Where the Playoff Contenders Stand After the NASCAR Cup Series Race at Las Vegas

Published 09/28/2020, 2:02 PM EDT

The Southern Point 400 in Las Vegas kicked off the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Kurt Busch sealed his own slot in the Playoffs when he won the race.

However, younger brother Kyle Busch is still searching for his first win of the season. Out of the Top-12, Busch Jr. is one of four drivers who are yet to win a race.

In a playoff sense, a win in the next two races guarantees qualification into the next round of the Playoffs. Without the win, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola, and Austin Dillon are in danger.

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Next weekend’s race at Talladega will be highly important, as Busch is nine points away from the cut-off line. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin sit at the top of the points standings, 61 and 58 points above the cutoff, respectively.

Cup pts (Dega and Charlotte road course left in this round): KuBusch-in, Harvick +61, Hamlin +58, Keselowski +16, Truex +15, Logano +11, Elliott +10, Bowman +9, KyBusch -9, Bowyer -20, Almirola -27, Dillon -32 pic.twitter.com/06UNczzcid
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 28, 2020

Admittedly, if Busch wants to enter the next round, he needs to win or outscore Bowyer, Almirola, Dillon, Bowman, and Chase Elliott. At the same time, Kyle Busch will be keen to register his maiden win of the season.

As the defending champion, this is a matter of personal pride for the 35-year-old.

Can Kyle Busch make it into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs?

Admittedly, the #18 Joe Gibbs driver has the capability to make it into the Playoffs. Even better than that, his car is perfectly capable of winning races in the 2020 Cup Series season. In what can only be described as rotten luck or shenanigans, the 35-year-old has consistently missed out.

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In Sunday’s race, he found himself starting on 2nd on the grid behind Kevin Harvick. This was his best chance of finally breaking the jinx, but he eventually lost out and finished 6th.

Of course, his encounter with Joey Logano (again) did not help matters either, as it compromised his race. At this rate, Busch would probably need a restraining order slapped against Logano, as he has interfered with him on multiple occasions.

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The #22 driver annoyed Kyle Busch so much that he declared that he was ‘nobody’s friend for a reason’. Hopefully, for Kyle’s sake, the next two races work in his favor and he enters the next playoff round. If he can do it with a win, he will only be too happy to claim it.

WATCH: Drama Between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano Continues as They Make Contact at Las Vegas

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.