PLAYOFFS: WHO’S HOT, WHO’S NOT

Hot: Kyle Larson. Regular-season champion led a race-high 156 laps and backed up his status as a Cup Playoffs favorite. He wound up second to a Joe Gibbs Racing driver for the second consecutive Darlington race.

Hot: Martin Truex Jr. The No. 19 driver rallied twice from trouble — overcoming an unscheduled stop for a loose wheel and later a pit-road speeding penalty — to finish fourth. The result marked Truex’s first topfive effort in a month.

Not: Kyle Busch. Busch was out shortly after Stage 2 set sail, his Toyota making significant contact with the Turn 2 wall. He’s won multiple times at Richmond and Bristol — but he’ll be entering those events at a deficit after finishing 35th.