Power Rankings: Martinsville to Texas

NASCAR.com ranks the Monster Energy Series Playoffs drivers after the race at Martinsville Speedway and ahead of the race at Texas Motor Speedway.

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Rank: 8

Change: --

Comment: After failing to capitalize on his best shot at a win in the Round of 8 at Martinsville, Bowyer finds himself in quite the uphill battle the rest of the way. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver posted a top 10 at Texas in the spring (ninth), but it was his first since 2014. A win is likely necessary for him to advance, and the Fort Worth track appears to be a long shot.

Driver: Aric Almirola

Rank: 7

Change: -1

Comment: The same can be said about Bowyer's teammate Almirola, who likely needs to win in order to race for a title at Miami. Like Bowyer, the Ham Man's prospects at Texas don't appear to be fortunate. Almirola hasn't landed in the top 10 in Fort Worth since 2013 -- his only such finish in 15 starts there -- let alone Victory Lane.

Driver: Kurt Busch

Rank: 6

Change: +1

Comment: The winner of back-to-back poles at Texas presents a good opportunity for Stewart-Haas Racing to punch a ticket to Miami on Sunday. He led 40 laps in the spring race with a fast Ford, and his 18 top 10s there are second-most among playoff drivers -- and five more than his three-time Texas-winning little bro, Kyle.

Driver: Chase Elliott

Rank: 5

Change: -2

Comment: The bad news for Elliott is that by the nature of this round, his 31-point deficit likely puts him in must-win territory. The good news is that his 7.4 average finish at Texas is the best among any active driver, and his 11th-place finish in the spring -- when Chevrolet was still figuring things out with the new Camaro ZL1 -- was his only career finish outside the top 10 there. Don't count out the bowtie-brand's last shot at a 2018 title just yet.

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Rank: 4

Change: -3

Comment: Harvick and Co. were certainly off at Martinsville, a track the 2014 champ typically excels at. The SHR driver is the defending race-winner of this Texas event and his 19 top 10s are most among playoff drivers. The chances of crew chief Rodney Childers not putting a good car under Harvick two races in a row, this late in the season? Next to none.

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Rank: 3

Change: +1

Comment: Truex finished 37th at Texas in the spring after a crash. The six races before that? An average finish of 6.0. Everything is bigger in Texas -- including the chip on his shoulder he'll be racing with on Sunday -- and Truex has a legitimate shot to capture his first Fort Worth win and ensure he's racing alongside his pal Joey Logano for the title in a few weeks.

Driver: Kyle Busch

Rank: 2

Change: --

Comment: Busch is probably the driver to beat on Sunday, however. His three Texas wins are most among playoff drivers, the most recent of which came in the spring with a race-high 116 laps led. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is also the only playoff driver with double-digit top fives (12) and his 864 laps led at Texas are nearly 300 more than any driver still in title contention.

Driver: Joey Logano

Rank: 1

Change: +4

Comment: But guess what -- only one driver is locked into Miami, and thus holds all the power. You're looking at him. Not only can Joey Logano race carefree at Texas, he and crew chief Todd Gordon will have the opportunity to dial in their intermediate package and take some swings one last time without the fear of screwing up his shot at a title. The 2014 spring winner at the track has been stellar there since moving over to Team Penske in 2013, finishing worse than 12th just once.