Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin entered the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series "Chase" postseason as the points leader, thanks to his 89-point winning margin in the regular season point standings over Team Penske's Ryan Blaney.
But that lead was reduced to 25 points to begin the 10-race playoffs, thanks to the predetermined pre-playoff point values that were announced when NASCAR made the decision to go back to the Chase format and abandon the "win and in", knockout-style setup that had been used since 2014.
That lead was further reduced to 12 points at Darlington Raceway to begin the postseason thanks to Hamlin's 18th place finish, and it's now teammate Christopher Bell who is second in points after finally getting into the win column this year by winning the Cook Out Southern 500.
Will there be a new points leader for the first time since June after Sunday afternoon's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, one of just two postseason races set to be contested at a track that did not appear on the 26-race regular season calendar?
Here's how the championship picture looks with nine races left on the postseason schedule.
NASCAR Cup Series standings before Gateway
Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2135 | 0 |
2 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2123 | -12 |
3 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 2119 | -16 |
4 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 2111 | -24 |
5 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2098 | -37 |
6 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2096 | -39 |
7 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2086 | -49 |
8 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 2063 | -72 |
9 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2063 | -72 |
10 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota | 2054 | -81 |
11 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 2047 | -88 |
12 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2046 | -89 |
13 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2041 | -94 |
14 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 2033 | -102 |
15 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford | 2031 | -104 |
16 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2021 | -114 |
Team Penske's Joey Logano took the pole position at Gateway, and Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson joined him on the front row. A full starting lineup for Sunday's race was determined by Saturday's single-car qualifying session.
Follow along with our standings updates from Gateway as the Enjoy Illinois 300 unfolds.
NOTE: Only the 16 playoff drivers are included after the first two stages.
NASCAR Cup Series at Gateway: Standings after Stage 1
1 - Denny Hamlin - 2135 (0)
2 - Christopher Bell - 2132 (-3)
3 - Ryan Blaney - 2126 (-9)
4 - Tyler Reddick - 2111 (-24)
5 - Chase Briscoe - 2102 (-33)
6 - Ty Gibbs - 2098 (-37)
7 - Kyle Larson - 2094 (-41)
8 - Joey Logano - 2073 (-62)
9 - Chase Elliott - 2069 (-66)
10 - Bubba Wallace - 2054 (-81)
11 - Carson Hocevar - 2051 (-84)
12 - Chris Buescher - 2047 (-88)
13 - Daniel Suarez - 2041 (-94)
14 - Austin Cindric - 2033 (-102)
15 - Ryan Preece - 2031 (-104)
16 - William Byron - 2021 (-114)
NASCAR Cup Series at Gateway: Standings after Stage 2
NASCAR Cup Series at Gateway: Full standings after Enjoy Illinois 300
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is the third race on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series postseason schedule, and it is scheduled to take place this coming Saturday, September 19, with live coverage set to be provided by USA Network from Bristol Motor Speedway beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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