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: New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Event: Lakes Region 200

Race Winner: Christopher Bell

Stage Winner(s): Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski

Who Won Big

• Christopher Bell: It was back-to-back for Bell, as the hotshot rookie held off Brad Keselowski late to claim his second win in as many weeks at New Hampshire. The Oklahoman now has 18 guaranteed playoff points this year, and is up to second in the standings with the leader in sight.
• Daniel Hemric: It’s not often that an 11th-place run can be considered enough to make substantial gains for a frontrunner, but Hemric’s solid runs in the race’s earlier stages meant he gained 42 points in Loudon. That was enough to give the Richard Childress Racing sophomore the points lead with the regular season beginning to wind down.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Ross Chastain: Saturday provided the worst-case scenario for Chastain and JD Motorsports. The Floridian finished 26th after slapping the wall mid-race, and lost 10 points of his advantage over Michael Annett on the bubble in the process.
• Elliott Sadler: Another quiet afternoon for Sadler – this time an eighth-place run with only six stage points – left the Virginian third in the championship standings leaving Loudon. He’ll need to move back into the top five and win contention if he hopes to score the regular season championship and 15 playoff points.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned On-Track
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Christopher Bell	18
2	Justin Allgaier	8
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

Stage Points

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Results

Season Totals

Camping World Truck Series

Track: Eldora Speedway

Event: Eldora Dirt Derby

Race Winner: Chase Briscoe

Stage Winner(s): Ben Rhodes, Chase Briscoe

Who Won Big

• Grant Enfinger: It’s going to take a while for the sting of his close loss to subside, but Enfinger had a great points night at Eldora. His second-place run led all Truck Series regulars, and he scored a race-high 48 points. That elevated the Alabamian to fourth in the standings with the playoffs drawing near.
• Ben Rhodes: Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – Rhodes finished 29th. That’s bad. But the Kentucky winner scored a stage win early in the night, netting him an extra playoff point to use this postseason.
• Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton: The two drivers that battled for the the win last year each scored top fives in their return. With 99+ points on the playoff bubble, that’s all they need to do to clinch a postseason spot. As long as there isn’t a surprise winner in the next three races, that is..

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Myatt Snider: At one point Snider was in the top five and seemed capable of winning at Eldora, but he instead finished a distant 20th. Now the 23-year-old will need a win to keep his championship pursuit alive.
• Johnny Sauter: The 2016 Truck champ’s inexperience on dirt shows on Wednesday. Sauter was involved in the accidents that caused the first two cautions before finishing a disappointing 16th. That allowed Noah Gragson to close within 32 points of the regular season championship and the 15 valuable playoff points that come with it.

Playoff Standings: 

*Technically ineligible due to missed races. Would require a waiver to make the playoffs.

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned On-Track
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Johnny Sauter	22
2	Brett Moffitt	16
3	Noah Gragson	12
4	Ben Rhodes	9
5	Justin Haley	5
6	Stewart Friesen	3
7	Grant Enfinger	2
8 (tie)	David Gilliland	1
8 (tie)	Christian Eckes	1

Stage Points

Daytona International Speedway Results

Season Totals