Playoff Points: Bristol 2 Edition

By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor

Following each regular season points race, Kickin’ the Tires takes a deep look at the current playoff grids for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, evaluating each team’s postseason odds and highlighting those that made steps in the right direction, as well as those who dug themselves into a hole. 

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Event: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

Race Winner: Kyle Busch

Stage Winner(s): Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth

Who Won Big

• Kyle Busch: What more can be said? It was a near-perfect weekend for Busch. He won all three races, lost only one stage due to pit strategy and gained six additional playoff points in the process, with the potential to snag two more if he can hold off Kyle Larson for second in the regular season standings. In one weekend Busch elevated himself from solid contender to Martin Truex Jr.’s biggest threat for the title.
• Matt Kenseth: Crisis averted. Kenseth’s strong third-place run at Bristol lifted him past Jamie McMurray and off of the playoff bubble. More importantly, his late challenges and Busch’s surge to the lead kept Erik Jones from earning a win that could’ve sent the playoff battle into a frenzy.
• Denny Hamlin: He didn’t have the success of teammates Busch and Kenseth, but Hamlin’s late rise into the top five was enough to move the Virginian 25 points clear of Brad Keselowski for fifth in the standings. Two mistake-free races should be all it takes for Hamlin to maintain that gap to the postseason and tally the playoff points associated with it.

Who Hurt Their Odds:

• Erik Jones: Make no mistake, Jones had the strongest run of his short-lived Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career on Saturday. But the rookie couldn’t quite finish the job in what was likely his best chance to win his way into the playoffs. That said, this is the exact same thing I wrote last week, so maybe I could be proven wrong.
• Brad Keselowski: What a brutal night. An early flat tire under green killed any hopes Keselowski had of repeating his 2011 Bristol Night Race win. Instead the Michigander finished seven laps down in 29th, and plummeted into a battle for sixth through ninth in the championship standings as a result.
• Clint Bowyer: He’s been skirting just on the outside of contention for a playoff spot on points since Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard 400 win in July, but Saturday’s 19th-place run simply won’t cut it for Bowyer moving forward. The Stewart-Haas Racing newcomer sits 10th in the standings, 58 points behind McMurray for the final spot in the playoff grid.

Playoff Standings: 

Where They Stand

(All But) Locked In

• Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.,  Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon
  • Race Winners

Safe (For Now)

More Work to Do

• Chase Elliott, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray
  • Without a surprise winner or team collapse, the three remaining points drivers appear poised to clinch the final remaining playoff spots.

On the Bubble

Within Reach 

• Clint Bowyer
  • Bowyer can still theoretically get in on points with two strong runs and a nightmare for one of his above competitors, but in truth he’ll likely need a win.

Likely Need to Win

• Joey Logano, Erik Jones, Daniel Suarez, Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Paul Menard, Ty Dillon, Chris Buescher, A.J. Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Danica Patrick, David Ragan, Aric Almirola

Playoff Points

Stage Points

Previous Race Results

Season Totals