Take 5: Two for Truex, JGR boost, Newman’s big day and more

Richmond Raceway's postseason event hosted a repeat performance of dominance, and the already mixed-up playoff picture gained a new twist or two. With another Saturday night showdown tucked into the scrapbook, here are five takeaways from the Federated Auto Parts 400.

TRUEX TWO-STEP: A season sweep of both Richmond races suited Martin Truex Jr. just fine as he also doubled up by going 2-for-2 in the opening pair of playoff events. The strong postseason opening, plus the ability to recover from a late-race spin, have the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 team riding high in the Round of 16, but perhaps cautiously so as the playoffs continue, according to crew chief Cole Pearn. "I feel like every year is different, but yeah, we're coming together at the right time, and you know, when the playoffs start, everybody is bringing their best, and when you can win, yeah, it's great," Pearn said. "But we know it's a new game next week, and it'll be a new game the week after that."

JGR GETS THE JUMP: Joe Gibbs Racing was poised for a sweep of the top four positions until issues in post-race inspection dropped the No. 20 Toyota of Erik Jones from fourth place. What remained was a 1-2-3 effort atop the scoreboard with Truex and teammate Kyle Busch combining to lead 311 of the 400 laps in the organization's 15th win in 28 races, prompting the tongue-in-cheek question of whether Gibbs excels most as a Hall of Famer football coach or car owner. "I really tell people this, and I'm not sure sometimes they believe me, but this sport is so much like football," Gibbs said. "... I've already been through this once because I think it's the best people in the world doing something competitive."

NEWMAN'S NEW DAY: Ryan Newman's underdog ride into the Monster Energy Series Playoffs rolls on, and with a special flourish after he logged just his second top-five finish of the season. Newman's Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford ran among the top five and top 10 most of the evening, reaching as high as third place during the final stage. After entering the postseason as the 16th and final seed, he now ranks ninth with a slight points buffer after what he termed the best effort this season. "Yeah, without a doubt," Newman said. "The best team performance all-around throughout the entire weekend."

PERCHED IN THE PLAYOFFS: The end result of Saturday night's Richmond stop was a playoff bubble with several drivers fighting for elbow room. Just 20 points separate 10th-place Ryan Blaney from 15th-place Kurt Busch. Only Truex, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have already clinched berths in the next round of the postseason. The rest still have work to do, especially Erik Jones, who faces an insurmountable points gap and is the only driver in a must-win situation in the Round of 16 finale.

ROVAL REUNION: And what a Round of 16 finale it is, set for Sunday afternoon on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course slash oval -- the Roval, for short. Last year's inaugural event rated high on the unpredictability scale, and this season's redux is expected to be more of the same, especially with a revamped backstretch chicane. Like last year, it comes with the added pressure of a postseason elimination at the checkered flag. "Everyone else has the same goal," said defending Roval champ Ryan Blaney, "so we'll just try to do our jobs and not have any issues and see what happens."