Playoff Watch 2019: Analyzing postseason picture post-New Hampshire

From now until the Sept. 8 regular-season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR.com will analyze the playoff picture on Mondays. Here's how the postseason looks through 20 regular-season races (out of 26) after Kevin Harvick's win at New Hampshire 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 one point for the 10th-place finisher.

Missing the cut

The race for the final few playoff spots is one to watch for the remaining six races. Jimmie Johnson slipped outside the field after trouble at New Hampshire, joining Daniel Suarez as the last two drivers below the cutoff line. Austin Dillon, who has qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs the last three seasons, also is out of the field right now.

16. Clint Bowyer, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Bowyer's car didn't leave New Hampshire in great shape, but the veteran's standing in the playoff field was actually strengthened despite a 20th-place finish.

15. Ryan Newman, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Newman makes the biggest jump of the week, going from the second driver out of the playoff field to 21 points above the cutline.

14. Erik Jones, 2,000 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 0

Note: Jones notched a top-five finish and had plenty of stage points to go with it. It was a great day in New Hampshire for the No. 20 team.

13. William Byron, 2,001 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 1

Note: Byron finished highest among Hendrick Motorsports drivers but didn't make a dent in the standings.

12. Ryan Blaney, 2,002 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 2

Note: The No. 12 was super fast, but the team needs to start turning these types of days into wins.

11. Kyle Larson, 2,003 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 3

Note: Typically boom or bust at Loudon, it was "bust" for Larson on Sunday.

10. Aric Almirola, 2,003 points

Qualified via: Points

Stage wins: 1

Note: A huge day for Almirola (and Stewart-Haas Racing in general) sees him add two playoff points. One for his Stage 2 win, one for jumping from 10th to ninth in the regular-season standings.

9. Alex Bowman, 2,006 points

Qualified via: 1 win (Chicagoland)

Stage wins: 0

Note: It took three cars for Bowman to get out of Loudon, New Hampshire, and he still took a hit in the standings.

8. Chase Elliott, 2,010 points

Qualified via: 1 win (Talladega)

Stage wins: 2

Note: Elliott lost ground to Kurt Busch in the regular-season standings but is still solidly in the top 10.

7. Kurt Busch, 2,010 points

Qualified via: 1 win (Kentucky)

Stage wins: 1

Note: Busch faded at the end, a puzzling end to an otherwise strong day.

6. Kevin Harvick, 2,017 points

Qualified via: 1 win (New Hampshire)

Stage wins: 4

Note: Harvick was in great shape via points, but he's now officially locked into the postseason field -- and looking for more.

5. Denny Hamlin, 2,020 points

Qualified via: 2 wins (Daytona 500, Texas)

Stage wins: 3

Note: Hamlin may be kicking himself for a while on the Loudon finish. Five playoff points were on the line, and Harvick nabbed them by holding off the No. 11.

4. Brad Keselowski, 2,025 points

Qualified via: 3 wins (Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas)

Stage wins: 4

Note: It has been kind of quiet for the No. 2 team lately, but some of the organization's strongest tracks loom.

3. Martin Truex Jr., 2,027 points

Qualified via: 4 wins (Richmond, Dover, Coca-Cola 600, Sonoma)

Stage wins: 2

Note: It was expected Truex would challenge for the win, but his sixth-place run after several incidents was still mighty impressive.

2. Joey Logano, 2,032 points

Qualified via: 2 wins (Las Vegas, Michigan)

Stage wins: 7

Note: Logano saw his points lead in the regular-season standings trimmed to three points.

1. Kyle Busch, 2,037 points

Qualified via: 4 wins (Phoenix, Auto Club, Bristol-1, Pocono-1)

Stage wins: 7

Note: Busch added a playoff point with a stage win. If he passes Logano in the regular-season standings, he'd add five more bonus points.