After the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race, here’s a brief look at the playoffs picture. There is one race remaining in the Round of 16 before the field is whittled to 12, with four drivers eliminated from the postseason following Charlotte (Sept. 29).
Winner
Martin Truex Jr. won at Richmond Raceway, sweeping the first two playoff races and solidifying his spot as a championship favorite. The win also adds five playoff points to his total, which now sits at 2141. Those playoff points can transfer round to round, up to the Championship 4.
RELATED: Race results
Who’s hot
Kyle Busch. No, he didn’t win for the 14th straight race, but second place sure didn’t hurt. Busch clinched his spot in the Round of 12 with his solid showing.
Ryan Newman. The last guy to make the 16-driver playoff field had a strong fifth-place night. He jumped from six points below the cutline to 14 points above the crowded field hovering around the cutoff.
Who’s not
Alex Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports driver got spun by Austin Dillon early in the race, but had been struggling to that point, anyway. He finished 23rd — and is now just below the playoff cutline.
Erik Jones. What appeared to be a point-saving race ended up as a terrible night when Jones’ No. 20 Toyota was disqualified for failing post-race inspection. He’s now 45 points below the cutline and will need to win to advance.
BUBBLE WATCH
| Rank | Driver | Points to cutoff |
| 9. | Ryan Newman | +14 |
| 10. | Ryan Blaney | +8 |
| 11. | Aric Almirola | +3 |
| 12. | William Byron | +2 |
| ————— | CUT-OFF LINE | ————— |
| 13. | Alex Bowman | -2 |
| 14. | Clint Bowyer | -4 |
| 15. | Kurt Busch | -14 |
| 16. | Erik Jones | -45 |
Next race
The Monster Energy Series travels to Charlotte Motor Speedway for road course racing in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sept. 29 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Who it favors
Ryan Blaney. In the inaugural Charlotte Roval race, Blaney snuck in for the win when leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson wrecked late. His 11.0 average finish at Watkins Glen shows the road-course prowess might not be a fluke — though his 17.2 average finish at Sonoma is less compelling.
Who it hurts
William Byron. With only one race at the Roval in NASCAR history, it’s hard to make sweeping generalizations, but Byron wrecked out and finished 34th last year. He’ll need to do better.