Playoff Points: Daytona Edition

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Following each regular season 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: Daytona International Speedway

Event: Daytona 500

Race Winner: Austin Dillon

Stage Winner(s): Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney

Who Won Big

• Austin Dillon: It was a win for the ages. Two decades removed from his time as a child celebrating Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s lone Daytona 500 win, the elder Dillon brother found himself in victory lane. As a result his playoff berth is all-but confirmed, and he has five playoff points to carry into it.
• Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney: Neither driver proved able to deliver a victory in ‘The Great American Race,’ but both Busch and Blaney made the most of their opportunities early in the race to claim stages and earn a valuable playoff point to open the year.
• Darrell Wallace Jr.: No one was quite sure what to make of Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports this year, but the pairing started off hot. A second-place run in Sunday’s 500-miler has Wallace fourth in the championship standings, with an early edge on the playoff grid.
• Paul Menard: He’s been the less-discussed part of the Blaney-Team Penske move, but Menard looked strong in his debut with Wood Brothers Racing. The Wisconsinite claimed most stage points (10) than he managed in the entirety of 2017, and left Daytona fifth in the championship standings.

Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Joe Gibbs Racing’s Young Guns: Both Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez figure to be promising prospects in their second Cup Series seasons. But neither driver left Sunday’s Daytona 500 happy, crashing out in 36th and 37th, respectively, in the aftermath of a close save for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• Kasey Kahne: The first race for Kahne with Leavine Family Racing ended with a crunch. The Enumclaw, Washington native was included in a mid-race accident with Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick, eliminating himself from the race in 34th. But while Elliott has the equipment to contend weekly and Patrick is done with her NASCAR career, Kahne may need good results in wild card races like Sunday’s to carry the No. 95 team to their first playoff berth. That makes the Daytona disappointment difficult to swallow.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Last season Ricky Stenhouse Jr. staked his playoff claim on the restrictor-plate races, claiming victories at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway en-route to a Round of 8 visit in the playoffs. Should he need to do the same to make the postseason this year, he’s already down to two chances after a 29th-place finish in Sunday’s crown jewel.

Playoff Standings: 

Where They Stand

(All But) Locked In

• Austin Dillon
  • Race Winner

Safe (For Now)

More Work to Do

• Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano

On the Bubble

• Darrell Wallace Jr., Paul Menard, Michael McDowell, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, Trevor Bayne, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Clint Bowyer, AJ Allmendinger, Kurt Busch

Within Reach 

• Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Gray Gaulding, Chase Elliott, Jeffrey Earnhardt, William Byron, David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto, Erik Jones, Brendan Gaughan, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suarez, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Ty Dillon,

Likely Need to Win

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Previous Race Results

Season Totals