Bubble Watch: Joey Logano on the outside looking in — for now

Joey Logano has been on fire since the playoffs started, yet begins the Round of 8 on the outside looking in. The 2018 champ has three races to make his case for the title race, though, starting with one of his best tracks this weekend. If the Championship 4 started today, these upcoming drivers would be the first four out and the last four in. Sunday's Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) could shake things up even further. Take a look at who's on the bubble.

Brad Keselowski: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below fourth: 16
Full standings
Trending: Roval snapped a hot streak — the 2012 champ had notched three straight finishes of seventh or better and four in the last six before landing 20th at Charlotte.
Texas outlook: Warming up — Keselowski has a pair of top 10s in the last two Fort Worth races but had four straight finishes of 12th or worse prior to this mini-streak.

Joey Logano: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below fourth: 11
Full standings
Trending: Warm — Logano has turned on the jets in the playoffs and owns four finishes of eighth or better in the last six races, with six straight of 11th or better.
Texas outlook: Hot — his run should continue this weekend, as the 2018 champ has three straight top 10s and nine in the last 10 Texas races.

Chase Elliott: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below fourth: 2
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — the defending champ has two top fives and four finishes of 12th or worse his last six races and just five top 10s in the last 10.
Texas outlook: Cold — Elliott's best career Texas finish (fourth) came five years ago, and he has four straight finishes of 12th or worse.

Kyle Busch: FIRST FOUR OUT

Points below fourth: 1
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — Busch is riding quite a roller coaster in the lead up to the playoffs and all the postseason races so far, with four top 10s and four finishes of 21st or worse in the last eight.
Texas outlook: Hot — all four of his Texas wins have come in the last 16 races there, 12 of which were top 10s for the two-time champ.

Ryan Blaney: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above fifth: 1
Full standings
Trending: Warm — Blaney continues to be a factor in the stretch run and playoffs, with seven top 10s in the last nine races (two of which were wins).
Texas outlook: Hot — the Team Penske driver could surprise some this weekend as a potential Texas winner, as he has been close several times lately. Blaney has three straight finishes of eighth or better and six in his last seven.

Martin Truex Jr.: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above fifth: 6
Full standings
Trending: Hit or miss — Truex is in decent-ish standing when it comes to points, but the playoffs have been anything but consistent for the 2017 champ. He has two straight finishes of 12th or worse and five top 10s in his last nine.
Texas outlook: Warm, but hit or miss lately — Truex has three top 10s and three finishes of 12th or worse (including a runner-up last fall) in the last six there but nine top 10s in last 12 there overall.

Denny Hamlin.: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above fifth: 7
Full standings
Trending: Red hot — the only driver with a top 10 in every playoff race so far has also won two of the last six races after going winless the first 26.
Texas outlook: Hit or miss — Hamlin has three Texas wins but also two finishes outside the top 20 in the last four.

Kyle Larson: FIRST FOUR IN

Points above fifth: 42
Full standings
Trending: Hot — Larson has won nearly a quarter (seven) of the last 29 races, with nine top 10s and three wins over the last 11.
Texas outlook: Cold, with a catch — Larson has four finishes of 12th or worse in his last five Texas starts, three of which were DNFs. The catch, however, is in his only start at the track with his current Hendrick Motorsports team (this year's All-Star Race), he won.