2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: Round of 12 Driver Power Rankings

#6 through #4

Of the 12 round of 12 drivers, eight have won at least one race this season. Brad Keselowski’s most recent victory is the furthest back of anyone’s, as he hasn’t been to victory lane since he won the race at Kansas Speedway in mid-May, nearly five months ago. That said, his round of 16 was about as strong as anybody’s. He was the only driver who didn’t finish outside of the top five, and his average finish of 4.00 was tied for the second best. He is set to start the round of 12 in a sixth place tie in the championship standings and is looking to get back to the round of 8 for the first time since the 2017 season.

Kyle Busch isn’t interested in relying on insurance, also known as his series-leading playoff point total of 46 that has him back in the lead of the standings to open up the round of 12, but he was sure glad for it after his abysmal round of 16. He hasn’t won a race in over four months, and his average finish in the round of 16 was 19.33. Among the other 11 round of 12 drivers, the next worst average finish in the round of 16 was a whopping seven positions higher at 12.33, and Busch recorded just one top 18 finish in this race. Should the perennial Championship 4 favorite be concerned about a potential early playoff exit?

Joey Logano had one top 12 finish throughout the final six races of the regular season. But through the first three races of the playoffs, he hasn’t finished lower than 11th place. Much like he did last year when he won only one regular season race and one playoff race prior to the season finale, he is positioning himself to make a run at the championship by regularly earning stage points and recording solid finishes. He is set to open up the round of 12 in fourth place in the championship standings.