Posted on by Staff Report

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.

Posted on by Data Skrive

Dillon Bassett placed 13th in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, adding 24 points to his season total.

Bassett now sits at 58 points on the season.

Christopher Bell came away with the victory in the race, with Austin Cindric finishing second, and Cole Custer placing third. Justin Allgaier brought home fourth place, followed by Chase Briscoe in the No. 5 spot.

Bell also was victorious in each of the race’s first two stages.

Bassett qualified in 26th position at 114.117 mph. After four career starts, the rookie driver continues to search for the first checkered flag and top-10 finish of his career.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured five cautions and 31 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were four lead changes.

With Bell finishing out front in Joe Gibbs’ Supra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 973 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 966. Ford sits at No. 3 with 954 points on the season.

Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Zane Smith placed eighth in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, adding 29 points to his season total.

Smith now sits at 246 points on the season.

Christopher Bell took the checkered flag in the race, with Austin Cindric finishing second, and Cole Custer crossing the finish line third. Justin Allgaier brought home fourth place, followed by Chase Briscoe in the No. 5 spot.

Bell also was victorious in each of the race’s first two stages.

Smith qualified in 15th position at 116.701 mph. He’s still is looking for career win No. 1, but boasts one top-five finish and five finishes in the top 10.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured five cautions and 31 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were four lead changes.

With Bell driving to victory in Joe Gibbs’s Supra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 973 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 966. Ford sits at No. 3 with 954 points on the season.

Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Harrison Burton placed sixth in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, adding zero points to his season total. Burton now sits at zero points on the season since he is declared for Gander Outdoors Truck Series points this season.

Christopher Bell brought home the win in the race, with Austin Cindric following in second, and Cole Custer placing third. Justin Allgaier brought home fourth place, followed by Chase Briscoe to round out the top five.

Bell also was victorious in each of the race’s first two stages.

Burton qualified in sixth position at 117.519 mph. He still is looking for career victory No. 1, but owns one top-five finish and three finishes in the top 10.

Burton battled 37 other cars in the field and the race saw five cautions and 31 caution laps. There were four lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Bell finishing out front in Joe Gibbs’s Supra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 973 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 966. Ford sits at No. 3 with 954 points on the season.

Harrison Burton Driver Page | Get Harrison Burton Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Justin Allgaier finished fourth in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, adding 42 points to his season total.

Allgaier now sits at No. 5 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff standings with 2054 points. He’s posted 12 top-five finishes in 2019.

Christopher Bell came away with the victory in the race, with Austin Cindric finishing second, and Cole Custer placing third. Chase Briscoe followed in fifth.

Bell also was victorious in each of the race’s first two stages.

Allgaier qualified in second position at 118.286 mph. The 10th-year driver has tallied 10 career victories, 81 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 171 races.

Allgaier battled 37 other cars in the field and the race endured five cautions and 31 caution laps. There were four lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Bell driving to victory in Joe Gibbs’s Supra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 973 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 966. Ford sits at No. 3 with 954 points on the season.

Justin Allgaier Driver Page | Get Justin Allgaier Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Austin Cindric finished second in the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway, adding 50 points to his season total.

Cindric now sits at No. 4 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff standings with 2067 points. He’s posted 11 top-five finishes in 2019.

Christopher Bell finished out front in the race, with Cole Custer placing third. Justin Allgaier took fourth place, followed by Chase Briscoe in the No. 5 spot.

Bell also was victorious in each of the race’s first two stages.

Cindric qualified in the pole position at 118.901 mph. The third-year driver has tallied two career victories, 18 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 32 races.

Cindric battled 37 other cars in the field and the race endured five cautions and 31 caution laps. There were four lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Bell finishing out front in Joe Gibbs’s Supra, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 973 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 966. Ford sits at No. 3 with 954 points on the season.

Austin Cindric Driver Page | Get Austin Cindric Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Bubba Wallace placed 12th in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, adding 25 points to his season total.

Wallace now sits at 390 points on the season.

Martin Truex Jr took the checkered flag in the race, with Kyle Busch finishing second, and Denny Hamlin crossing the finish line third. Brad Keselowski brought home fourth place, followed by Ryan Newman in the No. 5 spot.

Truex came away victorious in Stage 1, and Busch took Stage 2.

Wallace qualified in 37th position. He still is looking for career win No. 1, but owns two top-five finishes and four finishes in the top 10.

Wallace battled 37 other cars in the field and the race endured five cautions and 32 caution laps. There were six lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Truex finishing out front in Joe Gibbs Racing’s Camry, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 1028 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 991. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 947 points on the season.

Bubba Wallace Driver Page | Get Bubba Wallace Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Daniel Suarez placed ninth in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, adding 28 points to his season total.

Suarez now sits at 700 points on the season. He’s posted three top-five finishes in 2019.

Martin Truex Jr brought home the win in the race, with Kyle Busch finishing second, and Denny Hamlin placing third. Brad Keselowski took fourth place, followed by Ryan Newman in the No. 5 spot.

Truex came away victorious in Stage 1, and Busch took Stage 2.

Suarez qualified in 14th position at 124.948 mph. He still is looking for career victory No. 1, but boasts seven top-five finishes and 31 finishes in the top 10.

There were 38 cars in the field, and the race endured five cautions and 32 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag there were six lead changes.

With Truex driving to victory in Joe Gibbs Racing’s Camry, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 1028 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 991. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 947 points on the season.

Daniel Suarez Driver Page | Get Daniel Suarez Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Clint Bowyer placed eighth in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, adding 37 points to his season total.

Bowyer now sits at No. 14 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings with 2049 points. He’s posted six top-five finishes in 2019.

Martin Truex Jr came away with the victory in the race, with Kyle Busch following in second, and Denny Hamlin placing third. Brad Keselowski took fourth place, followed by Ryan Newman to round out the top five.

Truex came away victorious in Stage 1, and Busch took Stage 2.

Bowyer qualified in fifth position at 126.068 mph. The 15th-year driver has collected 10 career victories, 79 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 209 races.

Bowyer battled 37 other cars in the field and the race saw five cautions and 32 caution laps. There were six lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Truex finishing out front in Joe Gibbs Racing’s Camry, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 1028 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 991. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 947 points on the season.

Clint Bowyer Driver Page | Get Clint Bowyer Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Ryan Newman placed fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway, adding 38 points to his season total.

Newman now sits at No. 9 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings with 2065 points. He’s collected two top-five finishes in 2019.

Martin Truex Jr came away with the victory in the race, with Kyle Busch finishing second, and Denny Hamlin placing third.

Truex came away victorious in Stage 1, and Kyle Busch took Stage 2.

Newman qualified in 19th position at 124.683 mph. The 20th-year driver has collected 18 career victories, 114 top-five finishes and has placed in the top 10 in 258 races.

Newman battled 37 other cars in the field and the race endured five cautions and 32 caution laps. There were six lead changes before the checkered flag.

With Truex driving to victory in Joe Gibbs Racing’s Camry, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 1028 points, followed by Ford in the No. 2 spot with 991. Chevrolet sits at No. 3 with 947 points on the season.

Ryan Newman Driver Page | Get Ryan Newman Gear | Race Center