2019 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results

Originally published on Apr. 16, 2025

By Zane Miller

First round

(8) #1 Kurt Busch v. (1) #22 Joey Logano

(7) #9 Chase Elliott v. (2) #18 Kyle Busch

(6) #2 Brad Keselowski v. (3) #4 Kevin Harvick

(5) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (4) #11 Denny Hamlin

The 2019 postseason got underway at Richmond, where Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the early advantage with a race win after leading 109 laps. Teammate and playoff competitor Denny Hamlin put up a strong fight in third, but was unable to get the job done. Fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch earned a runner-up finish after leading over half of the race’s 400 laps, holding off Chase Elliott in 13^th. Brad Keselowski also eked out an early win over Kevin Harvick, finishing fourth with Harvick in seventh. Lastly, Joey Logano ended an up-and-down night in 11^th, while Kurt Busch finished two laps down in 18^th.

The series returned to the Charlotte Roval, where Elliott redeemed himself from Richmond with an impressive race win, not that it was necessary as Kyle Busch fell out of the race with a broken suspension and was credited with 37^th. Logano eliminated Kurt Busch with a solid 10^th-place run to Busch’s 20^th, while Hamlin met the same fate after finishing 19^th to Truex’s seventh. Harvick would live to fight another day, however, seizing the third spot with Keselowski hot on his heels in fifth. Dover saw Elliott get eaten alive by Miles the Monster, with his engine expiring just eight laps into the event. Busch captured a sixth-place finish for good measure as he was onto the next round. Harvick would join him, as he scored a fourth-place finish to match his car number with Keselowski in 11^th.

Semifinal

(5) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (1) #22 Joey Logano

(3) #4 Kevin Harvick v. (2) #18 Kyle Busch

The semifinals started at Talladega, where Truex Jr. would fall victim to the Big One on lap 108. Though Truex was able to continue after the crash, he finished multiple laps down in 26^th. Logano ended up 11^th after leading 16 laps to take the lead in the series. Both Harvick and Busch finished midpack, but Harvick would ultimately claim the 17^th spot with Busch back in 19^th.

In the next race at Kansas, Busch would get back on the horse with a third-place result in the double-overtime finish as Harvick’s comeback effort from a last-place starting spot came up short after finishing ninth. Truex would also force his series against Logano to be determined at Martinsville, nabbing the sixth spot with Logano finishing 17^th after being involved in a late accident.

The Martinsville Speedway would become the personal playground of Martin Truex Jr. in the semifinals finale, as he led 464 of the race’s 500 laps on the way to victory. Logano remained inside the top-10 throughout the event, but was forced to settle for eighth. Harvick had yet another underwhelming qualifying run, but again he responded with a top-10 effort as he grabbed seventh. Busch was unable to get his eighth straight Martinsville top-10, finishing 14^th to bring his championship campaign to an end.

Final

(5) #19 Martin Truex Jr. v. (3) #4 Kevin Harvick

The tables turned on Truex at Texas, as Harvick would dominate the race this time around. The pride of Bakersfield, California led a total of 119 laps before taking the checkered flag as Truex watched on from sixth. The recently renamed ISM Raceway (later renamed again to Phoenix Raceway) saw a back-and-forth battle between the two drivers, as Harvick got the better of Truex in stage one before Truex returned the favor in stage two. A late crash prompted a three-lap shootout to decide the finish, with Truex just ahead of Harvick following the round of pit stops.

The #19 ride got a good jump on the restart, but Harvick stayed right with him. By the last lap, Truex only had a car length advantage over Harvick. As the leaders made their way out of turn two and onto the backstretch, however, Harvick made slight contact with Truex’s rear bumper, causing him to slide out of the groove. The pair was locked in a drag race down the backstretch, but Truex was no match for Harvick, who had all the momentum. Harvick completed the pass for fifth in turn three and held Truex off from there, collecting his first career Cup Series title in his 19^th season at the top level and thwarting Truex's chance at a third straight championship.

Kevin Harvick’s stats for 2019 were four wins, 15 top-fives and 26 top-10s, finishing third in the real-life standings to champion Kyle Busch.