NASCAR: Playoff standings see dramatic shift at Kansas

With just one race to go before the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, the playoff standings experienced a dramatic shift at Kansas Speedway.

Due to Kyle Busch’s issues at Kansas Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture looked like it was going to be pretty clear by the time the checkered flag flew, provided Kyle Larson hung on to add another win to his resume for 2021.

Larson took the checkered flag, but not before a huge shift in points.

Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney were all running inside the top 10 and looking like they were going to end up about 30 points ahead of the Championship 4 cut line.

Elliott had entered the day below the cut line, while Busch, who would drop to roughly 30 points behind it, had entered ahead of it.

But not long after a late restart, a bobble from Austin Dillon’s #3 Chevrolet sent him into Blaney’s #12 Ford.

Blaney, who did not score any stage points earlier in the race, hit the wall, ending his race and netting him a 37th place finish, good for a measly one point.

So Busch, despite running several laps off the lead lap, rallied up the playoff picture and ended the race ahead of Blaney for the fourth and final spot above the cut line. He officially finished the race in 28th place, six laps down.

Take a look at the playoff picture entering the round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

Rank – Driver – Points (Behind)
1 – Kyle Larson – 4181 (LOCKED IN; 2 WINS)
2 – Chase Elliott – 4107 (+34)
3 – Denny Hamlin – 4105 (+32)
4 – Kyle Busch – 4074 (+1)
———-CHAMPIONSHIP 4 CUT LINE———-
5 – Ryan Blaney – 4073 (-1)
6 – Martin Truex Jr. – 4071 (-3)
7 – Brad Keselowski – 4068 (-6)
8 – Joey Logano – 4048 (-26)

Now there are four drivers within six points of that final spot, as opposed to nobody within 30 points of the trio of Elliott, Hamlin and Blaney.

Even if a winner emerges from below the cut line at Martinsville Speedway, Elliott would still be 33 points ahead of where the cut line would be, as there is just one point separating Busch and Blaney; Hamlin would still be 31 points ahead.

Had Blaney not been wrecked by Dillon, a winner from below the cut line at Martinsville Speedway would have made the small points gaps between Elliott, Hamlin and Blaney huge in terms of determining which one ended up eliminated.

Instead, Busch isn’t in a must-win situation like many thought he would be, and neither are Martin Truex Jr. or Brad Keselowski.

As for Blaney, he isn’t either, but he goes from feeling decent about his chances to advance to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career to effectively needing a perfect round of 8 finale to move on.

NBC is set to broadcast the round of 8-ending Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 31. Start your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not done so!