NASCAR Cup Series: Martin Truex Jr. clinches round of 12 berth

Martin Truex Jr. has secured a berth in the second round, the round of 12, of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs because of his point total.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch both clinched berths in the second of four rounds of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the round of 12, by winning a race in the first round, the round of 16.

Keselowski won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Busch won the race at Richmond Raceway. But while there is still one more race, the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, on the round of 16 schedule, Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has also clinched a berth in the round of 12.

Truex Jr. clinched a berth in the round of 12 with his third place finishes in the races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway to open up the playoffs. After he started the playoffs in third in the playoff picture with 35 playoff points, his third place finishes in these races make it impossible for him to fall below the round of 12 cut line because of his point total.

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Truex Jr. currently has 2,141 points while the driver who is in the first position below the round of cut line, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer, has just 2,056 points. The round of 12 cut line is currently between the drivers whose point totals rank 12th and 13th among the point totals of the 16 playoff drivers.

If a driver who is currently below the round of 12 cut line wins the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, the round of 12 cut line could potentially move up to between the drivers whose point totals rank 11th and 12th among the point totals of the 16 round of 16 drivers. This is the highest position to which the round of 12 cut line can possibly move before the round of 16 ends.

The driver who is currently in 12th in the playoff picture, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, has just 2,060 points, so it is he who would be in a position to drop below the round of 12 cut line if the winner of the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval is one of the four drivers who are currently below the round of 12 cut line.

Because of the fact that Truex Jr. leads Blaney by 81 points, there is no way that the defending Cup Series champion can end up below the round of 12 cut line before the round of 16 ends. A maximum of 60 points are on the table for each driver in each race. A maximum of 55 points are on the table for each driver in each race assuming that they do not win the race.

Be sure to tune in to NBC on Sunday, September 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the third and final race of the opening round of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the Bank of America Roval 400, at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval in Concord, North Carolina.