Photos are courtesy of NASCAR Media via Getty Images, Nigel Kinrade Photography and our own Phil Allaway.

 

Did you know Frontstretch is now offering the chance to become a Patreon subscriber with paid content? Please click here to learn more about our new service and join the club for exclusive interviews, commentary, racing audio and more!

 

Have news for The Frontstretch? Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at frontstretcheditors@googlegroups.com with a promising lead or tip.

Seeking the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs: Kevin Harvick Doubles Advantage With Victory
by Phil Allaway

Kevin Harvick ran well for much of Wednesday night, but faded late in the going.  He ended up finishing a lap down in 15th.  Joey Logano led the most laps (234), won a stage and finished fourth.  That allowed Logano to gain 20 points on Harvick.  Chase Elliott finished fifth and gained points on Harvick as well.  He's still third, 47 points back.  Martin Truex Jr.'s victory moved him up one place to fourth.

Brad Keselowski dropped one place to fifth after struggling, then recovering from a lap down to finish third.  Ryan Blaney had a similar night to Keselowski, starting from pole and dropping off the lead lap in 52 laps.  He charged from there to finish second and move up one place to sixth.  Alex Bowman is up one place to seventh after finishing sixth.  Denny Hamlin struggled all night and finished three laps down in 24th.  He's down two places to eighth as a result.

Kyle Busch struggled nearly as much as Hamlin, finishing a lap down in 19th.  He maintains ninth in points, but lost ground.  Kurt Busch remains in 10th after finishing ninth, but lowered his deficit to his younger brother from 24 points to eight.  Jimmie Johnson is up two places to 11th after leading 70 laps, winning stage two and finishing 10th.  Clint Bowyer remains in 12th after finishing 17th.

Matt DiBenedetto is up two places to 13th after finishing a strong seventh on Wednesday.  Aric Almirola struggled with battery issues and finished 24 laps down in 33rd.  That dropped him three places to 14th.  Erik Jones is now 15th despite running much of the race with a smashed nose and hood.  William Byron's eighth-place finish allowed him to move back into the top-16.

Byron is now the last man in the playoffs.  He is six points ahead of Austin Dillon, who had a miserable night.  He more or less started the race with a flat right rear tire.  That tire came apart and ripped out the crush panels.  That resulted in excessive heat and fumes getting into the car and ending his night.  Tyler Reddick remains in 18th after finishing in 16th.  Chris Buescher had a chance at a top 10 late, but fell back to 13th.  He's still in 19th.  Bubba Wallace's 11th-place finish combined with 11 stage points allowed him to move back into 20th.

Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 452, 2) Joey Logano -28, 3) Chase Elliott -47, 4) Martin Truex Jr. -71, 5) Brad Keselowski -72, 6) Ryan Blaney -91, 7) Alex Bowman -100, 8) Denny Hamlin -117, 9) Kyle Busch -126, 10) Kurt Busch -134, 11) Jimmie Johnson -151, 12) Clint Bowyer -164, 13) Matt DiBenedetto -174, 14) Aric Almirola -188, 15) Erik Jones -195, 16) William Byron -198.

 

Note No. 1: Drivers in Bold have locked into the playoffs.

 

Playoff Points: 1) Joey Logano 13, 2) Brad Keselowski -1, t-3) Denny Hamlin -2, t-3) Kevin Harvick -2, 5) Chase Elliott -3, 6) Alex Bowman -4, 7) Martin Truex Jr. -6, 8) Clint Bowyer -11, t-9) Ryan Blaney -12, t-9) William Byron -12.

 

Stage Points: 1) Joey Logano 127, 2) Chase Elliott -1, 3) Martin Truex Jr. -4, 4) Alex Bowman -10, t-5) Kevin Harvick -20, t-5) Ryan Blaney -20, 7) Kyle Busch -58, 8) Jimmie Johnson -63, 9) Brad Keselowski -65, t-10) Denny Hamlin -70, t-10) Clint Bowyer -70, 12) William Byron -71, 13) Aric Almirola -78, 14) Matt DiBenedetto -91, 15) Erik Jones -95, 16) Kurt Busch -97.

 

Old Point Standings (1-16): 1) Kevin Harvick 397, 2) Brad Keselowski -28, 3) Joey Logano -48, 4) Kurt Busch -63, 5) Chase Elliott -67, 6) Denny Hamlin -72, 7) Martin Truex Jr. -89, 8) Kyle Busch -93, 9) Ryan Blaney -97, 10) Matt DiBenedetto -108, 11) Alex Bowman -113, 12) Jimmie Johnson -118, 13) Clint Bowyer -121, 14) Erik Jones -127, 15) Austin Dillon -128, 16) Aric Almirola -138.

 

Race Winners: Denny Hamlin (Daytona, Darlington-2), Joey Logano (Las Vegas, Phoenix), Alex Bowman (Fontana), Kevin Harvick (Darlington-1, Atlanta), Brad Keselowski (Charlotte-1, Bristol), Chase Elliott (Charlotte-2), Martin Truex Jr. (Martinsville)

 
Note: Race wins in Italics do not count towards playoff eligibility.

 

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

 

TODAY AT FRONTSTRETCH:

 

Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2020 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville

by Matt McLaughlin
 

The Big Six: Questions Answered After the 2020 Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500

by Amy Henderson
 

NASCAR Stat Sheet: Martin Truex Jr. Continues Short Track Dominance

by Dustin Albino

 

Ed Carpenter 2020 IndyCar Season Profile

by Elizabeth Blackstock

 

FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

 

Q: The first Truck race at Homestead occurred back in 1996.  In that race, Dave Rezendes earned his first victory in the 400-kilometer race.  Defending series champion Mike Skinner and Geoff Bodine (Rezendes' truck owner) were the class of the field early, but weren't around at the end.  What happened?

 

Check back Thursday for the answer!

From Tuesday:

 

Q:   In recent years, Martinsville races have generally been in cooler weather conditions.  Tonight's race will be the exception, but it's not a new sensation.  The 1998 NAPA AutoCare 500 at Martinsville was well-known for hot and humid weather.  How hot did it get that day?

 

A:  According to historical data available online, it got up to 97 degrees in Martinsville on that September afternoon.  In addition, it was very humid that day as well.  Multiple drivers ended up seeking relief due to exhaustion.  Much like Austin Dillon on Wednesday night, Jerry Nadeau had to spend time behind the wall at one point because he was worn out and no relief drivers were available.