Playoff Points: Charlotte II Edition

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Following each points race, Kickin’ the Tires takes a deep look at the current playoff grids for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, evaluating each team’s postseason odds and highlighting those that made steps in the right direction, as well as those who dug themselves into a hole. 

Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway

Event: Bank of America ROVAL 400

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney

Stage Winner(s): Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney

Who Won Big

• Ryan Blaney: He entered the day within range of elimination and spent spurts of the race on the wrong side of the bubble. But when the checkered flag flew Blaney found himself as NASCAR’s first Charlotte Roval winner, courtesy of spins from the two drivers ahead of him. That’s good for playoff advancement and a handful of playoff points to take with him.
• Kyle Larson: Few drivers can say they’ve ever experienced ups and downs in one day like Larson saw on Sunday in Charlotte. The Chip Ganassi Racing star was dominant in a Stage 1 win, and in contention to win throughout the race. But his inclusion in the late restart pileup with Brad Keselowski left him on the wrong side of the playoff bubble entering the final lap. Yet just when all looked lost, Larson was blessed with unbelievable fortune – a crashed Jeffrey Earnhardt stalled before the start-finish line, allowing Larson to squeak by for a lone point and sneak into the Round of 12 on a tiebreak. What a day.
• Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola: The former had a relatively quiet drive, while the latter was forced to mount a late charge with a damaged machine to force a playoff tiebreak. But regardless of their route there, both Elliott and Almirola snuck through to the Round of 12 after entering Charlotte within range of the cutoff line.

Who Hurt Their Odds

• Jimmie Johnson: Take Larson’s day and flip it. Then you have a proper description of the seven-time Cup champion’s afternoon. Johnson put together arguably his best drive of the season to rise off of the playoff bubble by a seemingly comfortable margin. But a mistake while fighting for his first win of the season caused the Californian to tumble through the field and lose his playoff spot to a tiebreaker. Talk about heartbreak.
• Austin Dillon: The No. 3 team had done everything right through the first two races of the Round of 16, surviving and maximizing their results to place themselves on the right side of the bubble heading into the finale. But two Charlotte crashes proved too much to overcome on Sunday, leaving the Daytona 500 winners on the outside looking in.
• Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones: This Joe Gibbs Racing duo entered the weekend knowing they likely needed a win to advance to the next round, and neither team was able to get the job done. As a result Kyle Busch is the only driver left to carry the torch for Toyota’s flagship team.

 Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Season Totals