By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

On the Tuesday 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: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Event: Mid-Ohio Challenge

Race Winner: Sam Hornish Jr.

Stage Winner(s): Blake Koch, Sam Hornish Jr.

Who Won Big

• Daniel Hemric: He couldn’t get the better of Hornish in the day’s final run, but Hemric’s strong afternoon at Mid-Ohio was still critical. The rookie’s first top five since Richmond International Raceway in April was enough to secure Hemric solidly in fifth in the standings, with Brennan Poole sitting just 14 points ahead in fourth.
• Matt Tifft: There he is. The Joe Gibbs Racing rookie’s strongest run of the year – a third-place result – was enough to move Tifft 40 points clear of Ryan Reed for seventh in the standings, while also drawing him to within 11 points of Cole Custer for sixth. Given the lack of wins on the full-time XFINITY Series roster, every position and playoff point matters.
• Brendan Gaughan: One of the few series regulars with a plethora of road-course experience, Gaughan finished third in Stage 1 before coming home in seventh. The resulting points day lifted the Nevadan off of the playoff bubble, with a 45-point edge on 13th-place Ryan Sieg.
• Blake Koch: His 11th-place finish wasn’t spectacular, but Koch’s late surge in Stage 1 and subsequent stage victory gave the underdog his second confirmed playoff point. Koch will need every one he can get if he hopes to make a surprising playoff run.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Michael Annett: Another week, another bad result for Annett. Yes, that’s the same introductory sentence as last week. Annett’s 19th-place run at Mid-Ohio dropped the JR Motorsports driver to the playoff bubble, just 34 points ahead of the chasing Sieg with two wild cards in Bristol Motor Speedway and Road America next on the schedule.
• Ryan Reed: It was a long day for Reed – his No. 16 Ford looked more suitable for a demolition derby than a racetrack by day’s end. The Daytona winner lost ground to Tifft in the standings because of the result, a fact worth noting due to the additional playoff point that comes with the position.
• Cole Custer: It was a brutal day in Ohio for Custer. First the rookie was forced to a backup after having issues in qualifying, then the backup car suffered a mechanical failure two laps into the race. Custer still sits sixth in the standings heading to Bristol, but he’s nearly a full-race behind Hemric in fifth.
• Everyone That Needs to Win: It goes without saying, but the road courses are one of the few places where a surprise winner can pop up in NASCAR’s second series. Everyone outside of the top 12 in points saw their playoff hopes dwindle just a bit more as Hornish took the checkered flag.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	William Byron	17
2	Justin Allgaier	8
3 (tie)	Ryan Preece	6
3 (tie)	Sam Hornish Jr.	6 (+6)
5 (tie)	Ryan Reed	5
5 (tie)	Elliott Sadler	5
7	Blake Koch	2 (+1)
8 (tie)	Daniel Hemric	1
8 (tie)	Darrell Wallace, Jr.	1
8 (tie)	Brendan Gaughan	1

Stage Points

Mid-Ohio Results

Season Totals

Camping World Truck Series

Track: Michigan International Speedway

Event: LTi Printing 200

Race Winner: Darrell Wallace Jr.

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

Who Won Big

• Ryan Truex: He may not feel safe about his playoff odds just yet, but Truex’s back-to-back top fives have done a wonder for them over the past two races. If they can avoid disaster, Truex and Hattori Racing look poised to be a legitimate threat to contend for a win and potentially even the championship through the fall.
• Christopher Bell: He fell one spot short of a victory in Michigan, but Bell’s strong run was enough to elevate the Oklahoman to a 37-point lead over Johnny Sauter in the championship standings. Bell already has 24 playoff points. An additional 15 for the regular season title would be enough to give the Kyle Busch Motorsports star a mulligan going through each round of the postseason.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Grant Enfinger: It was bad enough that Enfinger endured a subpar day in the Irish Hills while rivals Truex and Rhodes were mostly strong, but the Alabaman added insult to injury when his No. 98 Toyota failed post-race inspection. Now Enfinger finds himself at risk of losing 10 points and his crew chief for a week. Not good.
• Johnny Sauter: If it could go wrong, it likely did for Sauter and GMS Racing on Saturday. The defending Truck Series champion ended a frustrating day a lap down in 18th, and saw his hopes of topping Bell in the regular season standings shrink because of it.
• John Hunter Nemechek: Well, at least Nemechek’s No. 8 Chevrolet looked strong for the first few laps of Saturday’s race. The NEMCO Motorsports driver crashed out after just four circuits on Saturday, ending his day just ahead of father Joe Nemechek in 29th. The run cost the younger Nemechek two spots in the standings, and a couple potential playoff points in the process.

Playoff Standings: 

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

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Michigan Results

Season Totals