Following the seventh Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, here's a brief look at the playoffs picture. The 10-race postseason is one race into the Round of 8. There are two more races before the field is whittled to four, with four drivers eliminated from the postseason following Phoenix (Nov. 11).
Winner
Joey Logano appeared to have missed his chance at victory after Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski passed him on a late restart. Given a second chance, Logano didn't misfire. He retook the lead on Lap 460, held off an aggressive Keselowski and then bumped Truex Jr. out of the way on the final turn of the final lap to win.
MORE: Race results
Who's hot
Martin Truex Jr. We know Martin Truex Jr. hasn't won at a short track, and Sunday's post-qualifying inspection failure sent the No. 78 to the back of the pack. But the reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion impressively drove through the field, earning stage points and a third-place finish to leave Martinsville second in the standings.
Kyle Busch. The pole-sitter never quite looked like the best car in the field, but he was awful close to it. A top-three finish in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 coupled with a fourth-place finish had Busch looking like he's rounding into championship form.
Who's not
Clint Bowyer. Bowyer started second and as the most recent track winner, was a popular pick to win the race. But the No. 14 team sank throughout the race with a variety of issues, including damage to the front of his Ford after he drilled William Byron on pit road. A late spin on Lap 456 (of 500) after battling with Jimmie Johnson sent Bowyer dropping to 21st place.
Aric Almirola. Almirola's numbers suggested Sunday would be a slog for him, and it was. The first-year Stewart-Haas Racing driver ran in the top 15 all day, and was in the top five on the final restart. Typically, that equals a pretty good day. It's not enough at this point in the season, though.
BUBBLE WATCH
| Rank |
Driver |
Points to cutoff |
| 1. |
Joey Logano |
WINNER |
| 2. |
Kyle Busch |
+46 |
| 3. |
Martin Truex Jr. |
+25 |
| 4. |
Kevin Harvick |
+25 |
| --------------- |
CUT-OFF LINE |
--------------- |
| 5. |
Kurt Busch |
-25 |
| 6. |
Clint Bowyer |
-31 |
| 7. |
Chase Elliott |
-42 |
| 8. |
Aric Almirola |
-50 |
Next race
The Monster Energy Series travels to Texas Motor Speedway for a Sunday race on Nov. 4 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It is the second race in the Round of 8.
Who it favors
Kevin Harvick. Harvick is one of three playoff drivers to have a win at Texas over the last 10 races at the 1.5-mile facility. Yes, Kyle Busch has two wins to Harvick's one during that time frame, but Harvick's No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford has been the fastest machine on intermediate tracks this year.
Who it hurts
Aric Almirola. Stewart-Haas Racing's overall team speed on intermediate tracks helps Almirola, but this historically has not been a good track for him. The last 10 Texas races have yielded zero top-10 finishes for Almirola; every other playoff driver has at least three. His best finish during this stretch is 12th-place, and Almirola really needs a win this round.