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: Iowa Speedway

Event: U.S. Cellular 250

Race Winner: Ryan Preece

Stage Winner(s): Ryan Preece, Justin Allgaier

Who Won Big

• Justin Allgaier: He didn’t make any ground up on his JR Motorsports teammates – they may honestly be out of range now – but Allgaier did salvage a playoff point before his pit strategy went awry.
• J.J. Yeley: How about that? Yeley’s impressive sixth-place run on Sunday was enough to elevate the Phoenix, Arizona native to 13th in points, just 14 markers out of the playoff grid.
• Blake Koch: Kaulig Racing has seen the lion’s share of peaks and dips this year, but Koch’s eighth-place run on Saturday should help the team’s playoff pursuit. Koch jumped up to 10th in the standings with his top 10, and now holds a 35-point edge on the playoff bubble.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Michael Annett: Another week, another bad result for Annett. The Iowan finished 33rd at his home track, dropping him outside of the top 10 in the standings. The No. 5 team’s struggles are inexplicable given the fact that his teammates sit in the top three places in the standings, and with Yeley just 32 points back, their playoff berth is far from certain.
• Jeremy Clements: He was already a long-shot, but Clements’ 28th-place struggle in Iowa should effectively kill what remained of his playoff hopes without a surprise win. The XFINITY Series vet will need to make up six positions and 65 points if he wants to contend for the championship.

Playoff Standings: 

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

Playoff Points

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

Stage Points

Iowa Results

Season Totals

Camping World Truck Series

Track: Pocono Raceway

Event: Overton’s 150

Race Winner: Christopher Bell

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

Who Won Big

• Christopher Bell: When his boss Kyle Busch crashed out late, it was Bell that was ready to strike. The Oklahoman’s taken control of the Truck Series standings through the summer stretch, upping his win total to four on the year, surging to the points lead and doubling the playoff point total of his closest competitor.
• Ben Rhodes and Ryan Truex: The duo that entered Pocono fighting for the final spot on the playoff grid each left on the right side of the bubble. Rhodes and Truex were constantly found in the top five throughout the 60-lap sprint, tallying stage points and finishes of second and third. They left the 2.5-mile Tricky Triangle sixth and seventh in the standings, just inside of the postseason field as things stand.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Grant Enfinger: His trip to Pocono wasn’t bad by any means – Enfinger tallied a few stage points and finished 13th. The Alabaman just couldn’t match the strength of his rivals on the playoff bubble, falling outside of the postseason field by four points after they each soared to top fives.
• Noah Gragson: After spending the summer rising up the grid, Gragson suffered a quick return to reality with a Lap 40 crash in Pocono. The Kyle Busch Motorsports driver dropped to 41 points off of the grid, in need of a strong surge to boost his playoff hopes back into the realm of possibility.

Playoff Standings: 

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

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Pocono Results

Season Totals