NASCAR Cup Series: Post-Kevin Harvick penalty playoff picture

Following Kevin Harvick’s post-AAA Texas 500 penalty that took away his Championship 4 berth, here is how the updated NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture looks.

The competition side of the NASCAR Cup Series world was shaken on Wednesday when it was announced that Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, who won this past Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway to seemingly clinch a berth in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, was penalized after this race.

The driver of the #4 Ford, who dominated the 337-lap race, which was the second race of the round of 8, around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Texas Motor Speedway oval in Fort Worth, Texas, was docked 40 drivers points after this race as a result of a spoiler violation.

Harvick was also stripped of his berth in the Championship 4 as a result of this penalty, meaning that he is at risk of being eliminated from championship contention in the third and final race of the round of 8, the Can-Am 500, at ISM Raceway, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 11.

As a result of this penalty, Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who won the opening race of the round of 8, the First Data 500, at Martinsville Speedway is now the only driver who has clinched a berth in the Championship 4 heading into the round of 8 finale.

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Harvick, meanwhile, now sits in fourth place in the playoff picture, and he sits just three points above the Championship 4 cut line. Teammate Kurt Busch is the driver in fifth who sits just three points behind him.

The three drivers who sit below Busch in the playoff picture are Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer. They still sit in sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively, but as opposed to sitting 39 points, 57 points and 73 points below the Championship 4 cut line, they now sit just 17 points, 35 points and 51 points below it.

This means that Almirola and Bowyer, who were previously in must-win situations as far as clinched berths in the Championship 4 is concerned heading into the Can-Am 500, are no longer in these must-win situations. That said, it will still be extremely challenging for either one of them, especially Bowyer, to advance to the Championship 4 based on their point totals.

The two drivers who are now ahead of Harvick but have not yet clinched berths in the Championship 4 are Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. They moved up from third and fourth place to second and third, respectively, in the playoff picture, but they stayed 28 points and 25 points ahead of the Championship 4 cut line since Kurt Busch stayed in fifth, as Harvick did not drop below Busch, which would have dropped him the Championship 4 cut line.

Here is the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture following Harvick’s major post-AAA Texas 500 penalty. The totals in the “behind” column show where each driver currently stands relative to the Championship 4 cut line.

Rank – Driver, Car, Team, Manufacturer: Points (Behind), Playoff Points (Rank)
1st – Joey Logano, #22, Team Penske, Ford: 1 WIN (1 WIN), 21 (4th)
2nd – Kyle Busch, #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota: 4128 (+28), 55 (2nd)
3rd – Martin Truex Jr., #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota: 4125 (+25), 38 (3rd)
4th – Kevin Harvick, #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford: 4103 (+3), 61 (1st)
5th – Kurt Busch, #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford: 4100 (-3), 15 (T-6th)
6th – Chase Elliott, #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet: 4086 (-17), 18 (5th)
7th – Aric Almirola, #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford: 4068 (-35), 6 (8th)
8th – Clint Bowyer, #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford: 4052 (-51), 15 (T-6th)

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With Kevin Harvick being no longer locked into the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 as a result of his post-AAA Texas 500 penalty, will he still manage to advance to it? Which three drivers will join Joey Logano in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 18? Tune in to NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 11 for the live broadcast of the Can-Am 500 from ISM Raceway to find out.

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