Playoff Points: Watkins Glen 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: Watkins Glen International

Event: I Love New York 355

Race Winner: Martin Truex, Jr.

Stage Winner(s): Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez

Who Won Big

• Martin Truex Jr.: The narrative going into Watkins Glen was one of potential surprises and breakthrough winners. Instead Truex added another signature moment to a dominant 2017 campaign. The Furniture Row Racing driver now has an advantage of more than 100 points for the points lead, and has earned a series-best 34 playoff points.
• Matt Kenseth: He fell just short of victory, but Kenseth’s runner-up result in New York helped him close the gap on Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray, while also keeping the hungry Clint Bowyer at bay.
• Clint Bowyer: Tony Stewart’s replacement didn’t get a victory or rejoin the playoff field, but his fifth-place run was enough to keep him within range as the weeks continue to wind down.

Who Hurt Their Odds:

• AJ Allmendinger: Entering what was likely his last weekend with a chance at a win, Allmendinger struggled en-route to a quiet top 10. That result wasn’t bad, but the lack of a victory likely spells the end of the 2014 winner’s playoff hopes.
• Joey Logano: If his playoff hopes didn’t depend on a win before, they do now. Logano’s 24th-place finish on Sunday dropped the two-time Championship 4 participant to 95 points beyond the playoff grid. He has four races to get a win if he wants to make the playoffs for a fifth-straight year.
• Chase Elliott and Jamie McMurray: These two are doing just enough to make the playoffs as things stand. Elliott and McMurray finished 13th and 14th, respectively, in Watkins Glen, which isn’t bad. But strong runs from Kenseth and Bowyer have left the duo within striking distance for the final month of the regular season.

Playoff Standings: 

Where They Stand

(All But) Locked In

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

Safe (For Now)

More Work to Do

On the Bubble

• Chase Elliott, Jamie McMurray Matt Kenseth
  • Elliott and McMurray are officially on the bubble and within reach after another subpar showing at Watkins Glen.

Within Reach 

• Clint Bowyer
  • Bowyer continues to run strong, but it may take a win for the Kansas native to seal the deal.

Likely Need to Win

• Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Trevor Bayne, Paul Menard, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ty Dillon, Michael McDowell, A.J. Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Danica Patrick, David Ragan, Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto
  • Logano joins the list of must-win drivers after another tough outing.

Playoff Points

Playoff Points if Playoffs Started Today
Rank	Driver	Playoff Points
1	Martin Truex Jr.	49
2	Kyle Busch	24
3	Kyle Larson	21
4	Brad Keselowski	18
5	Jimmie Johnson	17
6	Kevin Harvick	15
7	Denny Hamlin	13
8	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	10
9	Ryan Blaney	8
10	Chase Elliott	6
11 (tie)	Kurt Busch	5
11 (tie)	Ryan Newman	5
11 (tie)	Austin Dillon	5
11 (tie)	Kasey Kahne	5
15	Matt Kenseth	4
16	Jamie McMurray	3

Stage Points

Previous Race Results

Season Totals