BACK TO GALLERIES
Breaking down the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 Playoffs field
By Zack Albert | Published: October 15, 2020 9
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The postseason for the NASCAR Cup Series is down to its final three-race elimination round and its final eight drivers. The next three races -- scheduled Oct. 18 at Kansas Speedway, Oct. 25 at Texas Motor Speedway and Nov. 1 at Martinsville Speedway -- will determine the final four drivers who will compete for the Cup Series title Nov. 8 at Phoenix Raceway. See how the remainder of the playoff field stacks up as the pursuit of the 2020 crown intensifies.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
1. Kevin Harvick, 4,067 points, 9 wins
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford
Elimination history: Won championship in 2014; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Darlington, Bristol)
Outlook: The Round of 12 was an uncharacteristically quiet one for Harvick, who posted finishes of 10th, 20th and 11th but advanced thanks to a stockpile of playoff points. While not exactly roaring into the Round of 8, Harvick has visited Victory Lane at the three tracks that loom there, and only a monumental collapse would keep the 2014 champ out of the final four for the fourth straight year.
Quotable: "This wasn't a great round for us, so we definitely need to do better."
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford
Elimination history: Won championship in 2014; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Darlington, Bristol)
Outlook: The Round of 12 was an uncharacteristically quiet one for Harvick, who posted finishes of 10th, 20th and 11th but advanced thanks to a stockpile of playoff points. While not exactly roaring into the Round of 8, Harvick has visited Victory Lane at the three tracks that loom there, and only a monumental collapse would keep the 2014 champ out of the final four for the fourth straight year.
Quotable: "This wasn't a great round for us, so we definitely need to do better."
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. Denny Hamlin, 4,054 points, 7 wins
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016, 2017; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2015; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2018.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Talladega)
Outlook: Hamlin was likely a lock to advance on the basis of points, but sidestepped any math with his Talladega triumph. Like Harvick, Hamlin has won at all three Round of 8 tracks, but his record at those is even more robust -- three career wins each at Kansas and Texas, plus five at Martinsville.
Quotable: "I don't know if we will need to (win), but we will certainly need to run really well. I don't know. I think we will just have to play it by ear. I think after the first race, we will have a better idea of -- it's a little easier to predict the guys that will be winners or points guys after that."
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2016, 2017; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2015; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2018.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Talladega)
Outlook: Hamlin was likely a lock to advance on the basis of points, but sidestepped any math with his Talladega triumph. Like Harvick, Hamlin has won at all three Round of 8 tracks, but his record at those is even more robust -- three career wins each at Kansas and Texas, plus five at Martinsville.
Quotable: "I don't know if we will need to (win), but we will certainly need to run really well. I don't know. I think we will just have to play it by ear. I think after the first race, we will have a better idea of -- it's a little easier to predict the guys that will be winners or points guys after that."
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
3. Brad Keselowski, 4,035 points, 4 wins
Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2017; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2014, 2015; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016, 2018, 2019.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Richmond)
Outlook: Ever since his dominant Richmond win in the opening round, Keselowski's results have been middling with an average finish of 20.8 in the last four races. If there's a Round of 8 sore spot, it's potentially Texas, where the Team Penske driver has yet to win and has finished outside the top 30 in three of his last five starts.
Quotable: "Martinsville has been really good to us. Kansas, we ran second in the fall. Texas is probably our weakest, but I think we can win at the other two."
Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
Elimination history: Reached Championship 4 in 2017; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2014, 2015; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016, 2018, 2019.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Richmond)
Outlook: Ever since his dominant Richmond win in the opening round, Keselowski's results have been middling with an average finish of 20.8 in the last four races. If there's a Round of 8 sore spot, it's potentially Texas, where the Team Penske driver has yet to win and has finished outside the top 30 in three of his last five starts.
Quotable: "Martinsville has been really good to us. Kansas, we ran second in the fall. Texas is probably our weakest, but I think we can win at the other two."
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
4. Chase Elliott, 4,027 points, 3 wins
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2017, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Charlotte Roval)
Outlook: Elliott's Roval repeat may have provided a boost, but the No. 9 team's head of steam had built up well before the Round of 12 finale. Elliott has led multiple laps in all six playoff races this year, and while Kansas and Texas have historically been better venues for him, his prospects at Martinsville have improved in recent years with four top 10s in his last five starts there.
Quotable: "You never know. That's why we go race, is to find out who wins and who loses. Just excited to have the opportunity. I think it's going to be a really big challenge for us to move on, as I think it is for everybody in this round, unless you just have a bunch of wins. ... We just have to bring our A game, push ahead, really try to execute three solid weeks."
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2017, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Charlotte Roval)
Outlook: Elliott's Roval repeat may have provided a boost, but the No. 9 team's head of steam had built up well before the Round of 12 finale. Elliott has led multiple laps in all six playoff races this year, and while Kansas and Texas have historically been better venues for him, his prospects at Martinsville have improved in recent years with four top 10s in his last five starts there.
Quotable: "You never know. That's why we go race, is to find out who wins and who loses. Just excited to have the opportunity. I think it's going to be a really big challenge for us to move on, as I think it is for everybody in this round, unless you just have a bunch of wins. ... We just have to bring our A game, push ahead, really try to execute three solid weeks."
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Joey Logano, 4,022 points, 2 wins
Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Elimination history: Won championship in 2018; Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2016; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2015, 2019; Did not make playoffs in 2017.
Best playoffs result this year: 2nd (Charlotte Roval)
Outlook: Elliott's Roval victory dropped Logano one spot in the reseeded pecking order for the Round of 8, but he remained confident after his most recent runner-up effort. Logano has had a measure of success at Kansas and Texas, and he's figured into the late-race drama the last two years in Martinsville's playoff event.
Quotable: "I feel great, ready to go. This is exactly what I needed to get through here and get a little momentum built up. So, feel good about all of them."
Team Penske, No. 22 Ford
Elimination history: Won championship in 2018; Reached Championship 4 in 2014, 2016; Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2015, 2019; Did not make playoffs in 2017.
Best playoffs result this year: 2nd (Charlotte Roval)
Outlook: Elliott's Roval victory dropped Logano one spot in the reseeded pecking order for the Round of 8, but he remained confident after his most recent runner-up effort. Logano has had a measure of success at Kansas and Texas, and he's figured into the late-race drama the last two years in Martinsville's playoff event.
Quotable: "I feel great, ready to go. This is exactly what I needed to get through here and get a little momentum built up. So, feel good about all of them."
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. Martin Truex Jr., 4,017 points, 1 win
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Elimination history: Won championship in 2017; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016; Did not make playoffs in 2014.
Best playoffs result this year: 2nd (Richmond)
Outlook: One of the Cup Series' steadiest players this season is now in the bottom half of the playoff bucket, partly owing to the 10 times this season he's finished second or third without cashing in on the bonus points that come with winning. Kansas and Texas have been favorable to MTJ, but he'll carry a modest two-race Martinsville win streak into the Round of 8 finale.
Quotable: "For sure. We have some good tracks coming up for us. Looking forward to Kansas next weekend for sure. See if we can't go get one there, it's been a while."
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Elimination history: Won championship in 2017; Reached Championship 4 in 2015, 2018, 2019; Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2016; Did not make playoffs in 2014.
Best playoffs result this year: 2nd (Richmond)
Outlook: One of the Cup Series' steadiest players this season is now in the bottom half of the playoff bucket, partly owing to the 10 times this season he's finished second or third without cashing in on the bonus points that come with winning. Kansas and Texas have been favorable to MTJ, but he'll carry a modest two-race Martinsville win streak into the Round of 8 finale.
Quotable: "For sure. We have some good tracks coming up for us. Looking forward to Kansas next weekend for sure. See if we can't go get one there, it's been a while."
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Alex Bowman, 4,009 points, 1 win
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 88 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2018, 2019; Did not make playoffs in 2014, 2015.
Best playoffs result this year: 5th (Las Vegas)
Outlook: The No. 88 team has assembled a solid postseason so far with four top-10 finishes in six races. Bowman is focused on a win to clinch a Championship 4 berth, and those chances improve at the round's two 1.5-mile tracks.
Quotable: "Every week going to the race track with Hendrick Motorsports is an opportunity to win. Kansas and Texas are going to be our best shots at it, for sure. It's probably going to take a win to make the Round of 4. Just going to go all in and do everything we can to make that happen."
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 88 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 12 in 2018, 2019; Did not make playoffs in 2014, 2015.
Best playoffs result this year: 5th (Las Vegas)
Outlook: The No. 88 team has assembled a solid postseason so far with four top-10 finishes in six races. Bowman is focused on a win to clinch a Championship 4 berth, and those chances improve at the round's two 1.5-mile tracks.
Quotable: "Every week going to the race track with Hendrick Motorsports is an opportunity to win. Kansas and Texas are going to be our best shots at it, for sure. It's probably going to take a win to make the Round of 4. Just going to go all in and do everything we can to make that happen."
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8. Kurt Busch, 4,006 points, 1 win
Chip Ganassi Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2015, 2016, 2018; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2014, 2017, 2019.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Las Vegas)
Outlook: Kurt Busch has climbed from the reseeded playoff cellar before, advancing to the final eight with a clutch Vegas win that shook up the postseason. He'll need to work more magic in the Round of 8, and his recent run of seven straight top-10 finishes at Texas hint at a potential sweet spot.
Quotable: "I feel like you're going to have to win out in this Round of 8 and the championship race in Phoenix. This group, the elite eight, that will make it, are the best of the best; and can win each and every week. And so, with Kansas not being one of my best tracks, but it is a 1.5-mile, where we have won twice at Chip Ganassi Racing. Texas is a 1.5-mile that we've been very good at. And Martinsville has been a nice surprise since I switched to Ganassi. I've been running much better with the balance of the car that they have there. And then with Phoenix, if we can get there, that would be huge."
Chip Ganassi Racing, No. 1 Chevrolet
Elimination history: Eliminated in Round of 8 in 2015, 2016, 2018; Eliminated in Round of 16 in 2014, 2017, 2019.
Best playoffs result this year: 1st (Las Vegas)
Outlook: Kurt Busch has climbed from the reseeded playoff cellar before, advancing to the final eight with a clutch Vegas win that shook up the postseason. He'll need to work more magic in the Round of 8, and his recent run of seven straight top-10 finishes at Texas hint at a potential sweet spot.
Quotable: "I feel like you're going to have to win out in this Round of 8 and the championship race in Phoenix. This group, the elite eight, that will make it, are the best of the best; and can win each and every week. And so, with Kansas not being one of my best tracks, but it is a 1.5-mile, where we have won twice at Chip Ganassi Racing. Texas is a 1.5-mile that we've been very good at. And Martinsville has been a nice surprise since I switched to Ganassi. I've been running much better with the balance of the car that they have there. And then with Phoenix, if we can get there, that would be huge."