Breaking down NASCAR's playoff picture and bubble with only 5 regular-season races left

The clock is winding down on the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, and through the first 21 of 26 regular-season races, there have been 14 different winners.

That’s an unusually high number for this point in the season — at least some of the parity certainly can be attributed to the Next Gen car’s debut this year — especially when you remember the top-16 drivers (most, if not all, race winners) qualify for the 10-race playoffs, beginning in September.

The saying goes, “Win and you’re in,” when it comes to the NASCAR postseason. But if there are more than 16 winners in the regular season, the playoff field will become a bit harder to discern.

Simply, the top-16 drivers in the standings will advance to the playoffs. Since there aren’t usually more than 16 winners in the regular season, the remaining playoff spots are typically filled by the next highest winless drivers in the standings.

RELATED: Here’s the unusual NASCAR playoffs scenario if more than 16 drivers qualify

Should 2022 produce more than 16 winners by the end of the of the regular season at Daytona International Speedway in August, the playoff field will feature the drivers with the most wins, and of those tied with one win apiece, the drivers with the most regular-season points will fill out the remaining playoff spots.

Currently, (winless) drivers on both sides of the playoff bubble include Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola.

When the playoffs begin in September with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the 16 drivers’ point totals get a 2,000-point boost added onto the number of playoff points they earned throughout the season.

So with just five races remaining before the playoffs, here’s a look at the top-25 drivers in the regular-season standings, along with their projected playoff rank and points.