MIAMI – The battle for NASCAR’s biggest trophy begins on Sunday, September 15 as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) playoffs commence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The 16-driver playoff field heats up in the desert and culminates at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the 18th consecutive year. The championship will be decided during the Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, November 17.
In the postseason, four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention at the conclusion of each round. The 16 playoff drivers will still have to compete against the rest of the field throughout the 10-race postseason.
The field of playoff drivers consists of all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, including Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. – who combined to win 12 races this season and hold the top three spots as the playoffs get underway this weekend.
Kyle Busch (2015), Kurt Busch (2004), Kevin Harvick (2014), Brad Keselowski (2012), Truex (2017) and reigning champion Joey Logano (2018) are hoping to capture their second Cup Series championship. If one of them conquer the title, they would join seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson as the only active drivers with multiple MENCS titles.
Below is the complete list of drivers who will vie for the right to be crowned the 2019 MENCS champion.
| Driver | Points | Wins | Team | Manufacturer |
| Kyle Busch | 2,045 | 4 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| Denny Hamlin | 2,030 | 4 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2,029 | 4 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| Kevin Harvick | 2,028 | 3 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| Joey Logano | 2,028 | 2 | Team Penske | Ford |
| Brad Keselowski | 2,024 | 3 | Team Penske | Ford |
| Chase Elliott | 2,018 | 2 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Kurt Busch | 2,011 | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| Alex Bowman | 2,005 | 1 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Erik Jones | 2,005 | 1 | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| Kyle Larson | 2,005 | 0 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| Ryan Blaney | 2,004 | 0 | Team Penske | Ford |
| William Byron | 2,001 | 0 | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Aric Almirola | 2,001 | 0 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| Clint Bowyer | 2,000 | 0 | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| Ryan Newman | 2,000 | 0 | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
The following is the complete schedule for the MENCS playoffs.
| Round of 16 | |||
| Sep. 15 | 7:00 p.m. | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
| Sep. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond Raceway |
| Sep. 29 | 2:30 p.m. | Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course |
| Round of 12 | |||
| Oct. 6 | 2:30 p.m. | MENCS Race at Dover | Dover International Speedway |
| Oct. 13 | 2:00 p.m. | 1000Bulbs.com 500 | Talladega Superspeedway |
| Oct. 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway |
| Round of 8 | |||
| Oct. 27 | 3:00 p.m. | First Data 500 | Martinsville Speedway |
| Nov. 3 | 3:00 p.m. | AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway |
| Nov. 10 | 2:30 p.m. | Bluegreen Vacations 500 | ISM Raceway |
| Championship 4 | |||
| Nov. 17 | 3:00 p.m. | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway |