Leaving Las Vegas: How playoff picture shakes out after opener

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, unless you're a driver in the NASCAR Playoffs. In that case, what happened in Vegas, could stay with you for the rest of the playoffs -- or at the very least the rest of the Round of 16. Here are the drivers who were affected the most in the standings (either positively or negatively) after an intense playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing

Entered Vegas: First in standings, +44 above cutline

Leaving Vegas: Fourth, +36 above cutline

Outlook: Busch hit the wall early and went two laps down after coming to pit road for repairs, but he battled back into the top 10 late in the race. Then, multiple run-ins with lapped cars resulted in a 19th-place finish, and Busch's cushion to the cutline shrunk from 44 points to 36. Busch quipped post-race his insurance premiums are going to go up after such a performance.

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing

Entered Vegas: Second in standings, +29

Leaving Vegas: Seventh, +29

Comment: This race did nothing to silence those who doubt Hamlin can get the job of winning a championship done. But after finishing 15th at Las Vegas, he gets to return to Virginia for some home cooking and can take solace in the fact his cushion to the cutline remains unchanged.

Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing

Entered Vegas: Eleventh in standings, +4

Leaving Vegas: Eighth, +17

Comment: Look who stayed out of trouble when it seemed like everyone else was having problems. Larson scored points in both stages and then finished eighth. Now, he gets to go to Richmond Raceway, the site of his last victory, with 13 additional points of cushion between him and the cutline (plus-17 overall).

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports

Entered Vegas: 13th in standings, -3 below the cutline

Leaving Vegas: Ninth, +13

Comment: Hey, we thought rookies weren't supposed to be able to handle the playoffs too well. Tell that to Byron, who battled back from a spin to finish seventh at Las Vegas and jumped from beneath the cutline to 13 points above it.

Ryan Newman, Roush Fenway Racing

Entered Vegas: 16th in standings, -4

Leaving Vegas: 13th, -6

Comment: Ever feel like Newman is that party guest who's still there at midnight when the invitation clearly stated 9 p.m. was the cutoff time? Well, cue the "Jaws" music because Newman's 10th-place finish at Vegas jumped him up to being the first driver on the outside looking in. Another "Steady Eddie" top 10 could push him right into the Round of 12 mix.

Kurt Busch, Chip Ganassi Racing

Entered Vegas: Eighth in standings, +10

Leaving Vegas: 14th, -14

Comment: Busch scored points in both stages and seemed to have a good run going, but then disaster struck in the form of a tire going down and a hard wall hit in the final stage. The tire damage was the result of earlier contact with Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott. Now, Busch is faced with an uphill climb.

Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing

Entered Vegas: 10th place in standings, +4

Leaving Vegas: 16th, -26

Comment: Jones came into Vegas as one of the series' hottest drivers with his win at Darlington Raceway fresh in everyone's minds. But the throttle on his No. 20 Toyota stuck on a restart, and he had to go to the garage. By the time Jones emerged, he was multiple laps down en route to a 36th-place finish.