
Kevin Harvick’s victory at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday made him the 11th different winner of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and brought the playoff picture into a little sharper focus.
Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 was the 16th of 26 races in the Cup regular season. After the 26th race, 16 drivers will advance to the playoffs. Those 16 drivers will consist of drivers who have won regular season races and if there are fewer than 16 winners, the non-winners with the most points.
Here’s who’s in the playoffs as of now:
Jimmie Johnson, 3 wins
The only driver with three victories this season, Johnson will race for a record eight championship come September.
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Martin Truex Jr., 2
Truex lost an engine at Sonoma, but no matter — with two wins, he’ll make the playoffs.
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Kyle Larson, 2
After being fastest in Happy Hour and qualifying, Larson was surprisingly a non-factor at Sonoma.
Brad Keselowski, 2
This was by far Keselowski’s best race ever at Sonoma and he’s in good shape for the playoffs.
© Nigel Kinrade/LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
Ryan Newman, 1
An early-season victory in Phoenix set Newman up for the playoffs.
Austin Dillon, 1
One of three drivers to win his first career Cup race this year, Dillon won the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s majors.
Ryan Blaney, 1
Thanks to Blaney’s victory earlier this month at Pocono, the Wood Brothers will race in the playoffs for the first time.
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 1
Stenhouse won his first career Cup race at Talladega earlier this year. It was the first win for Roush Fenway Racing since 2014.
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Kurt Busch, 1
Winning the Daytona 500 meant Busch knew he’d be playoff bound after the first race of the season ended.
Jasen Vinlove Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Harvick, 1
It was never really a question of if Kevin Harvick would win, but when. The 2014 Cup champion will be tough down the stretch.
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Kyle Busch, 0
It’s almost shocking that Busch hasn’t won since the 2016 Brickyard 400.
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Chase Elliott, 0
Still looking for his first career Cup victory, Elliott is having a strong sophomore season.
© Brett Moist LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Brett Moist
Jamie McMurray, 0
The senior Chip Ganassi Racing driver has run well all season, although he’s still winless.
© Brett Moist LAT Photo USA www.latphoto.co.uk Brett Moist
Denny Hamlin, 0
Like all three of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Hamlin is hunting his first victory of 2017.
Joey Logano, 1*
Logano won at Richmond, but his car flunked post-race inspection, so it doesn’t count as an official victory. As of now, he’s in on points.
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Clint Bowyer, 0
Already this year, Bowyer has knocked on the door to Victory Lane, finishing second at Bristol and now at Sonoma.
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