Key Takeaways: Bad Boy Off Road 300

Sunday was another impressive outing for Martin Truex Jr., who led a race-best 141 laps one week after winning the postseason opener at Chicagoland. Truex ultimately finished seventh, struggling during restarts. His battle for the lead with Matt Kenseth late in the event had several instances of near-contact. “I felt like I probably could have pushed the issue a little bit more, just didn't want to risk contact, getting into him and taking him out of the race,” Truex Jr. said. “I know he's got a lot on the line. We've got our win, so that kind of played into that decision a little bit, and he's a teammate, too. It would be an awkward meeting on Tuesday if I knocked him out of the way to win my second race of the first round.”

On point: Jimmie Johnson ran up front at Loudon for awhile, but finished eighth. He also sits eighth in the Chase standings and readies for Dover -- where his 10 wins make him the all-time track victor. However, it was at Dover last year that a freak situation eliminated Johnson from the Chase. An axle seal on the right rear tire broke a little over 100 laps into the race, and by the time his Hendrick Motorsports crew was able to fix it -- 38 laps later -- Johnson's Chase fate was sealed. “No chance,” Johnson answered when asked if his current points cushion gave him breathing room for next week.

Back on track: Kyle Larson is another driver who needed to rebound from a frustrating Chase opener at Chicago, and he sure did. His 10th-place finish was good enough to move into 12th on the Chase Grid. He is now five points above the cutoff line, ahead of teammate Jamie McMurray. “It's better to be five ahead (in points) than five behind,” Larson allowed. “Just have to race smart next week.”

Crunch time: Tony Stewart finished 23rd Sunday, putting him 15th on the Chase Grid -- only Chris Buescher is ranked lower. Dover presents a real opportunity for Stewart, who has three victories at Dover, the last in 2013. Buescher, who won the rain-shortened summer race at Pocono, conceded he has a limited opportunity to rally his Chase chances. “We’ll go there with the intent of doing something crazy (and winning),” he said.

Kahne can: At Loudon, Kasey Kahne had the best place finish of the non-Chasers (ninth), making it his fourth consecutive top-10 result. And it's even more impressive considering Kahne started 40th after his team had to make final repairs to his No. 5 Chevy.