Take 5: What we learned from Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway hosted another classic Sunday, punctuating its 70th-year celebration with a frantic rush to the checkered flag in the First Data 500. Hurt feelings and bent car bodies were part of the aftermath, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series' postseason Round of 8 delivered a roaring start.

Catching our collective breath, here's an attempt to unpack the noteworthy themes and items to take away from a crazy day (and night) at Martinsville.

Two weeks to exhale

The most relieved Playoff driver over the next two weeks? Kyle Busch, who made reservations for the championship round with the second Martinsville Speedway victory of his career. The automatic berth means he'll compete for his second premier-series title on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway and that he's the only postseason driver with immunity from elimination over the next two races (Texas, Phoenix).

'We have the luxury of being able to focus on Homestead, think about Homestead, plan setups, plan practice and think about that weekend solely,' said Adam Stevens, crew chief of Busch's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 'But saying that, we still need to go these next two weeks and execute and perform and keep some momentum.'

Rough and tumble

The late-race altercation between Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin was in some ways merely a byproduct of hard-nosed short-track racing. There was plenty of it to go around, with Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick squaring off, Kyle Busch forcing contact with his teammate Hamlin and too many other feuds to recount.

But even more than the coveted grandfather clock trophy, the chance to vie for a championship was in the offing, a carrot too sweet to let dangle. 'I hate it for (Elliott's) team, I understand they had a win for a long time coming, but this is a ticket to Homestead,' a theme Hamlin mentioned six times in four minutes of post-race interviews.

There's the rub

A recurring what-if in the post-race game of conjecture and hindsight was the fate of Joey Logano, whose spin with less than 10 laps left in regulation teed up the chaotic chain of restarts. Logano drove his No. 22 Ford for several laps with a severe left-rear tire rub in hopes of making it to the finish, but the caution period erased the lead of his Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, who had his own automatic berth at Homestead within reach.

Even if Logano had pitted, it was no absolute guarantee of clear sailing for Keselowski, who was later rooted out of the groove by Chase Elliott and relegated to a fourth-place result. But it's further evidence that the No. 22 team is still scrapping for everything it can get in a non-Playoff season, team orders be damned.

Playing the jumble

Outside of Kyle Busch's automatic berth and Martin Truex Jr.'s high likelihood of advancing, very little remains settled in the contest for the remaining three spots in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin rank (in order) fourth through seventh in the standings with just eight points separating them.

Trips to Texas next Sunday and Phoenix the week after will determine the championship-race qualifiers, and no position -- save for Busch's -- is a sure thing.

Night time is the right time

The scheduling of Sunday's race -- a mid-afternoon start and early evening finish -- gave Martinsville a chance to play with its new toy, the $5 million permanent LED lighting system it installed in the offseason. Though temperatures dipped to downright chilly by the event's conclusion, the real cool factor was seeing NASCAR's oldest track illuminated for the late-race fireworks.

'The only thing I can say is why we don't race at night is beyond me here,' said Clint Bowyer, who secured third place for his best finish since early August. 'You should definitely utilize those lights for something other than a green-white-checkered because it's pretty damn cool under the lights.'