The second race in the Round of 8 is complete; Only two races remain in the 2020 season
On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series race began at Texas Motor Speedway. Mist, fog and rain then postponed conclusion of the race until Wednesday.
View 2020 NASCAR Playoff points below.
Kyle Busch drove to victory lane. He claimed his first win in 2020 and prevented a playoff driver from reaching victory lane.
The NASCAR Playoffs are currently in the Round of 8. Only 4 drivers will advance out of this round into the championship finale at Phoenix in two weeks.
After Texas, there’s only one race left. Next week’s race at Martinsville Speedway will set the four drivers that advance.
Texas race
Multiple drivers ran into issues this week. Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott to name a few.
Kevin Harvick was leading the race on Sunday when he smashed the wall, all on his own, off turn two. Luckily for him the three day postponement due to weather allowed the team to form a plan for repairs.
The team rebounded. After Texas, Kevin Harvick is now essentially locked into the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Denny Hamlin also saw issues on Sunday. He got loose and chased it up the banking. As he did that, he dropped to almost last in the field. The race was then red flagged before he could recover.
Three days later, Hamlin was storming through the field. His progress was stalled as Matt Kenseth got loose and Hamlin found his rear bumper. The end result was moderate nose damage for Hamlin.
Chase Elliott pitted for fuel only late in a stage. However, the plan backfired in a hurry as his old tires corded and he was forced to pit for a second time with just a handful of laps remaining.
The issues for Elliott were soon magnified. He stayed out on the track at the end of the stage, with the hopes of getting his lap back. However, several cars didn’t pit, Elliott was unable to take the wave around and it impacted his race results.
Martin Truex Jr needed a win. He finished 2nd.
Now, heading to Martinsville, Truex remains in a must win situation along with Kurt Busch. Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman aren’t in a must win situation but it’s close to one.
Related: Texas race results from October 28, 2020 (NASCAR Cup Series)
NASCAR Cup Series
Playoff Points
After: Texas (Oct 28, 2020)
-Race 2 of 3 in Round of 8
Pos | Driver | Points
1. Joey Logano
(1 Win)
2. Kevin Harvick
+42
3. Denny Hamlin
+27
4. Brad Keselowski
+25
— Cutline —
5. Alex Bowman
-25
6. Chase Elliott
-25
7. Martin Truex Jr
-36
8. Kurt Busch
-81
— Previously Eliminated After Round of 12 —
Kyle Busch
No 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Austin Dillon
No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Aric Almirola
No. 10 Stewart Haas Racing Ford
Clint Bowyer
No. 14 Stewart Haas Racing Ford
— Previously Eliminated After Round of 16 —
William Byron
No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Cole Custer
No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Matt DiBenedetto
No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Ryan Blaney
No. 12 Team Penske Ford
