After a regular season filled with turmoil, pandemic-related delays, and hot seat drama, the NASCAR Cup Series is finally entering the 2020 Playoff season.
Despite the difficulties, Ford Performance’s NASCAR division has seen significant success this year. In total, eight Ford drivers have qualified for a chance to take home the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
Let’s take a look at each driver’s chances as NASCAR gets ready to kick off the 2020 Playoffs this Sunday at the Cook Out Southern 500 hosted by Darlington Raceway.
Matt Dibenedetto
Kicking off our list, we have Matt Dibenedetto, a fan-favorite and the current driver of the number 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing.
So far this season, Dibenedetto has seen significantly more success than he has in recent years, clearly benefiting from his move away from Toyota’s Leavine Family Racing last offseason.
In 2020, “Matty D” has started 26 races, finishing all but one of them. This year, he has piloted his No. 21 Mustang to seven top-10s, two top-5s, and one pole position.
Although his status as a sentimental favorite cannot be ignored, Dibenedetto has failed to taste victory lane so far this year.
Given the stiff competition awaiting him this weekend and beyond, it’s unlikely that this is Dibenedetto’s year. That said, he certainly has potential as a dark horse candidate.
Matt Dibenedetto currently occupies the very last 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff position, coming in at 16th.
Clint Bowyer
Although he experienced a shaky start to 2020, Clint Bowyer, driver of the number 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, has enjoyed serious success late in this year’s regular season.
As a 15-year veteran of the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s hard to discredit Bowyer entirely from Championship contention this year.
Since the start of the season, Bowyer has started 26 races, finishing 25 of them. He is the proud owner of seven top-10 and two top-5 finishes this year, with four of them coming in the past 11 races.
If Bowyer can continue his recent hot streak and potentially pull out a Playoff race win, then it’s entirely possible that he could be in the title hunt by the time the championship race at Phoenix rolls around in November.
Clint Bowyer currently sits at 13th in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs standings.
Ryan Blaney
As the young and hungry driver of the number 12 Ford Mustang for the prestigious Team Penske, Ryan Blaney could pose a serious threat to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff competition this year.
Although he’s only been competing in NASCAR’s highest circuit for six years, Blaney has already accumulated 70 top-10s, six pole positions, and four career wins, the most recent of which occurred at the running of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this season.
With another Talladega race scheduled to take place during this year’s Playoff circuit, it isn’t a stretch to say that a deep run is definitely in the cards for Blaney this season.
This year alone, Blaney has accumulated 11 top-10s, eight top-5s, and one pole position. Unfortunately, his status as a fierce competitor has also netted him 4 DNFs, something he will have to avoid if he hopes to have a real shot at the championship going forward.
Ryan Blaney currently occupies the 7th position in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings.
Joey Logano
So far this year, Joey Logano, driver of the number 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske, has strung together a great season by all accounts.
So far in 2020, Logano has earned 14 top-10s, six top-5s, two pole positions, and two wins. While there’s no doubt these are impressive numbers, what really sets Logano apart as a serious contender is his status as a former NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
After winning NASCAR’s highest prize in this same ride in 2018, Joey is one of just five former NASCAR Cup Series Champions in this year’s field of 16 competitors.
Surely, this gives him a considerable advantage over his fellow Ford Performance competitors among whom only Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski can claim this distinction.
Joey Logano currently occupies the 4th position in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series standings.
The iconic Ford Motor Company already has significant talent competing for the championship this year, and these four drivers aren’t even all Ford has to offer!
Click here to read about the chances of Ford’s remaining four drivers as we continue our preparation for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
