Last call for desperate drivers in NASCAR's musical chairs game ft. Daniel Suarez and Justin Haley

With three races remaining in the regular season, 13 drivers have clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by virtue of wins. Meanwhile, the rest of the field aim to join them and fill the final three playoff positions.

A few drivers in the field are racing not just for a playoff spot but for a ride next year. With the bulk of the 36 chartered teams already set with a driver for 2026, some are on the outside looking in and trying to impress a car owner to secure a ride.

One of those drivers is Daniel Suarez, who currently drives the #99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. It was announced last month that the Mexican-born driver and Trackhouse would mutually part ways at the end of 2025 after a five-year stint. While there's little time to prove himself, Suarez wants to stay in the Cup Series next year.

While there are few options for the two-time Cup winner, Suarez could end up in the #7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet next season. That's where Justin Haley comes into play in this game of musical chairs. Haley is the current driver of the #7 machine and has struggled to find results this season.

Haley sits 29th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings with an average finish of 21.3. This is a drastic difference from his Spire teammates, Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell, who are currently 22nd and 23rd in the points standings, respectively.

Hocevar and McDowell have shown greater speed than Haley, too, with both having two top-five finishes this season. Based on Haley's performance, he could be the odd man out at Spire at the end of the season, possibly opening the door for Suarez to fill the seat.

The other question is who will fill Suarez's #99 car? The easy choice is Connor Zilisch, who has five wins in the Xfinity Series this season and races on a part-time Cup basis for Trackhouse. With his success in the Xfinity car and his connection with the team, it's almost a given that Zilisch will fill the #99 car in 2026.

NASCAR heads to Watkins Glen with an interesting playoff battle brewing

The clocking is time on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. With three races remaining, the circuit heads to Watkins Glen this Sunday with three open playoff spots remaining.

Tyler Reddick (+122), Alex Bowman (+63), and Chris Buescher (+23) currently hold the final three playoff spots by virtue of points. However, a win from a driver below the cut line would bump Buescher out and put Bowman on the hot seat as the last driver on the bubble.

Former Cup champions Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are below the cut line and are down to three races to try to win and get in the playoffs. Meanwhile, younger drivers such as Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar have shown top-notch speed throughout the season and seek a win to get in as well. Seeing how things pan out with a tight playoff battle will be interesting.