DOVER, Del. _ Normally we marvel at Victory Lane, fixate on the victors of a race on any given weekend.
And that held true on Sunday, as Kyle Busch passed Chase Elliott on the second-to-last lap to win at Dover. It was his fourth win this season and second in a row, not to mention a magnificent pass at the finish, and he deserved to take his signature bow with the checkered flag after everything settled.
But for the first time in these NASCAR playoffs, there was attention paid to the middle of the pack, too. Specifically, there was attention paid to that imaginary line in the standings separating 12th place from 13th. Stay above it and you're fine, but drop below and your season is over.
Four drivers _ Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, and Austin Dillon _ failed to stay above that line and were eliminated from the playoffs as a result.
