NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Picture: Chase Elliott rallies, Brad Keselowski out
By Asher Fair
The round of 12 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is in the books. How do the eight drivers who advanced to the round of 8 stack up against one another?
Six of the 10 races and two of the four rounds of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are in the books following the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the third and final race of the round of 12.
It was Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin who won this race to become the third different winner of the round of 12 and the fifth different winner in the last five playoff races. All five of these drivers are slated to competed in the round of 8.
Hamlin secured his spot in the round of 8 during this 277-lap race, which was initially scheduled to be a 267-lap race but went 10 laps longer than scheduled due to two late wrecks that caused two overtime periods, around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Kansas Speedway oval in Kansas City, Kansas before it actually concluded, as did teammate Martin Truex Jr., who finished in sixth place.
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This left four round of 8 spots up for grabs, although two of them were quite safely in the hands of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick, two of the three round of 8 drivers still searching for their first playoff victories of 2019.
The battle for the remaining two spots came down to Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano, both of whom entered the race between 18 and 20 points above the round of 8 cut line, and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who entered the race two positions and 22 points below it.
The first overtime period involved an incident that collected Logano, although he was able to save his car and stay in the race en route to a 17th place finish to advance to the round of 8.
The second overtime period began with Keselowski ahead of Elliott in the playoff picture. But Elliott, who restarted in third place behind Hamlin and Busch in first and second, respectively, with two laps remaining, passed Busch for second. Keselowski, meanwhile, lost several positions and even hit the wall.
Needing to finish 14 positions ahead of Keselowski to advance to the round of 8 for the third consecutive season, Elliott ended up finishing 17 positions ahead of him in second place, as Keselowski fell to 19th by the time the checkered flag flew.
Here is the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture following the 2019 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer: Points (Behind), Playoff Points (Rank)
1st – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota: 4046 (+18), 46 (1st)
2nd – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota: 4042 (+14), 42 (2nd)
3rd – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota: 4037 (+9), 37 (3rd)
4th – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford: 4030 (+2), 30 (4th)
————————— CHAMPIONSHIP 4 CUT LINE —————————
5th – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford: 4028 (-2), 28 (5th)
6th – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet: 4024 (-6), 24 (6th)
7th – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet: 4011 (-19), 11 (7th)
8th – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford: 4009 (-21), 9 (8th)
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The First Data 500 is the opening race of the round of 8 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, and it is scheduled to take place this Sunday, October 27. NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast this race live from Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET.