Playoff Points: Dover 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: Dover International Speedway

Event: Gander Outdoors 400

Race Winner: Chase Elliott

Stage Winner(s): Kevin Harvick (Won Both Stages)

Who Won Big

• Chase Elliott: He didn’t have a dominant car by any stretch, and he spent the majority of the day recovering from an early uncontrolled tire penalty. But when the time came to strike, Elliott benefitted from a correct call to leave him out during late stops and put together two great restarts to secure a victory and berth in the Round of 8.
• Joey Logano: He didn’t make much noise up front, but Logano put together a consistent drive to bring home 50 points, pushing the Team Penske ace 31 points clear of the Round of 8 cutoff heading to Talladega.
• Kevin Harvick: The No. 4 team probably should have won on Sunday after dominating the opening stages. But they still scored a race high 51 points and two playoff points for stage wins. That’s enough to keep them sitting pretty heading to Talladega.

Who Hurt Their Odds

• Clint Bowyer: How quickly things can change. At the midway point of the race Bowyer seemed to be a threat to win, lurking behind Harvick and positioning himself to strike if anything went awry. But late contact with a lapper led to a flat tire and ultimately a trip into the outside wall. The contact tools Bowyer out of the Round of 8 field as things stand, and the ensuing caution also ruined the day of the next competitor on this list…
• Aric Almirola: What do Almirola and the No. 10 team need to do to finish one of these races off? Another brutally close call with victory ended in disappointment for Almirola, as he was shuffled back from the lead during late pit stops under yellow. Almirola smacked the outside wall on the following restart and started a crash which took out the next competitor on this list…
• Alex Bowman: If that race had ended 10 laps sooner, Bowman would have done everything right. The playoff newcomer put together a consistent driver and found himself in contention for a top 10 with the laps winding down, but was relegated to a 28th-place finish after getting taken out in the late crash. He’ll likely need a win to keep his playoff pursuit going to the Round of 8.
• Kyle Larson: There was no key moment that spurred this entry – Larson and the No. 42 team just underwhelmed. At one of Larson’s best track, the sprint car standout struggled, sped on pit road and had to salvage a 12th-place result. Now he’ll need a good run at the wild card Talladega to give himself a hope of pointing his way into the next round.

 Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Season Totals