For the past 23 years, there have been all kinds of different calculations about who the "rightful" NASCAR Cup Series champion would be if NASCAR simply used points, with no postseason resets.
After after they finally got rid of the much-maligned "win and in", knockout-style Championship 4 format that was used from 2014 to 2025, those calculations were always still going to exist when they opted to go back to a version of the Chase, similar to the one that was used from 2004 to 2013.
In totally predictable fashion, the driver who led the series in total points scored over all 36 races on the 2026 schedule, Denny Hamlin, did not end up being crowned champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Instead, it was a driver who did not win a single regular season race, gained 248 points on the leader simply because of the post-regular season points reset, and used that to his advantage to take the lead just three races into the playoffs. Nearly two months later, he never looked back after that.
We say that with no intention of taking anything away from Kyle Larson. Maybe he didn't deserve this one, in the eyes of some. But he earned this one, and that's what counts. Nobody had a 10-race Chase strong enough to even come close to matching his, and it's why he clinched it even before stage two started on Sunday. He was at his best when it mattered the most, and then some.
And look; we all know that drivers would take different approaches to different races if a different format was in place. That goes without saying, yet we, ironically, do need to keep saying it.
But if all other things remained equal, here's how the standings would have looked under a full-season points format.
NASCAR Cup Series standings with full-season points
Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 1372 | 0 |
2 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 1270 | -102 |
3 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 1226 | -146 |
4 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 1180 | -192 |
5 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 1167 | -205 |
6 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 1160 | -212 |
7 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 1092 | -280 |
8 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 1060 | -312 |
9 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 995 | -377 |
10 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 970 | -402 |
11 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota | 934 | -438 |
12 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 932 | -440 |
13 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 894 | -478 |
14 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 887 | -485 |
15 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 859 | -513 |
16 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford | 848 | -524 |
It marks the 14th time in 23 postseasons that the full-season points leader did not end up winning the actual championship.
What's interesting about the full-season standings isn't necessarily that Denny Hamlin, who won the regular season title with his four victories, finished on top, but the fact that he finished with the lead he had over Ryan Blaney in second place.
To the average fan, you might look at Hamlin's postseason and think it was yet another case of him fumbling an opportunity, another instance of a "choke" being added to his resume. Or at least, that's what the media tried to sell to you over the past 10 weeks.
There were a few unforced errors, but not nearly enough that avoiding them altogether would have made a difference in the championship outcome.
The reality is that Larson earned just one more top 10 finish than Hamlin did the entire Chase, and Hamlin actually extended his full-season points lead over Blaney from the start of the Chase until the end.
He extended his lead over the drivers who finished the regular season third and fourth in the point standings as well. Tyler Reddick went from 133 points behind to 146 behind, and Ty Gibbs dropped from 135 points behind to 205 points behind.
In other words, with no points reset, absolutely nobody would have even batted an eye over Hamlin's alleged "struggles" from September to November. Nobody.
Hamlin was consistent. Larson was just simply more consistent, and at a higher level. And sometimes you just have to tip your cap, which is exactly what the driver of the No. 11 Toyota did to the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet.
But at the same time, leading the full-season standings is something that Hamlin, despite his Hall of Fame resume, never actually managed to do in his first 20 seasons in the series. And although it won't net him a trophy, he deserves major props for that as well.
Who will emerge on top in 2027? The NASCAR Cup Series is scheduled to begin with the 69th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 21, with live coverage from Daytona International Speedway set to be provided by Fox.
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