How Darlington impacted the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

'The Lady in Black' had plenty of bite Sunday night. The Cook Out Southern 500 saw some of NASCAR's biggest stars plummet in the playoff standings following a race filled with drama, intrigue and, ultimately, disrepair for many. Here's a look at the eight playoff drivers who were the most heavily impacted.

Chase Elliott

Into Darlington: First place, +34 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: Ninth place, +14 to the cutline
Notable: Elliott's precipitous drop of eight spots in the standings marked the largest slide of any playoff driver. The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished last following a Lap 113 spin that damaged his No. 9 enough to force him from the race. As bad as it was for Elliott, it actually could have been worse if race leader and playoff driver Kyle Busch's engine could have held on for 22 more laps.

Kevin Harvick

Into Darlington: Ninth place, +5 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: 16th place, -13 to the cutline
Notable: Harvick isn't quite in must-win territory, but he needs to perform at a high level at both Kansas and Bristol as the Round of 16 concludes. Fortunately for him, both tracks favor him. Then again, so did Darlington and his car went up in flames toward the end of the final stage, knocking him to a 33rd-place finish.

Kyle Busch

Into Darlington: 11th place, +3 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: 11th place, +8 to the cutline
Notable: Busch maintaining his 11th-place position in the standings doesn't at all tell the story of his day. His No. 18 Toyota led a race-high 155 laps and came off pit road first following a late caution. In a devastating turn, Busch's engine appeared to blow up on the ensuing caution laps. So while he technically gained five points on the cutline, he was the points leader and in line to clinch a spot in the Round of 12 with a win at the time of his engine issue.
Quotable: "The engine broke. We were obviously leading a lot of laps and had a really fast car. Proud of the guys and their fight. The guys on pit road tonight were awesome. Had a lot of fun being up front, leading laps like that and show what we're made of."

Ross Chastain

Into Darlington: Third place, +13 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: Eighth place, +15 to the cutline
Notable: How weird is the Darlington impact and the playoff points in general this season? Chastain's case provides some interesting context. The Trackhouse Racing driver finished in 20th place and one lap down -- the team was four laps down after early car trouble, but rallied. Still, it was a bad enough points day for Chastain to drop five spots in the standings. But it was a good enough points day for Chastain to actually gain two points on the cutline.
Quotable: "I just stayed in my bubble and kept my world small. It's what we prepare for, for moments like that. It's not in my control. It's a freak deal."

Denny Hamlin

Into Darlington: Sixth place, +6 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: Third place, +30 to the cutline
Notable: While Hamlin couldn't quite track down eventual winner Erik Jones in the closing laps, he put himself in supremely comfortable condition in the Round of 16. A runner-up showing and 44-point day puts the veteran third in the standings heading to one of his best tracks in Kansas.
Quotable: "Tried to do everything I could to get the car to respond with the front, but just a lot tighter than what we had been all day. I think Kyle (Busch) said he had the same thing. Might have just been a track thing, but overall we weren't great on short run, but obviously we were good on the long run. Just needed that thing to go green."

Christopher Bell

Into Darlington: 10th place, +4 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: Fourth place, +28 to the cutline
Notable: Perhaps no driver improved their standing better than Bell, who leapt six spots. A 44-point day gives the Joe Gibbs Racing driver plenty of cushion heading into Kansas, although he'll have to watch his rearview mirror for an annoyed Daniel Suárez, who promised to exact revenge after contact between the two at Darlington.
Quotable: "Overall, a good points day, but just disappointed. Our Camrys were super-fast, but I don't know, when your teammates are running one, two, three and you’re struggling to get up there and race with them, it's disappointing. Overall, good day and it’s a good way to start this playoff stretch."

Tyler Reddick

Into Darlington: Eighth place, +5 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: Fifth place, +23 to the cutline
Notable: Reddick's cool suit malfunctioned on a hot summer South Carolina evening, crew chief Randall Burnett provided plenty of encouragement over the radio and Reddick rallied for a third-place run. It was an exceptional result and provided an 18-point gain on the cutline in one race.
Quotable:"I mean, it's not a bad thing but I mean, I'm not like jumping for joy about it. You know it's a playoff race, so I really wanted to win tonight."

Alex Bowman

Into Darlington: 15th place, -3 to the cutline
Out of Darlington: 10th place, +10 to the cutline
Notable: The Hendrick heavyweights of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson were plagued with car troubles and mistakes Sunday. Bowman had the quietest race of the four-car team, and that's probably just fine for the No. 48 camp. Bowman nabbed a 10th-place result and earned four stage points to jump above the cutline.