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Who is hot and cold entering Cup playoff opener at Las Vegas

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during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Chris Graythen

The Cup Series playoffs have arrived and will get underway Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

Here’s a look at five drivers who are hot and five drivers who are cold entering the South Point 400.

Who is Hot

Brad Keselowski
• Won at Indianapolis (6th in Stage 1, 7th in Stage 2, 9 laps led); contact with Ryan Blaney on pit road on Lap 32 damaged right rear of car.
• First back-to-back wins since 2016 (Daytona/Kentucky)
• Finished in Top 2 in 3 of last 4 races
• Seventh playoff appearance
• Finished 7th or better in 6 straight Las Vegas races, including 2 wins
• Started 8th, 6th in Stage 1, 6th in Stage 2, finished 6th at Las Vegas in March
• Finished Top 10 in 3 straight 1.5-mile races and 7 of last 9

Kevin Harvick
• Finished 4th at Indianapolis (12th in Stage 1, 21st in Stage 2, 22 laps led); penalized for uncontrolled tire on lap 10 pit stop; pit for a 2nd time on lap 32 after gun failed on lap 30 pit stop
• Won 7 of last 25 races
• Finished in Top 5 in 10 of last 13 races
• Finished in Top 10 in 8 straight races and 12 of last 13
• Twelfth playoff appearance
• Finished Top 10 in 4 of last 6 Las Vegas races, including 2 wins
• Started 2nd, swept every stage, 214 laps led, won at Las Vegas in March
• Won four of last nine 1.5-mile races
• Finished Top 10 in 19 of last 21 1.5-mile races

Denny Hamlin
• Finished 3rd at Indianapolis (3rd in Stage 1, 20th in Stage 2, 37 laps led)
• Finished in Top 10 in 2 straight races and 3 of last 4
• Twelfth playoff appearance
• Last 4 Las Vegas races: 2 finishes of 6th or better & 2 finishes of 17th or worse
• Finished 12th or worse in 5 of last 7 Las Vegas races
• Started 19th, 11th in Stage 1, 15th in Stage 2, finished 17th at Las Vegas in March; penalized for speeding entering pits on lap 122
• Finished 7th or better in 3 of last 4 races on 1.5-mile tracks

Kyle Busch
• Finished 8th at Indianapolis (5th in Stage 1, 24th in Stage 2, 27 laps led); penalized for pitting when pit road was closed on Lap 98; pit on Lap 119 with flat right rear tire while running 16th
• Won regular season championship
• Won 6 of last 20 races
• Finished in Top 5 in 10 of last 14 races
• Finished in Top 10 in 13 of last 15 races
• Finished in Top 5 in 17 of 26 races this season
• Eleventh playoff appearance
• Finished Top 5 in 3 of last 5 Las Vegas races
• Started 13th, 9th in Stage 1, 5th in Stage 2, 10 laps led, finished 2nd at Las Vegas in March
• Won 3 of last 5 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished in Top 10 in 8 straight 1.5-mile races

Erik Jones
• Finished 2nd at Indianapolis (10th in Stage 1, 3rd in Stage 2)
• Finished Top 10 in 9 of last 11 races
• First playoff appearance
• 2 career Las Vegas starts: 15th in 2017, 8th in 2018
• Started 9th, 12th in Stage 1, 11th in Stage 2, finished 8th at Las Vegas in March
• Top 10 in five of seven races on 1.5 mile tracks in 2018

Who is Cold

Austin Dillon
• Finished 22nd at Indianapolis (17th in Stage 1, 12th in Stage 2)
• Finished 13th or worse in 7 of last 8 races
• Finished 12th or worse in 19 of last 21 races
• Finished outside Top 10 in 22 of 25 races since Daytona 500 win
• Third playoff appearance
• Finished 13th or worse in 5 of 6 career starts at Las Vegas
• Started 16th, 16th in Stage 1, 14th in Stage 2, finished 13th at Las Vegas in March
• Finished outside Top 10 in 13 straight 1.5-mile races

Aric Almirola
• Finished 23rd at Indianapolis (7th in Stage 1, 31st in Stage 2); penalized for speeding on pit road on Lap 95
• Finished 14th or worse in 3 straight races and and 7 of last 10
• Second playoff appearance
• Finished 14th or worse in 9 of 10 career Las Vegas starts
• Started 29th, 15th in Stage 1, 13th in Stage 2, finished 10 at Las Vegas in March
• Finished in Top 10 in 3 of last 6 races on 1.5-mile tracks

Jimmie Johnson
• Finished 16th at Indianapolis (19th in Stage 1, 10th in Stage 2)
• Finished 16th or worse in 2 straight races and 5 of last 6
• Only two top 10s in the last 12 races
• Currently on a 49 race winless streak (longest of career)
• Fifteenth playoff appearance, won 7 championships – only driver to make every playoff
• Finished outside the Top 10 in 3 of last 4 Las Vegas races
• Started 14th, 27th in Stage 1, 19th in Stage 2, finished 12th at Las Vegas in March; started in the rear after multiple failures in pre-race inspection
• Finished outside the Top 10 in 9 of last 10 1.5-mile races

Martin Truex Jr.
• Finished 40th at Indianapolis (40th in Stage 1, 40th in Stage 2); DNF – started in rear after failing inspection multiple times; broke left front brake rotor on lap 41
• Finished outside Top 10 in 4 straight races and 5 of the last 6
• Won 3 of last 13 races
• Finished in the Top 5 in 10 of last 16 races
• Sixth Playoff appearance
• Finished 4th or better in 3 of last 4 Las Vegas races, including win in 2017
• Started 4th, 2nd in Stage 1, 7th in Stage 2, 6 laps led, finished 4th at Las Vegas in March
• Won 8 of last 17 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished 4th or better in 4 straight 1.5-mile races
• Finished 8th or better in 17 of last 18 races on 1.5-mile tracks.

Alex Bowman
• Finished 33rd at Indianapolis (15th in Stage 1, 36th in Stage 2); wrecked with AJ Allmendinger on Lap 67 while battling for 16th
• Finished 23rd or worse in 2 straight races and 14th or worse in 4 of last 5
• First Playoff appearance
• Never finished better than 16th in 3 career Las Vegas starts
• Started 20th, 19th in Stage 1, 18th in Stage 2, finished 16th at Las Vegas in March
• Finished in Top 10 in 2 of last 3 races on 1.5-mile tracks
• Finished 13th or worse in 7 of last 9 races on 1.5-mile tracks