NASCAR insider clarifies confusion about truck owner playoff eligibility when Cup drivers win races

Renowned NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass recently took to his official social media account to clear out confusion on the NASCAR Truck Series. Pockrass, on his X account, clarified that if a Cup or Xfinity Series driver wins a race in the Truck Series, they don't get counted for playoffs.

While NASCAR has three national series races, it's not uncommon for Cup Series drivers to race in the Xfinity or Truck Series. The drivers mentioned above often take their chances to race in the lower series throughout the year and win races.

However, their victory does not count for playoffs for the teams they raced for, as these wins get recorded as the driver's individual achievements. Clarifying this, Pockrass wrote on X when a user on the social media application asked him the same:

"When a driver ineligible for points in a series wins a stage or a race, those don't count for playoff points or automatic playoff berth for the owners title. The points earned in the race, though, do count and could help that car/truck get in on points."

Traditionally, if a driver wins a race for the team they raced for, the driver gets qualified for the playoffs, and so does the team. However, it will only be applicable for drivers who are eligible for Truck Series points.

NASCAR has the Cup Series as the most premium form of stock car racing, followed by the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. The Truck Series races generally take place on Friday, Xfinity Series races on Saturday, and finally the Cup Series on Sunday.

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Cup driver Kyle Larson to race in Xfinity Series in Texas

The Cup Series driver Kyle Larson is all set to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway. Larson's opportunity in the second-tier stock car racing has come after JR Motorsports' Connor Zilisch suffered a lower back injury at Talladega last week.

Kyle Larson (#5 Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet) runs in turn 4 during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 on March 22, 2025 - Source: Getty

Ahead of this week's Xfinity Series race, JR Motorsports (the team Zilisch drives for under full-time obligation) announced that Larson will take charge of the #88 Chevrolet Camaro SS and replace an injured Zilisch.

A Cup Series driver is allowed to drive a maximum of five races in the Xfinity Series, and Larson already has two under his belt. Larson, who races for Hendrick Motorsports under full-time obligation, has already won a race (at Bristol) this year in the Xfinity Series.

Besides the Xfinity Series, Kyle Larson, who has already won two races this year, will also participate in the NASCAR Cup Series race, the Wurth 400 at the Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (May 4).