By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Following each regular season points race, Kickin’ the Tires takes a deep look at the current playoff grids for both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series, evaluating the postseason picture for NASCAR’s second and third tours. 

Xfinity Series

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Event: Food City 300

Race Winner: Kyle Larson

Stage Winner(s): Kyle Larson (Won Both Stages)

Who Won Big

• Michael Annett: Time is running low for Annett to make a run at the final playoff spot on points, but performances like Bristol could make it possible. The JR Motorsports shoe climbed from the tail of the field after a qualifying spin to finish seventh, scoring 32 points in the process. That leaves him 42 points behind Ross Chastain heading to Road America – the site of his best run last season.
• Justin Allgaier: Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and Elliott Sadler all scored 39 points, meaning most gunning for the regular season crown gained little ground. But Allgaier was a step better, bringing home 46 points to claw within 13 markers of Bell for the points lead.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Daniel Hemric: On the other side of the playoff chase, Hemric crashed out in 24th to bring home a mere 14 points. Given the tight nature of the current points battle, the poor result dropped Hemric to a distant fourth in the standings. He’ll need to make up 42 points in the remaining four races if he hopes to steal the regular season crown and 15 valuable playoff points.
• Brandon Jones: He’s already fairly secure in the postseason field, but Jones’ poor 29th-place showing at Bristol dropped him within 16 points behind Ryan Truex for sixth in the standings. Jones has just one stage win, so he’ll need every bonus point the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team can manage heading into the postseason. That makes losing ground to Truex difficult to accept.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned On-Track
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Christopher Bell	24
2	Justin Allgaier	14
3 (tie)	Ryan Preece	6
3 (tie)	Tyler Reddick	6
5	Spencer Gallagher	5
6	Elliott Sadler	4
7	Daniel Hemric	2
8 (tie)	Brandon Jones	1
8 (tie)	John H. Nemechek	1
8 (tie)	Cole Custer	1

Stage Points

Bristol Motor Speedway Results

Season Totals

Camping World Truck Series

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Event: UNOH 200

Race Winner: Johnny Sauter

Stage Winner(s): John Hunter Nemechek (Won Both Stages)

Who Won Big

• Johnny Sauter: Just when it appeared that Brett Moffit had drawn even with Sauter, the Wisconsinite snuck out his first Bristol win to up his win total to five. Sauter also declared the Regular Champion, meaning he’ll take an additional 15 playoff points with him into the postseason.
• Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger and Matt Crafton: Friesen fell just short of a breakthrough Bristol win, but he still came out of the weekend with an important designation – a playoff berth. The Canadian clinched a spot in the postseason on points. He’ll be joined by fellow first-time postseason contender Enfinger and two-time Truck Series champ Crafton to complete the playoff field.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Everyone outside of the playoff grid: Myatt Snider made a run at the top five early on, Todd Gilliland surged late and Dalton Sargeant showed bursts of promise along the way. But in the end none of the drivers outside of the playoff grid entering Bristol pulled off a win. That means their playoff pursuits are over.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned On-Track
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Johnny Sauter	27
2	Brett Moffitt	21
3	Noah Gragson	12
4	Ben Rhodes	9
5 (tie)	Justin Haley	5
5 (tie)	Stewart Friesen	5
7	Grant Enfinger	3
8 (tie)	David Gilliland	1
8 (tie)	Christian Eckes	1
8 (tie)	Todd Gilliland	1

Stage Points

Bristol Motor Speedway Results

Season Totals