3 NASCAR Cup Series drivers who damaged their playoff hopes at Darlington

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opener at Darlington Raceway was all about Chase Briscoe. The Joe Gibbs driver led 309 of 367 laps and became the first racer to win back-to-back Southern 500s in 20 years. While he celebrated his Round of 12 ticket, several playoff contenders saw their hopes suffer on Sunday.

Darlington became a turning point in the playoff standings as none of the 16 drivers left the track in the same place they entered. For all of these drivers, Gateway next weekend will be less about strategy and more about survival.

Here are three NASCAR Cup Series drivers who left Darlington in deep trouble.

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3 biggest losers in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington

#3. Shane van Gisbergen - Trackhouse Racing No. 88

Shane van Gisbergen (88) during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Source: Getty

Shane van Gisbergen entered the Southern 500 with a 16-point cushion above the cutline, but that margin is now reduced to three. The road course ace never looked settled on Darlington’s demanding oval, running on the edge of going a lap down before a poorly timed caution erased any chance at recovery.

Despite his four regular-season wins, SVG finished 32nd and now sits 12th in the playoff standings - just three points clear of elimination. The bigger concern? Next week’s race at Gateway will be his debut at the track, leaving him with little room for error. For a driver who has yet to show consistency on ovals, his playoff future is already hanging by a thread.

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#2. Alex Bowman - Hendrick Motorsports No. 48

Alex Bowman (48) during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500. Source: Getty

Alex Bowman's playoff opener was a mess from the start. The Hendrick driver rolled off 29th and never found speed to climb through the field. Then came the disaster on pit road. During Stage 1, a malfunction with the rear pit gun left the crew scrambling to swap out equipment, only to find the replacement wasn’t properly connected. The stop dragged out to nearly 40 seconds, putting Bowman multiple laps down.

Even with three wave-arounds later in the night, Bowman was never in contention. He finished 31st, two laps down, and now sits 19 points below the cutline. With just two races left in the Round of 16, he now goes to Gateway, a track where his last two finishes are both outside the top 25.

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#1. Josh Berry - Wood Brothers Racing No. 21

NASCAR Cup Series driver Josh Berry (21) drives down pit road at Darlington Raceway. Source: Imagn

Josh Berry entered the playoffs just below the cutline. He now sits last, 19 points adrift of 12th place after a first lap wreck forced him to sit out for 128 of the 367 laps at Darlington. Starting third, the Wood Brothers driver lost control coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 1 and clipped Tyler Reddick. The contact sent Berry hard into the outside wall, destroying the rear of the No. 21 Ford.

Berry returned after long repairs in the garage and limped to a 38th-place finish, netting just one point. He now faces a near must-win scenario to keep his playoff hopes alive.