Update, September 20: Three of the ten postseason races are done. After Joey Logano’s win at Bristol on Saturday night, Kyle Larson leads the standings by a single point over Denny Hamlin, with Logano third, 16 back. Note that NASCAR returned to the old Chase points format for 2026, so there is no cut line and no elimination rounds this season. The table below reflects the field as it was seeded when the postseason began.
The playoff field was set and points were reset at the start of the postseason. Denny Hamlin leads on 2,100 with four wins, Ryan Blaney is second and Tyler Reddick, who has more wins than anyone with five, is third. The bottom four of the 16 are Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece and William Byron, all within 15 points of each other, which is nothing.
| # | Driver | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 4 | 2,100 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 3 | 2,075 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 5 | 2,065 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 2 | 2,060 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 1 | 2,055 |
| 6 | Christopher Bell | 0 | 2,050 |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | 0 | 2,045 |
| 8 | Chase Elliott | 2 | 2,040 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 2 | 2,035 |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | 0 | 2,030 |
| 11 | Daniel Suarez | 1 | 2,025 |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar | 1 | 2,020 |
| 13 | William Byron | 0 | 2,015 |
| 14 | Bubba Wallace | 0 | 2,010 |
| 15 | Austin Cindric | 0 | 2,005 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece | 1 | 2,000 |
How the Playoffs Work
Sixteen drivers start. The field is cut to 12 after three races, to eight after three more, then to four for the finale, where the highest finisher among the remaining four wins the championship regardless of points. A win in any playoff race advances a driver automatically to the next round, which is why the drivers below the cut line are racing for victories rather than points.
Who Is in Trouble
Byron, Wallace, Cindric and Preece sit below the cut, but only 20 points separate 12th from 16th, so a single strong race reorders it. The bigger concern for that group is that three of the four have not won this season, so they need results rather than one good day. Reddick with five wins and Hamlin with four have the most margin.
Related
Full Cup standings · Southern 500 · F1 driver standings
The Bottom Line
Denny Hamlin leads the reset playoff standings on 2,100 points. Byron, Wallace, Cindric and Preece are below the cut line with 20 points covering the last five spots. This page updates after each playoff race.