Playoff Points: Pocono I 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: Pocono Raceway

Event: Axalta Presents the Pocono 400

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney

Stage Winner(s): Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson

Who Won Big

• Ryan Blaney:  The Wood Brothers Racing sophomore spent much of the last two months on the wrong side of this piece, dropping in the standings after a litany of issues. But now it doesn’t matter. One strong drive from Blaney later, the Wood Brothers are back in victory lane, and all-but guaranteed their first playoff berth.
• The Kyle Duo: Neither driver managed to claim the victory, but both Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson managed stage victories on the day, adding to their playoff totals. Larson also closed the gap to points leader Martin Truex, Jr. down to just one point.
• Kevin Harvick: He fell short of a victory, but Harvick’s 51 points earned Sunday were the most of anyone in the field. Considering how close he came to a blown motor, the Californian has to be content to leave Pocono with a 121-point edge on the playoff bubble.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Jamie McMurray: Jimmie Johnson’s crash stole the spotlight, but it was McMurray’s fiery spill moments later that had the bigger effect on the postseason picture. The Chip Ganassi Racing veteran’s 37th-place finish dropped him to within 59 points of the playoff bubble.
• Kasey Kahne: It may have setup the exciting finish, but Kahne’s crash at Pocono was devastating for his playoff hopes. The Enumclaw, Washington native now sits 88 points out of the postseason field, in dire need of a victory or a strong summer surge.
• Joey Logano: An ugly 23rd-place run leaves Logano hanging on to his postseason hopes by the slimmest of margins. It may take another, unencumbered win for the two-time Championship 4 participant to have a shot at repeating his feat.

Playoff Standings: 

* One or more wins are encumbered

Where They Stand

(All But) Locked In

• Martin Truex, Jr., Brad Keselowski,  Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Ryan Newman and Austin Dillon.
  • Race Winners
• Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray

Safe (For Now)

More Work to Do

• Denny Hamlin

On the Bubble

• Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano
  • Logano drops to just three points above the cutoff. His encumbered win and subsequent penalty could be the difference in his playoff hopes down the stretch.

Within Reach 

• Matt Kenseth, Erik Jones, Trevor Bayne, Daniel Suarez
  • Kenseth continues to rise, but new winners make his path increasingly steep.
  • Jones’ top five helps him creep back into the playoff conversation.

Likely Need to Win

• Kasey Kahne, Ty Dillon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Paul Menard, Chris Buescher, Aric Almirola, Michael McDowell,  A.J. Allmendinger, David Ragan, Danica Patrick.
  • Kahne’s latest poor run leaves him in a likely must-win situation unless he can kick his performance up over the summer.

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Season Totals