HAMPTON, Ga. -- One playoff driver celebrated a win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, one that locked up a spot in the second round of the playoffs. Many others left the 1.540-mile track facing increased pressure due to a drastic change involving the playoff standings.
The six drivers battling at the cutline before last weekend's race were Daniel Suarez (2,006 points) Alex Bowman (2,005 points), Chase Briscoe (2,005), Harrison Burton (2,005), Ty Gibbs (2,004), and Martin Truex Jr. (2,004). Austin Cindric was just ahead of them at 2,007 points.
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Briscoe, Truex, and Burton remain under the cutline after being involved in crashes at different points of the race. Burton is 16 points behind Gibbs, who holds the final playoff spot. Truex is 19 points below the cutline while Briscoe is 21 points below.
These three drivers could consider themselves in must-win situations, especially since none have Cup Series wins on road courses. However, Watkins Glen is a track where points-needy drivers can stay out and gain stage points while other drivers pit early in an attempt to flip track position and put themselves in position for a win.
There are opportunities for Burton, Briscoe, and Keselowski to score some much-needed points early.
"We do need to maximize our day and score as many stage points as possible," Briscoe said, per Stewart-Haas Racing. "And I do think with the tire falloff we're expecting at Watkins Glen that we're going to be in good shape.
"When it's slick because the tires are worn out, where we're slipping and sliding around, is typically when we're our strongest, so I feel like we can win."
Brad Keselowski is the first driver out of a playoff spot after a race where he was just not part of the conversation. He is one point behind Gibbs.
The 2012 Cup champion qualified 19th at the track where he nearly won last season. He missed out on stage points before crossing the finish line 19th overall. He left the track with 18 points.
"It just wasn't a super strong day," Keselowski said. "We kind of survived and we'll live to fight another day."
Denny Hamlin started last after his team replaced a wire plug and then he struggled with handling throughout the race. He also hung back in the pack waiting to avoid the Big One, but this wreck never materialized at expected times.
Instead, the only big wreck took place on the final lap as it collected Hamlin. He is now two points above the cutline.
While these drivers dealt with a variety of setbacks at Atlanta, multiple others capitalized and scored a large number of points. The main members of this group are Bowman, Cindric, Suarez, and Ryan Blaney.
Cindric and Blaney led the field with 19 stage points each. Blaney scored a race-high 53 points by finishing third while Cindric scored 46 by finishing 10th.
Bowman, for comparison, scored 16 stage points and then he crossed the line fifth. This locked up 48 points, the second-most in the field. He is now tied with Cindric at 27 points above the cutline.
Suarez only scored seven stage points at the track where he won the February race. However, he finished second behind Logano as the race ended under caution. This helped him secure 42 points and move from only one point above the cutline to 22 points above.
Logano is in the best position out of all playoff drivers considering that he won and moved on to the next round. Blaney is next as he is now 45 points above the cutline. He has the most points among drivers in this round, and he is just ahead of Christopher Bell, who maintained his 40-point cushion by finishing fourth with one stage point.