We are halfway through the 2017 Monster Energy Series regular season, which makes it a good time to look at who the playoff picture is shaping up.
Eight drivers have clinched a spot in the playoffs with a race win. That means eight spots are still up for grabs.
See the outlook for the drivers currently in the top 16 in the points standings, along with a few drivers on the bubble.
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1
Jimmie Johnson, 3 wins
John earned five more playoff points with his historic 83rd career victory at the Monster Mile. He currently trails only Martin Truex Jr. with 15 playoff points.
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2
Martin Truex Jr., 2 wins
Truex has had an incredible season. After sweeping the first two stages at Dover, he continues to lead the field in playoff points (18), consistently finishing in the top 10 each week.
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3
Brad Keselowski, 2 wins
Although Keselowski has failed to finish the past two races, his race wins and 12 playoff points will give him a great advantage come playoff time.
4
Kyle Larson, 1 win
Larson finished second for the fifth time this season at Dover. He’s looking to add more playoff points to the seven he already has saved up for a championship run.
5
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 1 win
Stenhouse earned a spot in the playoffs for Roush Fenway Racing with his frist career Cup victory at Talladega. RFR will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
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6
Kurt Busch, 1 win
It’s been an up-and-down season for Busch after his 2017 Daytona 500 victory. He remains the only Stewart-Haas Racing driver locked into the playoffs at this point in the year.
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7
Ryan Newman, 1 win
Newman snapped a long winless streak with an upset victory at Phoenix to lock himself into the playoffs. He barely missed the cut in 2016.
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8
Austin Dillon, 1 win
Dillon became the second Richard Childress Racing driver to punch a ticket into the playoffs with his first career Cup victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
© Matthew T. Thacker LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Matthew T. Thacker
9
Kevin Harvick, 3rd in points
Although it’s a surprise that Harvick hasn’t broken into Victory Lane this season, the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing team has shown a ton of speed. Even if he doesn’t win, they will a sure lock into the playoffs based on points.
10
Kyle Busch, 4th in points
Shockingly, Joe Gibbs Racing has yet to score a victory this year. Although Busch has been in contention, he hasn’t been able to seal the deal.
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11
Jamie McMurray, 5th in points
McMurray has been Mr. Consistency all season long. If he doesn’t land in Victory Lane, chances are high that he’ll make the playoffs based on points. That will put both Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
12
Chase Elliott, 8th in points
After four straigh finishes of 24th or worse, Elliott posted a fifth-place finish at Dover. Hopefully that’s a sign of more things to come from the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team.
LAT Images Rusty Jarrett
13
Denny Hamlin, 9th in points
Hamlin leapfrogged Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano in the points standings with an eighth-place finish at Dover. He hasn’t won since Richmond in September 2016.
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14
Clint Bowyer, 10th in points
Bowyer is currently one of two drivers currently in the playoffs without any playoff points, joining Jamie McMurray.
15
Joey Logano, 11th in points
Logano’s encumbered finish at Richmond didn’t seem like an issue at the time, but his downward slide in the standings needs to be turned around. He has four consecutive finishes of 21st or worse.
16
Matt Kenseth, 12th in points
A 13th-place finish at Dover has put Kenseth just above the playoff bubble as he tries to pick up some steam in the second half of the regular season.
© Nigel Kinrade LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
17
The playoff bubble
It’s never too early to start thinking about the playoff bubble. A handful of big names drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and rookies Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez currently sit on the outside looking in.
Check out the three drivers currently on the bubble.
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18
Ryan Blaney, 13th in points
Blaney has finished 24th or worse in five of the last seven races and dropped from fourth to 13th in the points standings.
19
Trevor Bayne, 17th in points
A 21st-place finish at Dover dropped Bayne from 16th to 17th in the points standings. It’s time to win or collect top 10s consistently if he wants to join his teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the playoffs.
© John K Harrelson LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk John K Harrelson
20
Erik Jones, 18th in points
Jones leads all rookies in the points standings, but he is currently 44 points behind Kenseth. He was on track for a solid top-10 finish at Dover before getting caught up in a multi-car crash in overtime to finish 15th.
© Matthew T. Thacker LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Matthew T. Thacker
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