By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Following each 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: Dover International Speedway

Event: Drive Sober 200

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney

Stage Winner(s): William Byron, Ryan Blaney

Who Won Big

• Cole Custer: Have yourself a day, rookie. Custer enjoyed on of his strongest performances to date for Stewart-Haas Racing, winning two stages and making a statement about his playoff odds with a fifth-place run in Kentucky.
• Brennan Poole: He probably wishes his teammate would’ve skipped out on the race, but Poole’s strong second-place performance capped off an unexpected showing of dominance from Chip Ganassi Racing. Now the Texan sits 21 points clear of the cut line with two races remaining in Round 1 of the playoffs.
• Matt Tifft and Ryan Reed: Make no mistake, Tifft and Reed weren’t dominant in Kentucky. But the duo did what they needed to do, tallying top 10s and staying on the right side of the playoff cutline. If they can repeat the feat two more times they should be fine to advance to the second round.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Jeremy Clements: It wasn’t unexpected, but Clements struggled in his underdog debut as a playoff driver. The South Carolinian finished 22nd and fell 14 points out of the Round 2 grid. That won’t be easy for Clements’ humble team to make up.
• Brendan Gaughan, Blake Koch and Michael Annett: There’s no way around it – these three struggled in Kentucky. The trio finished outside of the top 10 in the XFINITY Series’ playoff opener, dropping below the cut line and hurting their championship chances in the process. They’ll need to be better to keep their postseason hopes alive.
• William Byron: Much like Erik Jones last season, Byron entered the playoffs among the favorites only to endure a difficult day in the postseason opener. The JR Motorsports rookie is still likely fine due to his playoff point cushion, but he could serve himself well to avoid enduring any additional incidents moving forward.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Playoff Points Earned On-Track
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	William Byron	18
2	Justin Allgaier	13
3 (tie)	Ryan Preece	6
3 (tie)	Sam Hornish Jr.	6
5 (tie)	Ryan Reed	5
5 (tie)	Elliott Sadler	5
5 (tie)	Jeremy Clements	5
5 (tie)	Tyler Reddick	5
9 (tie)	Daniel Hemric	2
9 (tie)	Blake Koch	2
9 (tie)	Cole Custer	2
12 (tie)	Darrell Wallace, Jr.	1
12 (tie)	Brendan Gaughan	1
12 (tie)	James Davison	1

Stage Points

Dover Results

Playoff Totals

Season Totals

Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Event: Las Vegas 350

Race Winner: Ben Rhodes

Stage Winner(s): Chase Briscoe, Ben Rhodes

Who Won Big

• Ben Rhodes: Finally, the monkey is off of Rhodes’ back. The ThorSport Racing shoe tallied his first Truck Series win in Las Vegas, securing a spot in the Round of 6 in the process. Throw in six playoff points – he also won a stage – and Rhodes is suddenly looking like a potential Championship 4 contender.
• Chase Briscoe: He’s still searching for that elusive first victory, but Briscoe’s strong third-place showing was enough to elevate the Brad Keselowski Rookie back into the Round of 6 field. One more solid race and Briscoe can reset and continue to fight for a championship.

 Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Kaz Grala: It’s rare that a top five day isn’t enough to make a gain in the standings, but such was the case for Grala in Las Vegas. The Daytona International Speedway winner dropped solely due to a lack of stage points – he scored four, while Briscoe and Austin Cindric tallied 15 and six, respectively.

Playoff Standings: 

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Las Vegas Results

Playoff Totals

Season Totals