Denny Hamlin was never in danger of missing out in the Round of 12 of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
But Hamlin nevertheless secured his spot in the next round by winning the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sept. 7 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Hamlin and runner-up finisher Chase Briscoe have locked down two of the 12 spots in the next round, with several drivers with comfortable cushions heading into next weekend’s race at Bristol.
But there are three drivers in major playoff trouble heading to the 0.5-mile concrete track.
 Here are the winners and losers from the NASCAR Gateway race:
Elliott entered the weekend in 11th in points, nine points ahead of 13th, after a so-so result at Darlington.
But Elliott increased his cushion ahead of the cutline by 19 points after being contention for most of the day at Gateway en route to finishing third.
Elliott drove from 19th to 10th in the 45-lap first stage, then was among the top five or six drivers throughout the final 150 laps.
Now 28 points ahead of 13th, Elliott should feel comfortable going to Bristol where he has seven top-10s in the last 11 races.
Logano was below the playoff cutline by three points coming into Gateway and needed a good race result on Sunday.
The defending Cup Series champion got it, picking up eight stage points in Stage 2 before finishing fifth.
Logano never got the optimal track position late in the race to make a run at Hamlin or Briscoe, but the No. 22 team achieved the objective in St. Louis.
Logano is now 21 points ahead of the cutoff line heading to Bristol, a track he has struggled at in the NextGen era. Logano has five consecutive finishes at Bristol outside of the top 20.
Alex Bowman and Shane van Gisbergen basically had the same kind of race at Gateway that each had at Darlington.
Bowman had a pit-road issue late to erode any chance at a decent finish following another poor qualifying effort.
SVG gave up the final point in Stage 1 to Chase Elliott on the final lap of the stage, then languished outside the top 20 by the second half of the race.
Bowman just about needs a win at Bristol to advance to the next round, now 35 points behind the playoff cutline. SVG has a 15-point deficit to make up, which is unlikely given his record on ovals in his rookie Cup Series season.
Berry’s race at Darlington virtually ended by the second turn on Lap 1 when he suffered significant damage after contact with Tyler Reddick.
At Gateway, Berry’s day lasted 35 laps before spinning after contact with Chase Elliott and making hard contact with the outside wall.
After back-to-back finishes in last, Berry’s deficit to the playoff cutline is 45 points. He is in a definite must-win situation at Bristol.
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