By Aaron Bearden
A look at the Cup Series playoff situation leaving Circuit of the Americas.
Race: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Race No.: 6/36
Winner: William Byron
Stage Winner(s): Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin
Winners
- William Byron: After dropping in the standings in the weeks following his Daytona 500 win, Byron shot back up the provisional playoff grid with another win (and five playoff points) in Texas. If he can score another win or two in the regular season, last year’s breakout star could be right back in the title mix.
- Christopher Bell & Denny Hamlin: Neither Joe Gibbs Racing driver managed to get to victory lane, though Bell came close. But they did score stage wins to salvage a playoff point from the weekend.
- Ty Gibbs: Another week, another strong top-five. Gibbs has the Cup Series’ best average finish and its five points out of the points lead after six races. Not bad for a young prospect in just his second full season.
- Alex Bowman: A fourth-place run and 33 points were just what the doctor ordered for Bowman, whose back-to-back top-fives have pushed him 34 points above the cutline in 11th. The No. 48 team’s trending in the right direction – now Bowman just needs to get back to victory lane.
- Chris Buescher and Kyle Busch: Sometimes it just isn’t your day. But good top-10s were enough to lift this veteran pair to 12th and 13th in the standings.
Losers
- Justin Haley: Rick Ware Racing probably wasn’t expecting to make the playoffs on points going into the year, but the team definitely isn’t now. A DQ in Austin has left Haley outside of the top-30 in points. It’s looking like a win-or-bust year for the No. 51 team.
- Michael McDowell: The No. 34 team picked a bad time to suffer a DNF. With 37 others finishing, McDowell was relegated to 38th and a drop to 15 points below the playoff cutline. This is a team that can point their way to the playoffs, but the margins will likely be slim.
- Brad Keselowski: One week removed from perhaps his best run for RFK Racing, Keselowski finished a distant 33rd and dropped to the playoff bubble. It’s too early to worry, but the Michigander will need some consistent runs to get himself out of the danger zone over the spring months.
- Erik Jones: Five points. That’s all Jones earned with a 32nd-place result in COTA. He’s the Legacy Motor Club star expected to make a playoff push. But early in the year it’s John Hunter Nemechek leading the way for the organization. Thankfully there’s still a long way to go.
Playoff Grid
| Rank | Driver | Wins | Points | Gap |
| 6 (t) | William Byron | 2 | 183 | 39 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 1 | 206 | 75 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 1 | 205 | 86 |
| 6 (t) | Christopher Bell | 1 | 183 | 54 |
| 14 | Daniel Suarez | 1 | 148 | 17 |
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 0 | 220 | 89 |
| 2 | Ty Gibbs | 0 | 215 | 84 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 0 | 211 | 80 |
| 8 | Ross Chastain | 0 | 182 | 51 |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | 0 | 173 | 42 |
| 10 | Tyler Reddick | 0 | 171 | 40 |
| 11 | Alex Bowman | 0 | 165 | 34 |
| 12 | Chris Buescher | 0 | 153 | 22 |
| 13 | Kyle Busch | 0 | 150 | 19 |
| 15 | John Hunter Nemechek | 0 | 144 | 13 |
| 16 | Brad Keselowski | 0 | 134 | 3 |
| Playoff Cutoff | ||||
| 17 | Chase Briscoe | 0 | 131 | -3 |
| 18 | Bubba Wallace | 0 | 129 | -5 |
| 19 (t) | Austin Cindric | 0 | 119 | -15 |
| 19 (t) | Michael McDowell | 0 | 119 | -15 |
| 21 | Erik Jones | 0 | 106 | -28 |
| 22 | Joey Logano | 0 | 100 | -34 |
| 23 | Corey LaJoie | 0 | 99 | -35 |
| 24 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 0 | 98 | -36 |
| 25 | Carson Hocevar | 0 | 95 | -39 |
| 26 | Todd Gilliland | 0 | 81 | -53 |
| 27 | Daniel Hemric | 0 | 79 | -55 |
| 28 (t) | Josh Berry | 0 | 77 | -57 |
| 28 (t) | Austin Dillon | 0 | 77 | -57 |
| 30 | Ryan Preece | 0 | 74 | -60 |
| 31 | Justin Haley | 0 | 73 | -61 |
| 32 | Harrison Burton | 0 | 65 | -69 |
| 34 (t) | Noah Gragson | 0 | 59 | -75 |
| 34 (t) | Zane Smith | 0 | 59 | -75 |
Above the Cutline
(All But) Locked In
Winners: William Byron (2), Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez
Drivers 60+ points up on the cutline: Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney
Safe (For Now)
Drivers 40-59 points above the cutline: Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick
In the Danger Zone
Drivers within 40 points of the cutline: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, John Hunter Nemechek, Brad Keselowski
Below the Cutline
Within Reach
Drivers within 50 points of the bubble: Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson Hocevar
Looking For A Win
Drivers 51+ points below the cutline: Todd Gilliland, Daniel Hemric, Josh Berry, Austin Dillon, Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Zane Smith
Race Results
- William Byron
- Christopher Bell
- Ty Gibbs
- Alex Bowman
- Tyler Reddick
- AJ Allmendinger
- Ross Chastain
- Chris Buescher
- Kyle Busch
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Joey Logano
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Briscoe
- Denny Hamlin
- Bubba Wallace
- Chase Elliott
- Kyle Larson
- Austin Cindric
- Zane Smith
- Shane Van Gisbergem
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Carson Hocevar
- Ryan Preece
- Corey LaJoie
- Austin Dillon
- Todd Gilliland
- Kaz Grala
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Kamui Kobayashi
- Harrison Burton
- Daniel Suarez
- Erik Jones
- Brad Keselowski
- Noah Gragson
- Josh Berry
- Timmy Hill
- Daniel Hemric
- Michael McDowell
- Justin Haley
Stage 1
- Christopher Bell
- Daniel Suarez
- Michael McDowell
- Austin Cindric
- Austin Dillon
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- William Byron
- Ty Gibbs
- Tyler Reddick
- Ross Chastain
Stage 2
- Denny Hamlin
- Ryan Blaney
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Todd Gilliland
- Ryan Preece
- Brad Keselowski
- John Hunter Nemechek
- William Byron
- Daniel Hemric
- Josh Berry
Stage Points
Results from COTA
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | ||||
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Pos. | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Christopher Bell | 10 (+ 1 Playoff Point) | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 10 (+ 1 Playoff Point) |
| 2 | Daniel Suarez | 9 | 2 | Ryan Blaney | 9 |
| 3 | Michael McDowell | 8 | 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 8 |
| 4 | Austin Cindric | 7 | 4 | Todd Gilliland | 7 |
| 5 | Austin Dillon | 6 | 5 | Ryan Preece | 6 |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 5 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 5 |
| 7 | William Byron | 4 | 7 | John H. Nemechek | 4 |
| 8 | Ty Gibbs | 3 | 8 | William Byron | 3 |
| 9 | Tyler Reddick | 2 | 9 | Daniel Hemric | 2 |
| 10 | Ross Chastain | 1 | 10 | Josh Berry | 1 |
Total Stage Points
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 57 | 2 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 56 | 1 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 52 | 0 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 48 | 1 |
| 5 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 1 |
| 6 | Ty Gibbs | 37 | 2 |
| 7 | William Byron | 32 | 0 |
| 8(t) | Austin Cindric | 28 | 1 |
| 8(t) | Christopher Bell | 28 | 2 |
| 10 | Brad Keselowski | 27 | 0 |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | 26 | 1 |
| 12 (t) | Daniel Suarez | 25 | 0 |
| 12 (t) | Kyle Busch | 25 | 0 |
| 14 | Michael McDowell | 21 | 1 |
| 15 | Ross Chastain | 20 | 0 |
| 16 | John H. Nemechek | 17 | 0 |
| 17 | Todd Gilliland | 13 | 0 |
| 18 (t) | Bubba Wallace | 12 | 0 |
| 18 (t) | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 12 | 0 |
| 20 (t) | Alex Bowman | 10 | 0 |
| 20 (t) | Austin Dillon | 10 | 0 |
| 20 (t) | Chris Buescher | 10 | 0 |
| 20 (t) | Joey Logano | 10 | 0 |
| 20 (t) | Ryan Preece | 10 | 0 |
| 25 | Erik Jones | 8 | 0 |
| 26 (t) | Chase Briscoe | 4 | 0 |
| 26 (t) | Corey LaJoie | 4 | 0 |
| 28 (t) | Harrison Burton | 3 | 0 |
| 28 (t) | Josh Berry | 3 | 0 |
| 28 (t) | Noah Gragson | 3 | 0 |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | 2 | 0 |
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(Top photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
