2021 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results
By Zane Miller First round (8) #22 Joey Logano v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (2) #11 Denny Hamlin (6) #24 William Byron v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (4) #12 Ryan Blaney The 2021 playoffs began at Richmond Raceway, where Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the race win after leading the final 51 laps. Teammate and playoff competitor Denny Hamlin had an impressive day in his own right, leading nearly half of the event’s 400 laps, but ultimately wound up in the runner-up spot. Joey Logano also took an early series lead by just one spot, taking the fifth position with Kyle Larson right behind in sixth. Yet another tight contest occurred with Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney, as Busch held off Blaney for the ninth spot. On the other hand, there was the battle between teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron, which saw Byron struggle on the way to a 19th-place finish two laps down as Elliott captured an excellent fourth-place run. The series then continued onto an even shorter short track in Bristol, where Truex Jr. survived the hot tempers to secure the seventh spot as Hamlin came up just short in ninth to halt his back-to-back title aspirations. All other series were still in play for the first round finale at Las Vegas, starting with Kyle Larson scoring the race win (with a little help from teammate Elliott) as Logano was well behind in 11th. Speaking of Elliott, his once promising night ended in 25th after contact with 2019 champion Kevin Harvick cut down a tire. Byron easily claimed the win in third, but Elliott would be the one to make headlines by blocking Harvick (then the leader) after going multiple laps down, thus costing him the victory. Unaffected by all this was Blaney, who claimed the fourth spot with Busch a lap down in 21st. Now extra motivated after the fracas at Bristol, Elliott made his presence known at Las Vegas thanks to a strong runner-up finish as Bryon was a non-factor, ending the day a lap down in 18th. Elliott’s other postseason-eligible teammate took care of business as well, as Larson grabbed the 10th spot to nip Logano at the line in 11th. Similarly, the battle between Busch and Blaney also went right down to the wire, but Busch would get the upper hand at his hometown track, finishing third as Blaney just missed out in fifth. Semifinal (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott In a rain-plagued race at Talladega, Truex Jr. took a modest 12th-place run, which was more than acceptable as Larson finished a dismal 37th due to damage sustained in an early incident. Chase Elliott was also outside the top-10 in 18th when the final shower ended the event 71 laps early, but Busch was even worse off in 27th as he struggled to stay in the lead draft due to damage from a separate accident from Larson. Both Busch and Larson would turn their fortunes around at the Charlotte roval, however, as the latter took the race victory by passing Hamlin for the eventual win with nine laps to go. Truex uncharacteristically struggled despite having a strong starting spot, finishing 29th as his teammate Busch nailed down a fourth-place run with 22 laps led. Elliott was 12th after being involved in a couple different cautions, but found himself in a winner-take-all race despite his perseverance. Said winner-take-all race took place at Texas Motor Speedway, which Larson dominated in spectacular yet anticlimactic fashion as Truex crashed out of the event late and was credited with 25th, while the #5 machine paced the field for all but 78 of the race’s 334 circuits. Meanwhile, Elliott and Busch embarked on a much more intense bout. A late caution set up a two-lap run to the checkers, with Elliott restarting eighth and Busch in ninth. On the restart, Elliott was caught behind a stack-up as Christopher Bell got loose in turn two, allowing Busch to get alongside of Elliott’s Chevy. However, as the field came back around on the final lap, Busch also got loose in the same turn as Bell, his momentum evaporating in the process. Elliott finished seventh, comfortably ahead of Busch in eighth. Now, he would need to battle it out with his teammate once again, this time for a championship. Final (3) #9 Chase Elliott v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson For the first time in the history of Kansas Speedway, it would be included as one of the venues of the finals. This proved to be a fantastic idea, as both championship contenders fought tooth and nail at the front throughout the afternoon. Larson grabbed the stage one win with Elliott in third, though Elliott responded in stage two by placing second with Larson now in third. Elliott took the lead proper on the final round of pit stops, but Larson would be restarting right there with him. Though Elliott had a decent restart, Larson got a huge run from the outside lane, quickly getting by and pulling away. The caution Elliott needed to catch his teammate would never come, as he finished second with Larson taking the crucial race win. For the first half of the race at Martinsville, it appeared that Elliott had the car to beat, sweeping both stages, though Larson largely remained inside the top-five. However, troubles began to set in for both drivers as soon as sundown approached. Larson was hit with a speeding penalty after the race’s three-quarter mark and Elliott was unable to get back to the lead after losing ground in the pits. Unfortunately for Elliott, the worst was yet to come as he was spun by Brad Keselowski with 46 laps to go. Despite there not being any real damage, his track position was now gone and he would need to catch Larson from the rear of the field. Right after this, near disaster struck for the #5 camp as he was spun on the ensuing restart, cutting a tire in the process. However, he too was able to continue without major damage. The pair stayed buried in the field for the remainder of the race, but were still within arm’s reach of each other. On a final green-white-checkered restart, Larson was in 14th with Elliott one row back in 16th. Larson kept his position as Elliott continued to struggle in the heavy traffic. Elliott dropped to 18th in the final results, as Larson grabbed 14th to claim his first Cup Series title. Kyle Larson’s stats for 2021 included 10 wins, 20 top-fives and 26 top-10s, taking the real-life championship as well. 2021 Cup Series standings in real life: https://scorum.com/en-us/nascar/@zmiller82/2021-nascar-cup-series-season-recap
2021 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results
By Zane Miller First round (8) #22 Joey Logano v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (2) #11 Denny Hamlin (6) #24 William Byron v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (4) #12 Ryan Blaney The 2021 playoffs began at Richmond Raceway, where Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the race win after leading the final 51 laps. Teammate and playoff competitor Denny Hamlin had an impressive day in his own right, leading nearly half of the event’s 400 laps, but ultimately wound up in the runner-up spot. Joey Logano also took an early series lead by just one spot, taking the fifth position with Kyle Larson right behind in sixth. Yet another tight contest occurred with Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney, as Busch held off Blaney for the ninth spot. On the other hand, there was the battle between teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron, which saw Byron struggle on the way to a 19th-place finish two laps down as Elliott captured an excellent fourth-place run. The series then continued onto an even shorter short track in Bristol, where Truex Jr. survived the hot tempers to secure the seventh spot as Hamlin came up just short in ninth to halt his back-to-back title aspirations. All other series were still in play for the first round finale at Las Vegas, starting with Kyle Larson scoring the race win (with a little help from teammate Elliott) as Logano was well behind in 11th. Speaking of Elliott, his once promising night ended in 25th after contact with 2019 champion Kevin Harvick cut down a tire. Byron easily claimed the win in third, but Elliott would be the one to make headlines by blocking Harvick (then the leader) after going multiple laps down, thus costing him the victory. Unaffected by all this was Blaney, who claimed the fourth spot with Busch a lap down in 21st. Now extra motivated after the fracas at Bristol, Elliott made his presence known at Las Vegas thanks to a strong runner-up finish as Bryon was a non-factor, ending the day a lap down in 18th. Elliott’s other postseason-eligible teammate took care of business as well, as Larson grabbed the 10th spot to nip Logano at the line in 11th. Similarly, the battle between Busch and Blaney also went right down to the wire, but Busch would get the upper hand at his hometown track, finishing third as Blaney just missed out in fifth. Semifinal (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott In a rain-plagued race at Talladega, Truex Jr. took a modest 12th-place run, which was more than acceptable as Larson finished a dismal 37th due to damage sustained in an early incident. Chase Elliott was also outside the top-10 in 18th when the final shower ended the event 71 laps early, but Busch was even worse off in 27th as he struggled to stay in the lead draft due to damage from a separate accident from Larson. Both Busch and Larson would turn their fortunes around at the Charlotte roval, however, as the latter took the race victory by passing Hamlin for the eventual win with nine laps to go. Truex uncharacteristically struggled despite having a strong starting spot, finishing 29th as his teammate Busch nailed down a fourth-place run with 22 laps led. Elliott was 12th after being involved in a couple different cautions, but found himself in a winner-take-all race despite his perseverance. Said winner-take-all race took place at Texas Motor Speedway, which Larson dominated in spectacular yet anticlimactic fashion as Truex crashed out of the event late and was credited with 25th, while the #5 machine paced the field for all but 78 of the race’s 334 circuits. Meanwhile, Elliott and Busch embarked on a much more intense bout. A late caution set up a two-lap run to the checkers, with Elliott restarting eighth and Busch in ninth. On the restart, Elliott was caught behind a stack-up as Christopher Bell got loose in turn two, allowing Busch to get alongside of Elliott’s Chevy. However, as the field came back around on the final lap, Busch also got loose in the same turn as Bell, his momentum evaporating in the process. Elliott finished seventh, comfortably ahead of Busch in eighth. Now, he would need to battle it out with his teammate once again, this time for a championship. Final (3) #9 Chase Elliott v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson For the first time in the history of Kansas Speedway, it would be included as one of the venues of the finals. This proved to be a fantastic idea, as both championship contenders fought tooth and nail at the front throughout the afternoon. Larson grabbed the stage one win with Elliott in third, though Elliott responded in stage two by placing second with Larson now in third. Elliott took the lead proper on the final round of pit stops, but Larson would be restarting right there with him. Though Elliott had a decent restart, Larson got a huge run from the outside lane, quickly getting by and pulling away. The caution Elliott needed to catch his teammate would never come, as he finished second with Larson taking the crucial race win. For the first half of the race at Martinsville, it appeared that Elliott had the car to beat, sweeping both stages, though Larson largely remained inside the top-five. However, troubles began to set in for both drivers as soon as sundown approached. Larson was hit with a speeding penalty after the race’s three-quarter mark and Elliott was unable to get back to the lead after losing ground in the pits. Unfortunately for Elliott, the worst was yet to come as he was spun by Brad Keselowski with 46 laps to go. Despite there not being any real damage, his track position was now gone and he would need to catch Larson from the rear of the field. Right after this, near disaster struck for the #5 camp as he was spun on the ensuing restart, cutting a tire in the process. However, he too was able to continue without major damage. The pair stayed buried in the field for the remainder of the race, but were still within arm’s reach of each other. On a final green-white-checkered restart, Larson was in 14th with Elliott one row back in 16th. Larson kept his position as Elliott continued to struggle in the heavy traffic. Elliott dropped to 18th in the final results, as Larson grabbed 14th to claim his first Cup Series title. Kyle Larson’s stats for 2021 included 10 wins, 20 top-fives and 26 top-10s, taking the real-life championship as well. 2021 Cup Series standings in real life: https://scorum.com/en-us/nascar/@zmiller82/2021-nascar-cup-series-season-recap
2021 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results
By Zane Miller First round (8) #22 Joey Logano v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (2) #11 Denny Hamlin (6) #24 William Byron v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (4) #12 Ryan Blaney The 2021 playoffs began at Richmond Raceway, where Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the race win after leading the final 51 laps. Teammate and playoff competitor Denny Hamlin had an impressive day in his own right, leading nearly half of the event’s 400 laps, but ultimately wound up in the runner-up spot. Joey Logano also took an early series lead by just one spot, taking the fifth position with Kyle Larson right behind in sixth. Yet another tight contest occurred with Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney, as Busch held off Blaney for the ninth spot. On the other hand, there was the battle between teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron, which saw Byron struggle on the way to a 19th-place finish two laps down as Elliott captured an excellent fourth-place run. The series then continued onto an even shorter short track in Bristol, where Truex Jr. survived the hot tempers to secure the seventh spot as Hamlin came up just short in ninth to halt his back-to-back title aspirations. All other series were still in play for the first round finale at Las Vegas, starting with Kyle Larson scoring the race win (with a little help from teammate Elliott) as Logano was well behind in 11th. Speaking of Elliott, his once promising night ended in 25th after contact with 2019 champion Kevin Harvick cut down a tire. Byron easily claimed the win in third, but Elliott would be the one to make headlines by blocking Harvick (then the leader) after going multiple laps down, thus costing him the victory. Unaffected by all this was Blaney, who claimed the fourth spot with Busch a lap down in 21st. Now extra motivated after the fracas at Bristol, Elliott made his presence known at Las Vegas thanks to a strong runner-up finish as Bryon was a non-factor, ending the day a lap down in 18th. Elliott’s other postseason-eligible teammate took care of business as well, as Larson grabbed the 10th spot to nip Logano at the line in 11th. Similarly, the battle between Busch and Blaney also went right down to the wire, but Busch would get the upper hand at his hometown track, finishing third as Blaney just missed out in fifth. Semifinal (7) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson (5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (3) #9 Chase Elliott In a rain-plagued race at Talladega, Truex Jr. took a modest 12th-place run, which was more than acceptable as Larson finished a dismal 37th due to damage sustained in an early incident. Chase Elliott was also outside the top-10 in 18th when the final shower ended the event 71 laps early, but Busch was even worse off in 27th as he struggled to stay in the lead draft due to damage from a separate accident from Larson. Both Busch and Larson would turn their fortunes around at the Charlotte roval, however, as the latter took the race victory by passing Hamlin for the eventual win with nine laps to go. Truex uncharacteristically struggled despite having a strong starting spot, finishing 29th as his teammate Busch nailed down a fourth-place run with 22 laps led. Elliott was 12th after being involved in a couple different cautions, but found himself in a winner-take-all race despite his perseverance. Said winner-take-all race took place at Texas Motor Speedway, which Larson dominated in spectacular yet anticlimactic fashion as Truex crashed out of the event late and was credited with 25th, while the #5 machine paced the field for all but 78 of the race’s 334 circuits. Meanwhile, Elliott and Busch embarked on a much more intense bout. A late caution set up a two-lap run to the checkers, with Elliott restarting eighth and Busch in ninth. On the restart, Elliott was caught behind a stack-up as Christopher Bell got loose in turn two, allowing Busch to get alongside of Elliott’s Chevy. However, as the field came back around on the final lap, Busch also got loose in the same turn as Bell, his momentum evaporating in the process. Elliott finished seventh, comfortably ahead of Busch in eighth. Now, he would need to battle it out with his teammate once again, this time for a championship. Final (3) #9 Chase Elliott v. (1) #5 Kyle Larson For the first time in the history of Kansas Speedway, it would be included as one of the venues of the finals. This proved to be a fantastic idea, as both championship contenders fought tooth and nail at the front throughout the afternoon. Larson grabbed the stage one win with Elliott in third, though Elliott responded in stage two by placing second with Larson now in third. Elliott took the lead proper on the final round of pit stops, but Larson would be restarting right there with him. Though Elliott had a decent restart, Larson got a huge run from the outside lane, quickly getting by and pulling away. The caution Elliott needed to catch his teammate would never come, as he finished second with Larson taking the crucial race win. For the first half of the race at Martinsville, it appeared that Elliott had the car to beat, sweeping both stages, though Larson largely remained inside the top-five. However, troubles began to set in for both drivers as soon as sundown approached. Larson was hit with a speeding penalty after the race’s three-quarter mark and Elliott was unable to get back to the lead after losing ground in the pits. Unfortunately for Elliott, the worst was yet to come as he was spun by Brad Keselowski with 46 laps to go. Despite there not being any real damage, his track position was now gone and he would need to catch Larson from the rear of the field. Right after this, near disaster struck for the #5 camp as he was spun on the ensuing restart, cutting a tire in the process. However, he too was able to continue without major damage. The pair stayed buried in the field for the remainder of the race, but were still within arm’s reach of each other. On a final green-white-checkered restart, Larson was in 14th with Elliott one row back in 16th. Larson kept his position as Elliott continued to struggle in the heavy traffic. Elliott dropped to 18th in the final results, as Larson grabbed 14th to claim his first Cup Series title. Kyle Larson’s stats for 2021 included 10 wins, 20 top-fives and 26 top-10s, taking the real-life championship as well. 2021 Cup Series standings in real life: https://scorum.com/en-us/nascar/@zmiller82/2021-nascar-cup-series-season-recap