Take 5: Kentucky Speedway

Here are five lessons learned from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series' only stop of the year at Kentucky Speedway.

CLOSING THE GAP: After his third top-10 finish in a row last weekend at Daytona, Alex Bowman still didn’t feel comfortable with his playoff position. He knew he couldn’t afford to have any bad races down the stretch. A bit of bad luck saw the 88 finish last at Kentucky, which gave room for bubble drivers such as Paul Menard to inch closer toward the 16th position in the standings. The Wood Brothers Racing driver piloted an 11th-place run at the 1.5-mile track, finding speed on long runs that had previously plagued the No. 21 team. He gained 22 points on Bowman and currently is -23 points below the cutline. A playoff darkhorse perhaps?

COMING INTO FORM: Two stage wins and a checkered flag at a 1.5-mile track. Martin Truex Jr. almost made it look too easy. It was the Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch Show for much of the first portion of 2018, but it didn’t take long for the reigning champion to wheel his name into the mix. Four wins later, MTJ and the 78 team led by Cole “Man with the Plan” Pearn believe they’re almost as dialed in as last year – and that’s scary for his competitors. “Like last year I felt like we could really show up to the race tracks and be really, really close,” Truex said. “Not really struggle ... and I feel like we're getting there again.”

CRAZINESS CONQUERED: It was a wild night for Kyle Larson to say the least. After missing driver intros due to miscommunication, the No. 42 was forced to start from the back. To nobody's surprise, it didn’t long for Larson to find the high line and wiggle his way up to the front. However, just as Larson passed leader Martin Truex Jr., his trackbar got stuck and his hope of a win faded. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was able to net a ninth-place finish, but could he have competed for the win? “I felt like I was better than the No. 4. I passed the No. 18 a couple of times. … It’s hard to say if I would have had a shot to win. You never know how these races will play out, but I would have loved to have had a shot.”

PENSKE PROGRESS: Team Penske didn't quite chisel its way into the Big Three's near-monopoly on Victory Lane this season, but the organization made gains with Ryan Blaney second and Brad Keselowski third. Joey Logano rounded out the program's three-driver stable with a 10th-place run, and Paul Menard took 11th for the Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing team. 'We took a step up this week, but obviously we weren't as good as the 78 (Truex),' Keselowski said. 'It was a nice little boost, but we still have some work to do.' - Zack Albert

ROOKIE BATTLE: Although William Byron and Bubba Wallace have had growing pains in their first full-time seasons in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, they've both found some success throughout the season resulting in a tight race for the Sunnoco Rookie of the Year title. Currently, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is just 33 points ahead of the Richard Petty Motorsports driver -- a deficit that can easily be made up with a handful of good runs out of the 43. Confidence is key for a young driver and racing for top honors is something both drivers can use as motivation. This is a duo to watch moving forward to see who takes the crown.