The first round of the NASCAR playoffs was truly a wild one. While all top championship contenders have made it to the next round, there are some surprising entrants as well. The first round eliminated two former Cup Series champions Martin Truex Jr (2017) and Brad Keselowski. The veterans won’t progress in the next round, thanks to their blunders as well as the consistent performances of Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Alex Bowman.

Both Cindric and Briscoe finished in the top 10 in two out of the three playoff races – something not even championship favorites Kyle Larson or even Denny Hamlin could do. The most surprising performance has come from Alex Bowman, who was the most consistent among all the 16 drivers. He managed to bag the highest number of points in the first round! Heading to the round of 12, the Hendrick Motorsports driver would be looking for a repeat performance.

Alex Bowman’s chances in the round of 12?

Bowman did not have the best regular season this year, he only managed a single win at the chaotic Chicago Street Race. Heading into the playoffs, everyone considered Bowman the underdog, but his performance says otherwise. At the playoff opener in Atlanta, the #48 bagged a P5 finish starting his campaign on a high note. In this race, his teammate Larson got a DNF. Next up at Walkins, Glen Bowman fell behind, finishing in the 18th position. However, the HMS driver bounced back with a P9 in Bristol after starting on the pole.

Throughout the first round, Bowman has managed to steer clear of trouble, slowing compounding points. This has made him the highest points scorer of round 1, bagging 12o points. This is remarkable since others are not even close to him. Christopher Bell scored 104, which is the 2nd highest. Veterans like Larson got 89 and Hamlin scored 74. While Bowman is currently -7 points below the cutoff line, he won’t be too worried as he’s got the consistency backing him. Also, the playoff grid is extremely tight this time. William Byron in 4th is only +14 above the cut line. With the next three races being on the same kind of tracks, the #48 has a high chance of success.

Recently NASCAR Analyst Eric Estepp dwelled on how Bowman might fare in the next round. The first race is on the Kansas Speedway, where Estepp said, “Looking at this round specifically, Kansas, Bowman’s intermediate numbers are mixed this year though he did finish seventh here in the spring his teammate won which bodes well. His last four races on the track have all been top-10 finishes. Since 2021, his average finish on the track is 9.8.

Next up is Talladega Superspeedway, Alex Bowman‘s last Talladega finish was in the 5th position and he also finished 2nd in the Daytona 500. “Bowman has three top fives at drafting tracks this year if we include Atlanta. Okay, he was an inch basically the push of a button away from winning the Daytona 500 all right,” Estepp added. The eliminator for the round of 12 will be the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Bowman has always been consistent on road courses. His career best-average finish since 2021 has been on COTA. In the four races on the track, his average finish is 4.4. Although he has never won, the ROVAL his average finish on the track is 9.

Estepp further in his analysis said, “Bowman has never finished outside of the top 10 at the Charlotte ROVAL so even if he’s slightly below the cut line heading into that cutoff race. Don’t count him out!” If Bowman manages the same consistency as round 1 and moves to the round of 8, he is definitely a championship contender. NASCAR Insiders believe Bowman could play spoiler.

Alex Boman’s future in the playoffs

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It is surprising that with just a few races left in the season, the No. 48 Chevy driver is hot on the heels of his career-best records. He’s just one top-five finish away from tying his best year ever. Currently, he has 7 top-5s as opposed to 8 in 2021; his top-10 finishes are right up there. So far, he has managed 14 top-fives, compared to 16 from 2021 – looks like he’s got what it takes to make this a season to remember.

NASCAR Journalist Jeff Gluck recently discussed the possibility of Bowman upsetting the playoff field, emphasizing, “I’m not sure he’s quite a longshot, but Bowman is running well at the right time and happens to be good at Kansas. He led a race-high 107 laps in the Kansas playoff race two years ago before finishing fourth and there’s nothing to suggest he can’t show up with a fast enough car to pull off a victory and launch himself into Round 3.

Let’s assume he progresses into the round of 8; how does he fare in those races? Round of 8’s first one would be Las Vegas, Bowman won on the track in 2022, and in the last four races, he has two top-3 finishes. Next up would be Homestead Miami, where he finished 19th last year. His best finish on the track was 9th, which came in 2021. As for the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville, the #48 won on the track in 2021 and had a P8 finish there last year. Overall, his playoff chances look good.

How far do you think Bowman will reach this season? Let us know in the comments below.