2016 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results

Originally published on Apr. 8, 2025

By Zane Miller

First round

(8) #78 Martin Truex Jr. v. (1) #4 Kevin Harvick

(7) #19 Carl Edwards v. (2) #2 Brad Keselowski

(6) #41 Kurt Busch v. (3) #22 Joey Logano

(5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (4) #11 Denny Hamlin

The playoff kicked off at New Hampshire, where it didn’t take long for Kevin Harvick to show why he was the #1-seeded driver. After hanging around towards the front, Harvick made his move for the lead and the win on a restart with six laps to go. He quickly got around Matt Kenseth and didn’t look back, collecting the race victory while Martin Truex Jr. stayed behind in seventh. Brad Keselowski navigated his way to a fourth-place finish to outdo Carl Edwards’ sixth, while Kurt Busch grabbed the last top-five spot ahead of Joey Logano in 11^th. Kurt’s brother Kyle also had an excellent day, grabbing the third position, while competitor/teammate Denny Hamlin was well back in 15^th.

Truex Jr. would rebound at Dover, leading almost half of the event before taking the checkered flag by seven and a half seconds over second-place Kyle Busch. Harvick’s luck from New Hampshire ran out at the Monster Mile, as he dropped out of contention due to mechanical failure early on in the race and finished 46 laps down in 37^th. Regarding Kyle Busch, his runner-up spot came after leading 102 laps, while Hamlin was knocked out of the playoffs after finishing in ninth place, one lap down. Also taking an early exit was Carl Edwards in what would be his last full-time season, as he could only manage a 14^th-place finish with Keselowski scoring the fourth spot. Meanwhile, Joey Logano kept going in the postseason with a sixth-place run, as Kurt Busch ended up two laps down in 15^th.

After the originally scheduled Saturday night race at Charlotte was postponed to Sunday afternoon due to rain, Harvick’s spectacular season came to an abrupt end near the midway point of the race. His engine gave up the ghost, thus enabling Truex Jr. to secure the upset with a 13^th-place finish. Logano did not fare much better than Harvick, as he ended a trying afternoon 80 laps down in 37^th after being involved in a couple different crashes in turn 2. Kurt Busch quietly picked up the eighth spot to advance into the semifinal round.

Semifinal

(8) #78 Martin Truex Jr. v. (2) #2 Brad Keselowski

(6) #41 Kurt Busch v. (5) #18 Kyle Busch

In the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Keselowski would land on snake eyes as he was caught up in a crash 75 laps from the finish. This paved the way for Truex Jr. to claim the easy opening victory in the series with an 11^th-place finish. Meanwhile, the battle between the Busch brothers got off to a good start for the younger of the two, as Kyle captured the fifth spot while Kurt could only maintain a 13^th-place run. The wild card event of the round took place at Talladega, with Keselowski being taken out early for the second race in a row, this time due to an engine failure on lap 144. While this would normally be a death sentence for any driver’s title ambitions, it was not the case this time as Truex Jr. also had a blown engine in the early stages of the race. This resulted in a last-place finish for the New Jersey native, allowing Keselowski to skate by after being credited with 38^th. On the flipside, Kyle Busch struggled throughout the race, finishing a disappointing 30^th while Kurt Busch was a mainstay at the front, culminating in a fourth-place run.

Both series were still in play at Martinsville, where Keselowski made a statement with a runner-up finish. Despite leading 147 laps, Truex Jr. ended up in seventh, bringing his hunt for a first Cup championship to an end. Kyle Busch only led three laps throughout the race, but was still one of the few cars left on the lead lap at the conclusion in fifth. Kurt was never a serious threat for the win, starting the race midpack and finishing there in 22^nd, three laps down. The finals would ultimately be decided between two longtime rivals.

Final

(5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (2) #2 Brad Keselowski

The finals kicked off at Texas Motor Speedway, but Mother Nature had something to say about the proceedings. What was originally planned as a day race turned into a night race thanks to a six-hour rain delay, though Kyle Busch quickly clawed his way back from a mediocre starting spot once the green flag actually dropped. On the other hand, Keselowski started going backwards from a fourth-place start. The rains fell again with 43 laps remaining in the scheduled distance and the race was called with Busch in fifth and Keselowski in 14^th.

What would be the final race of the championship series happened at Phoenix International Raceway, as Keselowski was once again stalemated on the outside of the top-10, this time ending the day in 14^th. Just like at Texas, Busch started out in the middle of the field, but wasted little time in getting to the front. He eventually took the checkered flag in second place on the track, but #1 in the championship battle as he grabbed his first career Cup Series title after a dozen years of full-time Cup racing.

Kyle Busch’s stats for 2016 were four victories, 17 top-fives and 25 top-10s, claiming third in the real-life standings to champ Jimmie Johnson.