Thanks to his early consistency, 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace has spent more time than anybody in second place in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings behind teammate Tyler Reddick, winner of four of the 2026 season's first seven races, so far in 2026.
But a rough two-race stint at Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway has dropped Wallace from second to third and now to 11th (as the loser of a four-way tie for eighth) in the standings.
Hendrick Motorsports earned their first win of the year with Chase Elliott at Martinsville, and with the winless Wallace now outside of the top 10, Elliott's win means that this year's four winners now occupy the first four positions in the point standings.
Reddick still leads the way, and he's 82 points ahead of Team Penske's Ryan Blaney, who won at Phoenix Raceway, and 94 points ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, who won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott is 104 points behind.
The top driver without a victory is now Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron.
It is rare that the first seven races of a season pass without the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet finding victory lane, and not just because he won the season-opening Daytona 500 in both 2024 and 2025.
From 2021 to 2023, he found victory lane at least once within the first three races each season as well. He also won at Martinsville in both 2022 and 2024, although the "Paperclip" hosted the season's eighth race during those seasons.
To see Byron up to fifth in points is still not a huge surprise, because he has quietly been one of the most consistent drivers in the field over the past month.
After starting the year without any top 10 finishes in the first three races, something that hadn't happened since 2020 before he had ever actually found victory lane at any point during his Cup Series career, he has now reeled off four straight top eight results. Only Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs, who is 16 points behind Byron in sixth place, has done the same.
Byron's top finish of the year is third at Las Vegas, and he also has just one finish lower than 13th. It's somewhat of an obscure note, but nevertheless, it is something that only Reddick and Hamlin can also say.
Hendrick Motorsports, as a whole, have struggled to start the 2026 season, so in that respect, Elliott's win at Martinsville was a bit of a surprise, especially considering it marks the earliest he's ever won a race during his 11-year career.
But Byron has won multiple races in four straight seasons, including at least three each year since 2023, so it is only a matter of time before he gets back to victory lane himself?
Regardless, he's performing at a high enough level that, with the "win and in" postseason format out the window, he should be able to stay toward the top of the point standings.
The NASCAR Cup Series has off this weekend for Easter, with Bristol Motor Speedway on the schedule for next weekend. The Food City 500 is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 12. Begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action!