The first two races of the Cup Series playoffs are complete. Only Joey Logano has a secure spot in the next round, but two other drivers have set up potential runs by piling up stage points amid intense pressure.
Alex Bowman and Austin Cindric entered the playoffs in early danger of elimination. Bowman was on the cutline with only five playoff points to his name. Cindric was two points above the cutline.
Now, however, they have large cushions heading into the elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Bowman is 41 points above the cutline with one race remaining. Cindric is 43 points to the good. The only driver ahead of them is Christopher Bell (+46), who entered the playoffs with a whopping 32 playoff points.
The secret to the meteoric rise up the standings isn't finishing inside the top 10, although Cindric crossed the line 10th in the first two playoff races. No, the real reason for Bowman and Cindric building positive momentum is their performance early in races.
Bowman leads the playoff field with 28 stage points earned through the first two races. He scored 16 stage points at Atlanta before finishing the race fifth overall. He then added another 12 stage points at Watkins Glen before finishing 18th.
"It wasn't the result we were looking for, but still a really good points day for the No. 48 Ally Chevy team," Bowman said on Sunday.
"I feel good about things. We had a really fast race car, but it just didn't work out as far as the finishing position goes. But still a really good day."
Cindric, for comparison, won a stage and scored 19 stage points at Atlanta before finishing 10th. He added six more stage points at Watkins Glen before finishing 10th once again. Cindric has less Cup playoff experience than many of his peers, but he has delivered in pressure-filled situations this season.
"The No. 2 Autotrader team did a great job bringing a fast car to the track and we were able to execute well enough to get a good finish and solid points," Cindric said after the race. "We were probably a little bit better than 10th, but collecting points is really important the first couple rounds."
Bowman and Cindric have put themselves in solid positions heading into the final race of the Round of 16. This doesn't mean they are completely safe.
The Last Great Colosseum is a short track known for unexpected moments, surprise playoff eliminations, and frustrated drivers.
Just ask Logano, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, and Tyler Reddick. All four of these drivers were eliminated from championship contention in recent playoff races at Bristol due to factors outside of their control.
Logano, Dillon, and Reddick were all collected in crashes started by other drivers. Busch had a stunning engine failure. None of these drivers advanced to the Round of 12.
Cindric and Bowman will be among the drivers trying to avoid the issues that collected fellow playoff drivers, and they will do so at a track where they have varying levels of performance.
Cindric has three Cup Series starts at Bristol. His best finish is 20th in 2022, his first appearance in the playoffs.
Bowman has 14 Cup starts at Bristol -- 10 with Hendrick Motorsports. He has three top-five finishes and four top-10s. This includes a fourth-place finish in this season's spring race.