Updated Monday, August 31, 2026.
The regular season is over and the points have been reset. All 16 playoff drivers now sit on a 2,000-point base plus the playoff points they banked over 26 races, which is why the top of the table is separated by single digits rather than hundreds.
Denny Hamlin leads on 2,100. Tyler Reddick has more wins than anyone with five and sits third.
| Pos | Driver | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 2,100 | 4 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 2,075 | 3 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 2,065 | 5 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 2,060 | 2 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 2,055 | 1 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | 2,050 | 0 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 2,045 | 0 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 2,040 | 2 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 2,035 | 2 |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | 2,030 | 0 |
| 11 | Daniel Suárez | 2,025 | 1 |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar | 2,020 | 1 |
| 13 | William Byron | 2,015 | 0 |
| 14 | Bubba Wallace | 2,010 | 0 |
| 15 | Austin Cindric | 2,005 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece | 2,000 | 1 |
| 17 | Shane van Gisbergen | 605 | 2 |
| 18 | Brad Keselowski | 543 | 0 |
| 19 | Ross Chastain | 518 | 0 |
| 20 | Michael McDowell | 517 | 0 |
| 21 | Erik Jones | 498 | 0 |
| 22 | Todd Gilliland | 468 | 0 |
| 23 | AJ Allmendinger | 463 | 0 |
| 24 | Zane Smith | 455 | 0 |
| 25 | Austin Dillon | 435 | 0 |
The heavy line marks the playoff cutoff. Drivers 17th and below carry their regular-season points totals and are not eligible for the championship.
Why the Numbers Look Strange
The gap between 16th and 17th — 2,000 points to 605 — is not a measure of performance. When the playoffs begin, every qualifying driver is reset to 2,000 points and awarded the playoff points they earned during the regular season. Non-playoff drivers simply keep accumulating on the old scale.
So Hamlin’s 100-point advantage over the cutoff represents 20 playoff points, earned through race wins, stage wins and his regular-season finish. Each win is worth five playoff points, each stage win one.
Wins Don’t Match the Order
Tyler Reddick has five victories, more than any driver in the series, and sits third. Hamlin has four and leads. Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson are sixth and seventh without a win between them.
That is the system working as intended: consistency and stage points carry weight alongside victories. Bell and Larson banked enough stage wins and top finishes across 26 races to out-point drivers who won races but finished poorly elsewhere.
The most notable absence is Shane van Gisbergen, 17th with two wins — more victories than nine of the drivers who made the field, but not enough points to join them.
The Bottom Line
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series standings on 2,100 points after the playoff reset, 25 clear of Ryan Blaney and 35 ahead of Tyler Reddick, who has a series-best five wins. Sixteen drivers remain eligible for the championship. For the elimination format and round-by-round cutlines, see our NASCAR playoff standings.