NASCAR drivers whose playoff hopes were crushed by Chase Elliott's Atlanta win

Chase Elliott bagged his maiden victory of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Saturday, thus bringing an end to his menacing 44-race winless streak. He is now in the playoffs, alongside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and former Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.

Chase Elliott celebrated his victory with a flamboyant burnout on Atlanta’s asphalt as the crowd cheered for NASCAR’s most popular driver. As the smoke cleared, a few other narratives surfaced. These were narratives of crushed playoff hopes.

Now, let’s find out which drivers had the most to lose that day:

1. Brad Keselowski loses the lead to Chase Elliott, all thanks to Alex Bowman

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Consumer Cellular Ford, looks on before the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway - Source: Getty

The RFK Racing driver-owner led laps during Saturday’s Quaker State 400, but it wasn’t enough. He was way below the provisional cut line, and only a win could have salvaged his situation.

Keselowski had started the race in P6, so inarguably, his Mustang was quite fast. Thanks to Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott got that much-needed push down the frontstretch as the flagman waved the white.

“If he (Bowman) and I did anything but push one another in that situation, we were handing the race to Brad,” Chase Elliott said in a statement (via NBC).

Bowman was happy for his teammate as well. He said,

"I’d say that win was a little popular, so congrats to the 9 team and Chase Elliott. Glad to have a Hendrick car in victory lane."

Hence, the 2012 Cup Series champion had to settle for a runner-up position, marking his second top five of 2025.

2. Just eight more races for Erik Jones

Erik Jones, driver of the #43 Family Dollar Toyota, looks on during pre-race ceremonies before the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 15, 2025- Source: Getty

The Legacy Motor Club ace was the closest to the cut line. All he needed to make the playoffs was a good points day. But the reality is that he didn’t, and now, Erik Jones has just eight races to point his way into the postseason.

The driver sits 16th in the driver standings with 379 points to his name. 18 races in, the 29-year-old native of Byron, Michigan, owns a pair of top fives and three top-10s. Chase Elliott sits second on that list with 594 points.

3. A three-wide effort in vain for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #47 Fun Pops Chevrolet, ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 15, 2025 - Source: Getty

Since the rebranding of JTG Daugherty Racing to Hyak Motorsports, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has finished inside the top five on just one occasion. Interestingly, it was in Atlanta itself back in February.

Fast forward to this past weekend, Stenhouse cleared Zane Smith with a massive three-wide pass, bagging the lead with only seven laps to go. But not for long.

“Just didn’t feel like I had enough speed to stay there,” Stenhouse Jr. said, recalling the same. “It was going to take some massive blocks to do that.”

Brad Keselowski passed Stenhouse and led the next five laps. Stenhouse finished sixth, bagging 36 points on the way. As things stand, he ranks 21st, with zero playoff points.

4. Zane Smith still searching for his maiden series victory

Zane Smith, driver of the #38 Long John Silver's Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 21, 2025 - Source: Getty

Zane Smith was briefly in control of the 260-lap event. But when he did, he felt he was only a few miles away from the start-finish line.

“I felt like I had a good idea of how it was going to be, controlling the guy in second, how big of a run he was going to get and just trying to stall him out the best I could and pick up help,” Smith said during a post-race interview. “I just let two guys by.”

All he could do after that was deliver a P7, his third top-10 finish this year. The 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion has yet to record his first top five and, obviously, his first win of the season as well as his all-time Cup career.

Next up for the drivers is the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. Chase Elliott's teammate, Alex Bowman, is the defending winner of the race. Fans can watch it on TNT Sports this coming Sunday, July 6, from 2 pm ET onwards, or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.