, this could be the race in which the 44-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native officially punches his playoff ticket.

As long as there isn’t a new winner on Sunday — or if there is a new winner who can’t mathematically pass him in the point standings with a non-win the following week (since only a non-win would enable a potential 17th different winner) — Busch will have secured his playoff spot.

Either scenario would ensure that Busch doesn’t end up 17th among 17 different winners (or more specifically, 10th among 10 single-race winners) in the point standings by the time the regular season concludes next Saturday evening.

Tune in to USA Network at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday afternoon for the live broadcast of the Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen International. Start a free trial of FuboTV if you haven’t yet had the chance to do so!