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Erik Jones eager to start his first Monster Energy playoff season

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will begin Sunday.

Erik Jones posing for a selfie with a fan before a practice earlier this summer.
Erik Jones posing for a selfie with a fan before a practice earlier this summer.Read moreMary Schwalm / AP

It's said all the time that playoffs, no matter the sport, are different from the regular season.

In NASCAR, it's even more different because the 16 playoff drivers in contention for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title will still be driving in those final 10 races with 24 other drivers with nothing on their minds except trying to win on that particular day.

This is like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers playing for the NBA title while the other teams are dribbling around the court.

Erik Jones understands the format because he experienced virtually the same thing during his tenure in the Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Still, this is the first time the driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing will be in the playoffs at the highest level of NASCAR.

Starting with the South Point 400 on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jones says he is curious to see how he will react during the three three-race elimination rounds that will leave four drivers in a winner-take-all race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18.

"It'll be interesting, for sure, to see how much pressure gets put on you through these first few rounds and how guys react," said Jones, 22, who earned his first Monster Energy career win this season. "I'm interested to see how everybody drives, if the aggression is higher, what people are willing to do, and risks they are willing to take."

The final playoff field was set Monday with the completion of the delayed Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, who have dominated the regular season with a combined 13 wins, lead the playoff field after the reset with 2,050 points each.

Reigning champion Martin Truex Jr., who has won four races, is third with 2,035.

For much of the season, they've been referred to as "The Big Three," but Brad Keselowski has pushed himself into the favorites category by winning the last two races: the Big Machine Vodka 400 and the Bojangles Southern 400 at Darlington Raceway.

Keselowski (2,019 points) and Clint Bowyer (2,015) are the only other drivers with more than one win entering the playoffs.

After the next three races, the four drivers with the fewest points will be eliminated.

Seven-time Monster Energy champion Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman are the only drivers without at least one playoff bonus point.

"There have been three guys who hogged most of those bonus points," said Jones, who is in 10th place with 2,005 points. "The first round is about consistency. If you can run in the top 10 for three races, you are probably going to make it through the first round.

"That's going to be our goal there, and then we'll have to be more and more aggressive and run better and better. To get all the way to Homestead is very challenging. We've seen some of the best cars miss out."

Next up: South Point 400, 3 p.m. Sunday, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway TV, NBCSN. Streaming on NBCSports. 2017 winner: First time on schedule.