Five to Watch: Biggest story lines in Round of 8 finale

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Three spots in the Championship 4 are left to be decided in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 finale at ISM Raceway. Pressure to advance and changes to the 1-mile oval will present challenges. Check out the five biggest story lines ahead of Sunday's race (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NO SURPRISE: An L1-level penalty that saw a loss of 40 points and sidelined crew chief Rodney Childers and car chief Robert Smith hasn't been an issue for Kevin Harvick and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team. Harvick will start on the pole and led the way in both Saturday practices with interim crew chief Tony Gibson at the helm. Now just three points above the cutline, his chances are high to earn his 10th career Phoenix victory -- and lock into the Championship 4.

BELOW THE LINE: Kurt Busch, Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer all find themselves on the outside looking in heading into the final elimination race. All four drivers have recent top-10 finishes at the 1-mile oval. For the SHR camp, Busch finished 10th here in the spring, while Almirola finished seventh and Bowyer finished sixth. Elliott has finishes of second and third in the past two Phoenix events. He has shown speed throughout this weekend and has a front row starting spot next to Harvick.

TRUEX'S TROUBLE: The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota failed pre-qualifying inspection three times, which means Martin Truex Jr. will keep his 13th-place starting position but he has lost his car chief for the rest of the weekend. Lucky for Truex & Co., they have a 25-point cushion to work with for Sunday.

IN WITH THE NEW: Along with ISM Raceway's infield improvements and grandstand renovations for the fans, a new start-finish line placement, a new restart zone and a wider pit road could pose unique challenges for drivers. The start-finish line is now before the dogleg -- where Turn 2 was previously located. "... It's already been a challenge and there's still a lot more that's going to change as we get into the race and figuring out the restart zone and specifically where the start-finish line is and where they put it," Martin Truex Jr. said.

CRASH THE PARTY? Joey Logano is the only driver locked into the Championship 4 after winning at Martinsville, but there's a pretty good opportunity for him to spoil the show for other playoff contenders. Logano earned a victory at ISM Raceway in 2016 and had the fifth-fastest 10-lap average in final practice. Logano hasn't made a ton of friends in the Round of 8, but he looks like he'll still be ready to pounce.