Martin Truex Jr. has done everything possible to position himself for his first Cup title -- four victories and the regular-season championship -- that he heads into NASCAR's Monster Energy Cup playoffs with a healthy advantage over his competition.
Truex has collected nearly five dozen bonus points for winning races, winning stages during the races and winning the regular-season title (15 points). All those points will carry with him into the 10-race playoffs, which start Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.
The bonus points introduced by NASCAR this season could play heavily into Truex's march toward the Nov. 19 championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Only four drivers will race for the title that day, as the 16-driver playoff field will be whittled down through eliminations.
Truex seemed to be a slam-dunk for the title last year after winning two of the first three playoff races in his Furniture Row Racing entry. But he was hit with issues in the second round and stunningly eliminated.
Bonus points this year could be what keeps Truex in contention.
"I am really proud of everybody on this team for an amazing season so far," Truex said. "Don't expect this Furniture Row Racing team to let up. Momentum is important as we head into the playoffs. You can't turn it off and on."
But the field is stacked and features a mix of varying challengers.
There's seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who would like to collect that eighth Cup to grab hold of the all-time record. His seven titles have him tied with Hall of Famers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt.
Kyle Larson has been the most electrifying driver this season. He won three races and challenged Truex most of the regular season for the top seed in the playoffs. He's only been in the playoffs once before -- last year when he was eliminated in the first round -- so if he can advance this season he could wind up a contender in the championship race.
Truex also will contend with Joe Gibbs Racing, the sister team to his Furniture Row Racing. Gibbs last won a title two years ago with Kyle Busch, and it took him most of the season to collect the win he needed to ensure a spot in the playoffs.
Same for Denny Hamlin, but he'll have to start the playoffs without his crew chief. Mike Wheeler was suspended two races because Hamlin's winning car at Darlington was illegal.
The field this year includes a few newcomers, including Ryan Blaney. A Team Penske driver who qualified for the playoffs driving for The Wood Brothers, he's giving one of NASCAR's oldest teams its first shot at racing for the title in decades.
Roush Fenway Racing will be represented by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is in the playoffs for the first time. He used a pair of victories at restrictor-plate tracks to get into the playoffs, but he knows his program may not be capable of competing across the entire 10-race playoff schedule.
Stewart-Haas Racing is represented by former champions Kevin Harvick, winner of the first elimination-format playoffs, and Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch. But Busch has only been mediocre all season, Harvick hasn't matched well against Truex and Larson, and the team could find itself shut out of the playoffs earlier than expected this season.
Playoff Schedule
ROUND OF 16
SUNDAY
Chicagoland Speedway
Tales of the Turtles 400, NBCSN
SEPT. 24
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
ISM Connect 300, NBCSN
OCT. 1
Dover International Speedway
Apache Warrior 400, NBCSN
ROUND OF 12
OCT. 8
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Bank of America 500, NBC
OCT. 15
Talladega Superspeedway
Alabama 500, NBC
OCT. 22
Kansas Speedway
Hollywood Casino 400, NBCSN
ROUND OF 8
OCT. 29
Martinsville Speedway
First Data 500, NBCSN
NOV. 5
Texas Motor Speedway
AAA Texas 500, NBCSN
NOV. 12
Phoenix International Raceway
Can-Am 500, NBC
CHAMPIONSHIP 4
NOV. 19
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Ford EcoBoost 400, NBC
Championship contenders
Martin Truex Jr.
WHY HE’LL WIN Truex won the regular season title with 4 victories, 10 top-five finishes and had 18 stage victories for 53 playoff points that he can keep through the first three playoff rounds. Truex has eight victories over the past two seasons and has dominated at times for Furniture Row Racing.
WHY HE WON’T He’s had some bad luck and a case could be made he should have at least four more victories. Will a late caution come back to bite him when it matters most?
Kyle Larson
WHY HE’LL WIN Larson has two victories over the past four races and is the hottest driver in NASCAR. Larson proved he was worth the hype that followed him into the sport as one of the top young drivers of a generation and won four times this season. He’s one of many drivers facing sponsor woes — Target is leaving at the end of the season — but a championship could make him attractive to a Fortune 500 company.
WHY HE WON’T Larson knows how easily a strong season can slip away early in the playoffs. He suffered tire and mechanical woes in the first two Chase races last season and was never a factor.
Kyle Busch
WHY HE’LL WIN Count out Busch? No thanks. Busch was in the final four last season and the 2015 series champion won twice this season and rolls into Chicagoland with six consecutive top-10 finishes.
WHY HE WON’T Joe Gibbs Racing was solid but hardly spectacular and Toyota’s magic horsepower was found instead in Truex’s car.
Brad Keselowski
WHY HE’LL WIN The 2012 series champion won twice this twice, secured a new contract with team owner Roger Penske and is always a threat.
WHY HE WON’T The Fords haven’t shown the reliable speed needed to win a championship and Keselowski stumbles into Chicagoland without a finish better than 11th in his past five races.
Jimmie Johnson
WHY HE’LL WIN Because he’s Jimmie Johnson. Johnson won three times in a bit of a down year for Hendrick Motorsports. But no driver dominated the Chase era like Johnson. With an eighth championship, he would snap a tie with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most in NASCAR history.
WHY HE WON’T You can’t win ’em all.
Kevin Harvick
WHY HE’LL WIN Stewart-Haas Racing is facing lineup upheaval in 2018 with Danica Patrick out the door and maybe even Kurt Busch. But Harvick just keeps rolling along as the star at SHR and the 2014 champ is one of the sport’s best Game 7 racers. He won at Homestead in 2014 to clinch the title.
WHY HE WON’T Harvick has just one victory and his SHR team has been hit-or-miss for most of the season.
Denny Hamlin
WHY HE’LL WIN Hamlin has two victories and says he’s as mentally tough as he’s ever been after a series of near-misses in his bid for his first Cup championship. The 2016 Daytona 500 winner should have at least one or two championships by now and is running out of time at JGR to get one.
WHY HE WON’T Hamlin is tight with Michael Jordan. But in crunch time at Homestead, Hamlin has been more like Jordan with the Washington Wizards than the Chicago Bulls.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
WHY HE’LL WIN Stenhouse posted his first two career Cup victories this season. He gave team owner Jack Roush the lift the team had needed for years and could be a threat to advance a couple of rounds.
WHY HE WON’T Hasn’t finished better than 14th in his past nine races.
THE REST
Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray
Kenseth and Kahne have yet to land rides for 2018. Busch still needs to lock up sponsorship for a guaranteed return to Stewart-Haas. Elliott could match his dad, Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott, as a NASCAR champion. Everyone loves an underdog — Newman once made it to NASCAR’s final four with a winless season — but it’s hard to imagine a champion emerging out of the bottom of the playoff pack.
Sports on 09/16/2017