The second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs produced another thrilling finish Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway as Tyler Reddick’s three-wide move for the lead heading to the final lap secured his spot into the Round of 12.
As the series heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for the final race of the first round, Reddick and Southern 500 winner Kyle Larson are locked into the next round.
More movement was seen across the playoff grid, so let’s look at the updated playoff standings and where each driver stands:
Solidly Safe
3. Denny Hamlin (+49)
Denny Hamlin was the driver to beat during the closing laps at the 1.5-mile oval until a caution flag with seven laps to go derailed his chances. Despite being mired back in fifth on the final restart, Hamlin muscled his way to the runner-up position at the checkered flag.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver amassed 22 points to pad his lead above the cutline, which trims the field from 16 drivers to 12, to 49.
Entering Bristol, Hamlin has two victories and an average finish of 14.3 in 32 starts on the concrete track.
4. William Byron (+41)
It was a mediocre day for William Byron at Kansas with a 15th-place finish. Though the Hendrick Motorsports driver only lost four points to remain safe, 41 markers to the good.
The winningest driver in Cup Series competition this season (five wins) enters Bristol winless at the .533-mile short track, though boasts he two consecutive top-three results aboard the No. 24 Chevrolet.
5. Brad Keselowski (+33)
Without a victory this season, Brad Keselowski was behind the eightball heading to the playoff opener at Darlington. Though the RFK Racing driver has gobbled up points over the past two weeks to go from three markers above the cutline at Darlington to a whopping 33 points to the good.
The 2012 Cup Series champion won Stage Two at Kansas and brought his No. 6 Ford home in ninth.
Keselowski has three victories at Bristol and two pole positions in 24 starts there.
Safe, But Not Secure
6. Ryan Blaney (+25)
Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney quietly finished 12th at Kansas, padding his points gap above the cutline to 25 markers. Blaney hasn’t been flashy thus far in the playoffs, but he’s consistently stayed out of trouble and banked stage points.
The driver of the No. 12 Ford will need a stout evening during Saturday’s 500-lap event, especially with a dismal average finish of 19.5 in 13 Bristol starts.
7. Kyle Busch (+24)
Kyle Busch gained four points on the cutline with a seventh-place result at Kansas. Before the playoffs, the Richard Childress Racing driver stressed the importance of minimizing mistakes.
The last three races have seen the No. 8 Chevrolet finish 11th or better without any detrimental errors.
Now, “Rowdy” Busch heads to Bristol where he has eight victories and an average finish of 13.7 in 33 previous starts.
8. Ross Chastain (+18)
While it may feel like Ross Chastain has struggled throughout the playoffs, the Trackhouse Racing driver continues to log solid finishes.
After a fifth at Darlington, Chastain wheeled his No. 1 to a respectable 13th-place run at Kansas, gaining five points above the cutline.
Chastain hasn’t shown the speed he had during last year’s playoff run where the team made the championship four, though continues to remain consistent.
The 30-year-old has one top-10 finish at Bristol (sixth) with it coming last fall.
On The Bubble
9. Chris Buescher (+13)
It was looking to be another standout performance for Chris Buescher at Kansas Speedway until a flat right rear tire turned his day upside down. Buescher finished 27th after running inside the top 10 all day.
With the unfortunate circumstance, Buescher dropped from 27 points above the cutline to 13 markers to the good with one race remaining in the Round of 16.
While his points situation isn’t what he hoped, the driver of the No. 17 Ford won at Bristol last September.
10. Christopher Bell (+13)
Christopher Bell rebounded from a disastrous race at Darlington to finish eighth at Kansas. With a top-10 finish, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver padded his gap by 12 markers on the cutline.
While 13 points to the good isn’t safe, Bell’s track record under pressure in the playoffs is extremely strong. Bell was in a must-win situation twice last year, scoring victories both times en route to a championship four appearance.
Aside from his victory on Bristol’s dirt surface in April, Bell brings a mixed bag of results at Bristol with two top-10 finishes and two outside the top 20.
11. Joey Logano (+12)
Joey Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske group showed resilience at Kansas. Running around 10th to 15th for the majority of the day, the final caution flag presented an opportunity to gamble.
Fortunately for them it paid off as Logano finished fifth after a two-tire pit stop prior to the overtime finish. After fighting through adversity at Darlington and clawing his way to a top-five run at Kansas, the reigning Cup Series champion added nine points to his cushion on the cutline.
Logano has two victories at Bristol with an average finish of 15.5.
12. Kevin Harvick (+7)
Kansas Speedway was another race that could’ve gone differently for Kevin Harvick. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver battled for the lead in the early going and ran around the top five for the majority of the race.
Though fading late forced Harvick to finish 11th. Despite a disappointing result, Harvick vaulted back into the Round of 12 after entering Kansas two points below the cutline.
Now, the 2014 Cup Series champion will take his final laps at Bristol on Saturday night hoping to win for the fourth time there.
Outside Looking In
13. Martin Truex Jr. (-7)
It’s difficult to believe Martin Truex Jr. may be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after racking up three victories and 15 playoff points for winning the regular season title.
Though an 18th-place finish at Darlington and lap-three exit at Kansas after a blown tire, forced the Joe Gibbs Racing driver into an unlucky position.
“I knew something was up for sure, just didn’t realize it was going to blow the tire out,” Truex said after the incident. “I felt like the right rear was soft. I was hoping it was going to go down on the straightaway, not going into turn three. Really unfortunate. In hindsight, I guess I should have just pitted, but at that point in time, you just don’t know if the car is just really tight or what’s going on. It’s a real shame.
“I hate for my team. We had a really, really fast Bass Pro Toyota. I can’t imagine being this unlucky.”
This weekend doesn’t look much better for Truex, as the 2017 Cup Series champion has endured his share of struggles at the Tennessee short track. Without a victory, Truex has an average finish of 20.8 in 32 starts.
14. Bubba Wallace (-19)
Bubba Wallace looked to be a contender at Kansas until cutting a right-rear tire while running second changed the complexion of his race.
After going multiple laps down, Wallace finished 32nd. The speed is there in his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota, though, he will most likely need a victory to advance in the playoffs.
Wallace has one top 10 in eight starts at Bristol, with his last coming in the spring of 2020.
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-22)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got in the wall multiple times at Kansas, with the driver of the No. 47 eventually finishing 23rd.
It’s been an uphill battle for the JTG Daugherty Racing driver in the Round of 16 after having to battle back to a 16th-place finish in the opener at Darlington.
Stenhouse is nearing must-win territory this weekend at Bristol. In 18 starts there, Stenhouse has claimed six top 10s, with his last one coming in the spring of 2018.
16. Michael McDowell (-40)
Michael McDowell’s playoff run is looking murky after another trying day aboard the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford. McDowell finished 26th at Kansas, one week after a 32nd-place result at Darlington.
In a must-win situation, McDowell’s chances look slim thanks to a dismal 26.8 average finish in 23 Bristol starts.