NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Playoff Watch

From now until the scheduled regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29, NASCAR.com will analyze the playoff picture weekly. Here's how the postseason looks through 15 regular-season races (out of 26) after the Pocono doubleheader.

A few reminders:
-- All point totals are reset to 2,000 for the 16 eligible playoff drivers.

-- Drivers earn 5 playoff points for each of their regular-season wins.

-- Drivers earn 1 playoff point for each stage win.

-- The top 10 finishers in the regular-season standings earn playoff points on a sliding scale, starting with 15 points for the Regular Season Champion and ending on one point for the 10th-place finisher.

Missing the cut:

Austin Dillon, Tyler Reddick (pictured), Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace.

The race for the final few playoff spots is one to watch for the remaining 11 races especially with how tight the standings are. The schedule has several potential wild-card races like Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Daytona to close out the regular season.

16. Erik Jones: 2,000 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: A strong third-place result was typical of Jones at Pocono and jumps him up one position into the final playoff spot.

15. Matt DiBenedetto: 2,000 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: Solid points days at Pocono have DiBenedetto in a better position on points this week.

14. Kyle Busch: 2,000 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 0
The scoop: Weird to see the defending champ this low in the playoff picture. The bigger surprise? No playoff points to his name.

13. William Byron: 2,001 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Six top-12 finishes in the last eight races have pushed Byron into the provisional grid.

12. Jimmie Johnson: 2,001 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Johnson is in a solid spot in the points standings as of now, but a win would boost the positioning.

11. Kurt Busch, 2,002 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Busch grabbed a playoff point with a Pocono stage win and is only one point behind Almirola for ninth in the point standings (and another playoff point to his tally in this projection).

10. Clint Bowyer: 2,002 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: With two stage wins in hand, Bowyer has a leg up on some of the field for seeding.

9. Aric Almirola: 2,003 points

Qualified by: Points
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: No driver moved up more in the projected playoff standings in the past week than Almirola. That was thanks to two top-five finishes and big points days at Pocono.

8. Martin Truex Jr.: 2,011 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Martinsville-1)
Stage wins: 2
The scoop: Truex is in close reach -- 10 points back of fourth in the point standings -- for picking off as many as three more playoff points.

7. Alex Bowman: 2,012 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Fontana)
Stage wins: 4
The scoop: With three 1.5-milers coming up in July, that stretch presents Bowman's best chance to improve his playoff positioning.

6. Ryan Blaney: 2,016 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Talladega-1)
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Blaney's projected playoff point total is boosted by his 10 points for sitting second in the point standings.

5. Chase Elliott: 2,017 points

Qualified by: 1 win (Charlotte-2)
Stage wins: 5
The scoop: Elliott has the most stage wins in the series. If he can turn a few of those into race wins, he'll be in prime position for a top-four spot entering the postseason.

4. Joey Logano: 2,019 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Las Vegas-1, Phoenix-1)
Stage wins: 4
The scoop: Two disappointing Pocono finishes see Logano's position take a hit. Although he sits sixth in the point standings, he is only 14 points out of third.

3. Brad Keselowski: 2,021 points

Qualified by: 2 wins (Coca-Cola 600, Bristol-1)
Stage wins: 3
The scoop: With two wins in hand, Keselowski went playoff point hunting at Pocono, nabbed a stage win and boosted his projected total to jump to third.

2. Denny Hamlin: 2,029 points

Qualified by: 4 wins (Daytona 500, Darlington-2, Miami, Pocono-2)
Stage wins: 3
The scoop: Hamlin's four wins put him in striking position for the top seed as he now has 10 wins in his year-plus partnership with Chris Gabehart.

1. Kevin Harvick: 2,031 points

Qualified by: 3 wins (Darlington-1, Atlanta, Pocono-1)
Stage wins: 1
The scoop: Harvick added to his tally with a Pocono win and holds the regular-season points lead. He has the 15-point bonus added to his projected total.