FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 21, 2020)
Kevin Harvick scored victories in two of the first three races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs to strengthen his bid for a second title while four drivers were eliminated from playoff competition heading into the Round of 12.
Harvick, who on Oct. 25 will be going for his fourth consecutive victory in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, earned victories in the playoffs opener at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and again Sept. 19 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski punched his ticket to the Round of 12 with a Sept. 12 win at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
The full list of drivers moving on to the Round of 12 are:
| Driver | Car | Points |
| Kevin Harvick | No. 4 Stewart-Haas Ford | 3,067 |
| Denny Hamlin | No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 3,048 |
| Brad Keselowski | No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 3,035 |
| Joey Logano | No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 3,022 |
| Chase Elliott | No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 3,021 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 3,016 |
| Alex Bowman | No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 3,009 |
| Austin Dillon | No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 3,005 |
| Aric Almirola | No. 10 Stewart-Haas Ford | 3,005 |
| Kyle Busch | No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet | 3,004 |
| Clint Bowyer | No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford | 3,004 |
| Kurt Busch | No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet | 3,001 |
The four drivers who eliminated from the playoffs were Cole Custer (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Ford), William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford) and Matt DiBenedetto (No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford).
The balance of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule is:
| September 27 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Round of 12 |
| October 4 | Talladega Superspeedway | Round of 12 |
| October 11 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Round of 12 (elimination) |
| October 18 | Kansas Speedway | Round of 8 |
| October 25 | Texas Motor Speedway | Round of 8 |
| November 1 | Martinsville Speedway | Round of 8 (elimination) |
| November 8 | Phoenix Raceway | Championship 4 |
NASCAR race fans return to Texas Motor Speedway Oct. 25 with the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 weekend. The doubleheader Sunday begins at 11 a.m. CT with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (FS1, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch). It gives way to the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (2:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN and KFWR 95.5 The Ranch).
The Oct. 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (3:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch), the fifth of seven playoff races, will be run as a non-spectator event.
Tickets for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500/SpeedCash.com 400 doubleheader are available starting at $48 at https://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/events/texas-500-nascar-race-weekend/. One ticket will be good for both races and kids 12 and under are just $10.
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.
