Bubble Watch: Kevin Harvick fired up — with work to do still

Kevin Harvick was en fuego at Bristol Motor Speedway — both on the track and on pit road. He looks to be in full championship mode after a winless regular season. The only problem? He's on the bottom of the pile and he's got work to do as the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs kick off its second leg. If the Round of 8 started today, these upcoming drivers would be the first four out and the last four in. Fortunately for each of the Round of 12 playoff drivers, they control their own destiny in the hunt for a championship. Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could shake things up even further. Take a look at who's on the bubble.

Kevin Harvick: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below eighth: 12
Full standings
Trending: Hot — and not just his temper. Harvick is putting together his best races of the season lately and darn-near had his first win over the weekend for his third-straight top 10.
Las Vegas outlook: Mostly warm — Harvick has a pair of Vegas wins (2015, '18) and four top 10s in the last five races there.

Christopher Bell: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below eighth: 9
Full standings
Trending: Mostly cold — Bell was hit or miss in the Round of 16 (two finishes 20th or worse, one top-three) and his overall run lately has been not-so-great with five finishes of 13th or worst in his last six.
Las Vegas outlook: Hit or miss — it follows at Vegas as well, where he does have a P7 this past spring, but it's his only noteworthy finish there in his three starts with the other two being 24th or worse.

Brad Keselowski: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below eighth: 6
Full standings
Trending: Lukewarm — Keselowski had a perfectly acceptable and smooth Round of 16 but wasn't quite a major threat to win any of them, amidst a late summer drop in performance.
Las Vegas outlook: Warm — it's clear the team is still digging in the late-season stretch, however, and another spark could come at Vegas, where the 2012 champ has won three times.

Joey Logano: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below eighth: 1
Full standings
Trending: Warm — Logano was skidding to a halt to close out the regular season and then had a pretty strong Round of 16 to move on — though he's currently on the wrong side of the bubble.
Las Vegas outlook: Warm — there's no reason to think the 2018 champ won't keep it rolling this weekend, as Logano has an impressive 10 top 10s in the last 11 Vegas races.

William Byron: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above ninth: 1
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — Byron was in some kind of cold snap before Bristol, with eight finishes of 12th or worse the previous 11 races. He then had an impressive third-place run in a hectic race this past weekend.
Las Vegas outlook: Hit or miss — he finished seventh at the track in 2019, but has five finishes of 16th or worse in his seven starts there.

Alex Bowman: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above ninth: 2
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — each Round of 16 race got progressively better for him, with his finishes going from 26th at Darlington to 12th at Richmond and culminating with a top five at Bristol.
Las Vegas outlook: Hit or miss — Bowman landed a top five in this race last year, but has seven finishes of 11th or worse in nine Nevada starts.

Chase Elliott: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above ninth: 8
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — Elliott had an up-and-down Round of 16, results-wise, but still has five top 10s in his last seven races.
Las Vegas outlook: Cold — this weekend could be a miss for the defending champ, however, with six finishes of 13th or worse in nine career starts at Vegas.

Kyle Busch: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above 13th: 9
Full standings
Trending: Mostly cold recently — Busch is still in this thing, but he has three finishes of 21st or worse in his last four and just three top 10s in his last eight.
Las Vegas outlook: Warm — he's found some consistency at his home track, with five finishes of seventh or better in this last seven.