Big 3 lead field in playoff points
Kevin Harvick now leads all drivers in playoff points earned through the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season with his victory in the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301.
Harvick, who moved Kyle Busch for the lead with seven laps to go at New Hampshire Sunday, earned five playoff points for the win. The 2014 series champion has 32 points overall, earning the points between his six victories and nine stage wins in 2018.
Kyle Busch has the second-most playoff points at 30, thanks to his five victories and five stage wins. Martin Truex Jr., who has won four races and six stages, has earned 26 playoff points, the third most.
Harvick said playoff points are what he and his team are focused on.
“A win is the way you get the most points,” he said. “To get five points… It’s a 10-point swing.”
Altogether, 16 drivers have earned playoff points throughout the regular season. The only other driver with double-digit playoff points is Clint Bowyer (10).
STAGE POINTS
Kyle Busch continues to lead the competition in total stage points at 233. He has held the lead over the last 12 races.
Kevin Harvick has the second most at 204. Rounding out the top five on the list are Brad Keselowski (189), Martin Truex Jr. (166) and Kurt Busch (161).
Thirty drivers have earned at least one stage point in 2018. The only driver who has competed in every race this year but has yet to score a stage point is Matt DiBenedetto.
STAGE WINS
Chase Elliott’s victory in Stage 2 at New Hampshire bumped up the season total to 14 drivers who have won at least one stage in 2018.
Kevin Harvick has won the most stages at nine and Martin Truex Jr. has the second most at six.
Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney round out the top five with five, four and four stage wins respectively.
OVERALL
With the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 in May (four stages), every points awarding race in 2018 is broken up into three stages.
Each of the first two stages awards points to the top-10 finishing drivers. A first-place finish earns 10 points, second-place gets nine points, and so forth.
STAGE POINTS/STAGE WINS/PLAYOFF POINTS AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE
| RANK | DRIVER | POINTS | WINS | PLAYOFF |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | 233 | 5 | 30 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 204 | 9 | 32 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 189 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 166 | 6 | 26 |
| 5 | Kurt Busch | 161 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 156 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 151 | 1 | |
| 8 | Clint Bowyer | 141 | 10 | |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 129 | 2 | 7 |
| 10 | Denny Hamlin | 96 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | 94 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Aric Almirola | 86 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Jimmie Johnson | 84 | ||
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 58 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | Paul Menard | 42 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Erik Jones | 41 | 5 | |
| 17 | Michael McDowell | 29 | ||
| 18 | William Byron | 27 | ||
| 19 | Alex Bowman | 27 | ||
| 20 | Ryan Newman | 27 | ||
| 21 | A.J. Allmendinger | 24 | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Daniel Suarez | 20 | ||
| 23 | Kasey Kahne | 14 | ||
| 24 | Jamie McMurray | 13 | ||
| 25 | Austin Dillon | 12 | 5 | |
| 26 | Ty Dillon | 11 | ||
| 27 | Trevor Bayne | 6 | ||
| 28 | David Ragan | 5 | ||
| 29 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | 5 | ||
| 30 | Chris Buescher | 4 |
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.