With just two races left before the Chase reset, Denny Hamlin holds a 115-point lead in the championship. After the reset, it will be reduced to just 25 over whoever is second. After Richmond, that driver is now Ryan Blaney, who jumped back ahead of Ty Gibbs.
The biggest mover in the standings was easily Joey Logano, rocketing up four positions to ninth after winning the Cup race at Richmond. The biggest loser was Carson Hocevar for the second consecutive week, dropping three spots to 11th after being the lone DNF on Saturday night.
In the battle to make the Chase, Austin Cindric pulled himself off the bubble with his best result of the season, collecting a lot of stage points and finishing third.
Suddenly, Shane van Gisbergen is now on the bubble, but he is a full 50 points clear of his closest pursuer — Ryan Preece in 17th. Ross Chastain, who made big gains at Iowa, fell back to -63pts after Cindric’s big day.
The top seven drivers in the standings have mathematically clinched a spot in the Chase after Richmond. The Cup Series now heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
2026 NASCAR Cup points after Richmond (Race 24 of 36)
Note: Kyle Busch scored 217 points before his tragic passing, and we have followed NASCAR’s decision to no longer classify Busch in the weekly driver standings.
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