With the Talladega playoff race on tap, Cup Series teams are making decisions about the strategy they will implement during the pivotal race.
Some have the luxury of bonus points, which could give them multiple options. Others, such as Chase Briscoe (-25), are below the cutline with only one strategy available.
"We have to be aggressive all race long, we have to score stage points," Richard Boswell, Briscoe's crew chief, said during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "I think that's our way to set ourselves apart from the guys that scored stage points (at Kansas).
"I know that we'll have a car capable of running up front and contending for stage points and a race win. I think we've seen that out of the Ford group for the past several years."
Cup drivers have traditionally taken two different approaches to superspeedway racing. Some have raced up front and tried to lead as many laps as possible while stockpiling points.
Other drivers have dropped out of the pack and fallen to the rear of the field to avoid any potential wrecks that may unfold. This is something Denny Hamlin has done throughout his career.
The latter strategy has paid off numerous times. It has also backfired, something that happened at Atlanta to start the playoffs. Hamlin missed out on stage points and then ended up involved in a multi-car crash on the final lap.
Joey Logano is another driver who has attempted this strategy and left disappointed. Usually aggressive, Logano decided to hang around the back of the pack during the 2022 playoff race at Talladega.
He expected to see some chaos unfold, but it never happened. He rode around all race long and finished 27th. Meanwhile, fellow playoff driver Chase Elliott won the race after scoring 18 stage points and racing up front.
"I'm not doing that ever again," Logano said at Talladega in 2023. "No. They never wrecked. I finished 30th when I raced. I didn't race, and I finished 30th, so I might as well race this year again and still have a chance to win."
Logano is back in the playoffs this season, and he is four points above the cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 12. Expect him to be aggressive once again as he tries to keep his championship dreams alive.
Logano has his strategy, one that is the same as Briscoe's. It will have ripple effects throughout the field as other drivers still in contention for the championship have to adjust how they approach the superspeedway.
This is even true for Christopher Bell, who enters the weekend with a 28-point cushion to the cutline.
"I think that you're going to have to be aggressive and go for it," Bell told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "We know the Penske cars -- the (No. 2), the (No. 12), the (No. 22) -- they're going to be very aggressive and pushing for stage points.
"With your competitors doing that, it forces your hand to do it too. You can't just lay over and give them free stage points."