NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Playoff Watch

From now until the scheduled regular-season finale on Aug. 29 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR.com will analyze the playoff picture weekly. Here's how the postseason looks through 16 regular-season races (out of 26) after the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A few reminders:
-- All point totals are reset to 2,000 for the 16 eligible playoff drivers.

-- Drivers earn 5 playoff points for each of their regular-season wins.

-- Drivers earn 1 playoff point for each stage win.

-- The top 10 finishers in the regular-season standings earn playoff points on a sliding scale, starting with 15 points for the Regular Season Champion and ending on one point for the 10th-place finisher.

Missing the cut:

Erik Jones (pictured), Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chris Buescher.

The race for the final few playoff spots is one to watch for the remaining 10 races especially with how tight the standings are -- Jones is only six points back of Dillon for the final spot. The schedule has several potential wild cards -- especially Daytona -- to close out the regular season.

16. Austin Dillon: 2,000 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: A solid points day at Indianapolis propels Dillon into the provisional playoff field, but his hold is narrow -- six points -- over Erik Jones.

15. Matt DiBenedetto: 2,000 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: Another solid stage points day sees DiBenedetto climb to 12th in the point standings.

14. Jimmie Johnson: 2,001 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Johnson missed the Indianapolis race after self-reporting a positive COVID-19 test. He is still +36 above the cutline.

13. Kurt Busch, 2,001 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Busch dropped out of the top 10 in points and thus, lost a point in the projected playoff standings.

12. Kyle Busch: 2,001 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: Weird to see the defending champ this low in the playoff picture. The bigger surprise? No stage wins or race wins to his name.

11. William Byron: 2,002 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: Another stage win boosts Byron's total in the projected playoff picture, but his position in the field is far from secure.

10. Clint Bowyer: 2,002 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: With two stage wins in hand, Bowyer has a leg up on some of the field for seeding.

9. Aric Almirola: 2,003 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Almirola has ridden five straight top-five finishes (already a career high for a season) into a top-10 spot in the point standings and provisional playoff standings, respectively.

8. Martin Truex Jr.: 2,011 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Martinsville-1)
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: The thought here is that Truex will not be in this spot after the three straight 1.5-mile races starting Sunday.

7. Alex Bowman: 2,012 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Fontana)
Stage wins: 4
The scoop: With three 1.5-milers coming up in July, that stretch presents Bowman's best chance to improve his playoff positioning.

6. Ryan Blaney: 2,013 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Talladega-1)
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Blaney's drop from second to fourth in the point standings also comes with a three-point drop in the projected playoff standings.

5. Joey Logano: 2,019 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Las Vegas-1, Phoenix-1)
Stage wins: 4
The scoop: Logano has one top 10 in five races and has seen his position slide from third to fifth in recent weeks.

4. Chase Elliott: 2,020 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Charlotte-2)
Stage wins: 5
The scoop: Elliott has the most stage wins in the series. If he can turn a few of those into race wins, he'll be in prime position for a top-four spot entering the postseason.

3. Brad Keselowski: 2,021 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Coca-Cola 600, Bristol-1)
Stage wins: 3
The scoop: Keselowski is more than lurking in the playoff picture and has been the most consistent Penske car all season long -- proven by his team-best spot in the projected playoff standings.

2. Denny Hamlin: 2,029 points

Qualified by: 4 wins (Daytona 500, Darlington-2, Miami, Pocono-2)
Stage wins: 3
The scoop: Hamlin's four wins keep him in striking position for the top seed -- which is of little consolation after his late-race wreck at Indianapolis from the lead.

1. Kevin Harvick: 2,037 points

Qualified by: 4 wins (Darlington-1, Atlanta, Pocono-1, Indianapolis)
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: Indianapolis proved to be a very fruitful day for Harvick with a race win and a stage win for six more playoff points as he widens the gap between him and Denny Hamlin. He has the 15-point bonus as the standings leader added to his projected total.