The kickoff race of the Cup playoffs brought about unexpected changes in the standings.
Kyle Larson, who started the playoffs as the points leader, saw his position plummet to 10th after a crash in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, Joey Logano, who had struggled with seven finishes of 19th or worse in the last 11 regular-season races, turned things around dramatically by clinching victory at Atlanta, securing his spot in the second round.
Here are some important insights following the first Cup playoff race:
Team Penske shines on drafting tracks
Joey Logano’s win was complemented by his teammate Ryan Blaney, who finished third and racked up the highest points total of the day with 53. Austin Cindric, another teammate, finished 10th and earned the fourth-most points with 46.
Blaney now leads the points as they head into Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen (3 p.m. ET on USA Network). He holds a 45-point advantage over Brad Keselowski, who is currently the first driver outside of a transfer position. Cindric, who started the playoffs just two points above the cutline, has now increased his lead to 27 points over Keselowski.
While many considered Atlanta to be a toss-up, Team Penske recognized it as a prime opportunity.
“I anticipated a performance like today,” Cindric remarked following his 10th-place finish. “I expected a qualifying result (fifth) similar to what we achieved (Saturday). The expectations are high within the industry, our organization, and honestly, within myself, so I believed a win was very achievable (Sunday).”
Team Penske dominated the track, leading 134 of the 266 laps at Atlanta, with Cindric taking the lead for a race-high 92 laps.
This season, Team Penske has led the most laps in all five drafting-style races, including both events at Daytona, both at Atlanta, and the spring race at Talladega. They also led the most laps during last year’s Talladega playoff race.
Additionally, Team Penske drivers have collectively secured seven out of the 10 stages in drafting-style races this season.
In the final moments on Sunday, it was Blaney who propelled Logano into the lead during the overtime restart.
Logano praised Blaney, saying, “He’s been an incredible teammate. We’ve collaborated for years, and it’s been great to discuss various scenarios over time. We’ve faced numerous situations at the end of races together. Some have gone our way, like today, while others have seen us stumble, both of us.
“The best part is that we’ve always communicated about it, allowing us to improve. That’s exactly what you want in a teammate. It’s a give-and-take; sometimes you find yourself in Victory Lane, and other times you don’t. Fortunately, today we were in the right place at the right time.”
Alex Bowman made progress this week, but there’s still more to tackle.
Bowman began his week by addressing speculation about his potential replacement if he didn’t make it past the first playoff round. He secured a fifth-place finish on Sunday, moving from the last transfer position in Atlanta to sixth overall in points. He now holds a 27-point lead over the first driver outside the transfer zone.
This marks his third top-five finish in five drafting races this season, including a second-place finish at the Daytona 500.
The most significant test awaits this weekend at Watkins Glen. While Hendrick Motorsports has dominated the last five races at this iconic road course, Bowman has struggled, never finishing higher than 14th in his seven Cup appearances there.
“Watkins Glen, yeah, we’ve been pretty terrible,” Bowman admitted.
This season, he has been concentrating on improving his performance at that track.
“I’ve dedicated a month to the simulator just to enhance my skills,” said Bowman, who currently leads the series in points on road courses. “I feel confident at other road courses, but the Glen has just never clicked for me. I’m working hard to change that.”
Is it time for Joe Gibbs Racing to be concerned?
Three of their four drivers find themselves either below or barely above the cutline following Atlanta.
Last weekend was particularly rough for most of the team.
Denny Hamlin faced power issues due to plug wire problems during qualifying, resulting in him being the slowest on the track. His teammates, Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs, also had to start from the back after their plug wires were replaced, having experienced similar troubles to Hamlin’s.
The race didn’t go much better for the team. Martin Truex Jr. faced a pit road speeding penalty and suffered damage from a crash, ultimately finishing in 35th place. Denny Hamlin spent a significant portion of the race at the back and was caught up in a last-lap incident, ending up 24th. Ty Gibbs was leading late in the race but admitted he missed a crucial block, which caused him to drop back to finish 17th.
As a result, Truex finds himself 19 points below the cutline, while Gibbs currently occupies the last transfer position with just two races remaining in the opening round. Hamlin is slightly above the first driver outside the playoff spots, leading by two points.
It’s worth noting that last year, Joe Gibbs Racing had a stellar performance at Watkins Glen, placing all their cars in the top six. Hamlin finished second, Christopher Bell took third, Gibbs was fifth, and Truex rounded out the top six.
In a notable return, Adam Stevens was back on the pit box for the first time since July at Indianapolis. He had undergone surgery on both knees after rupturing his patellar tendon while diving into a swimming pool during the Olympic break.
Stevens expressed his commitment to being present for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Bell secured a fourth-place finish at Atlanta, placing him second in the standings, 40 points clear of the first driver outside the playoff cut.
“The key is, there are 16 of us in the playoffs, and only 12 will advance,” Stevens remarked about the upcoming round. “That’s a significant number. You don’t need to hit a home run; just having a solid day and being competitive after tightening things up is encouraging and a relief. However, the next two races are unpredictable, and what happened to some drivers on Sunday could easily happen to us next week.”
