Drivers who raced their way into Round of 8

Chase Elliott's second-place finish to Denny Hamlin on Sunday was enough to put the Hendrick Motorsports driver through to the Round of 8. The 23-year-old clawed back from a 22-point deficit for the final spot, which wasn't decided until the very last lap. Read on to see every driver who raced his way into the Round of 8 since the introduction of the elimination era.

Brad Keselowski, 2014

Track: Talladega Superspeedway

Points to cutoff line: -19

Result: Keselowski's clutch win defined the new postseason and sent the driver to the Round of 8 in the first year of the elimination-style format.

Kyle Busch, 2015

Track: Talladega Superspeedway

Points to cutoff line: -6

Result: "Rowdy" has a nondescript record at Talladega, but he did enough back in 2015 to work his way above the cutoff line with an 11th-place finish. He went on to win the championship later that season.

Denny Hamlin, 2016

Track: Talladega Superspeedway

Points to cutoff line: -6

Result: Hamlin's third-place finish was enough -- barely. He won a tiebreaker over Austin Dillon for the final spot after the two drivers finished the Round of 12 with the same number of points. Dillon finished .006 seconds behind Aric Almirola for eighth in the race, an agonizing distance that cost him a transfer spot.

Kyle Busch, 2017

Track: Kansas Speedway

Points to cutoff line: -7

Result: A wreck at Talladega put Busch below the cutline heading to Kansas in 2017, the first year that the 1.5-mile track served as an elimination race. A 43-point day put Busch in the Round of 8, and he ultimately made the Championship 4.

Chase Elliott, 2019

Track: Kansas Speedway

Points to cutoff line: -22

Result: Elliott managed the biggest comeback in Round of 12 history with a late-race rally at Kansas. It was nearly a must-win scenario for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, but his gritty 50-point day was enough to topple Brad Keselowski, who fell back on a spate of late restarts.