Winners, losers from playoff race at Kansas Speedway
A look at the winners and losers from the playoff race at Kansas Speedway:
WINNERS
Tyler Reddick — He entered the season with two playoff appearances, both of which ended in the Round of 16. For the first time in his Cup career, he moves to the Round of 12 after winning in overtime at Kansas Speedway.
Brad Keselowski — For the second consecutive week, he avoided the issues that plagued other playoff drivers. He scored points in stage 1, won stage 2 and then crossed the line ninth as the checkered flag waved. This helped Keselowski move to fifth in the playoff standings with one race remaining in the Round of 16.
Erik Jones — He entered the Kansas weekend with six top-10 finishes on the season and no top fives. He went out and scored Legacy Motor Club's best finish by taking the checkered flag third.
Joey Logano — He was set to cross the finish line outside of the top 10 before the caution flew for Chris Buescher blowing a tire with seven laps remaining. A two-tire pit stop put him on the second row for the overtime restart. Logano capitalized by finishing fifth after holding off drivers that opted for four tires. This strategy moved him to 11th in the playoff standings and 12 points above the cutline.
Truex Jr.'s day ends almost as it begins at Kansas
Martin Truex Jr. slides up into the wall after plummeting through the field early at Kansas, and his race ends on Lap 4.
LOSERS
Martin Truex Jr. — An unexpected tire puncture sent him into the outside wall on the opening laps of the race. He finished 36th with only one point. Truex is seven points below the playoff cutline after winning the regular-season championship. There is a possibility that he becomes the first regular-season champion to miss the Round of 12.
Bubba Wallace — He had a car capable of contending for the win, which he used to finish second in stage 1. An unexpected blown tire sent him into the wall and broke the toe link on the No. 23. Wallace had to spend extensive time on pit road for repairs. He finished 32nd and fell to 19 points below the cutline.
Michael McDowell — He gambled by staying out on the track during the final stage as the rest of the drivers in the field completed green flag pit stops. The hope was to catch a caution and gain track position. This strategy did not pan out as the race remained green. McDowell finished 26th and fell to 40 points below the cutline.
Christopher Bell — Joe Gibbs Racing swapped his pit crew with Ty Gibbs' before the playoffs. The goal was to help Bell avoid mistakes that would knock him out of contention for the win. This plan has not paid off. Pit stops were issues at Darlington. The problems continued at Kansas as the No. 20 team had issues on three separate stops.
