For the first time in seven years, Phoenix Raceway is the host of a NASCAR Cup Series playoff race that is not the championship finale, and this year's Freeway Insurance 500 is even earlier in the season than any Phoenix playoff race had been contested prior to its 2020 championship debut.
Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson is the points leader heading into Sunday's 312-lap race around the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) Avondale, Arizona oval. His lead has grown each week since he overtook regular season champion Denny Hamlin at Bristol Motor Speedway in mid-September.
All 16 playoff drivers are still mathematically eligible to win the championship, but playoff race seven of 10 on the 2026 calendar will likely result in multiple eliminations, as there will be a maximum of just 228 points up for grabs for each driver throughout the rest of the season once Sunday's race concludes.
Here's how the playoff standings look after six of 10 playoff races.
NASCAR Cup Series standings before Phoenix
Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2367 | 0 |
2 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2318 | -49 |
3 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2316 | -51 |
4 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2302 | -65 |
5 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 2282 | -85 |
6 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 2275 | -92 |
7 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 2253 | -114 |
8 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 2222 | -145 |
9 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2211 | -156 |
10 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2187 | -180 |
11 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2182 | -185 |
12 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota | 2182 | -185 |
13 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2159 | -208 |
14 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2152 | -215 |
15 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 2151 | -216 |
16 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford | 2140 | -227 |
Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano qualified on the front row for Sunday's race, with Blaney, winner of two consecutive Phoenix races, on pole. A full starting lineup for Sunday's race was determined by Saturday's single-car qualifying session.
Follow along with our standings updates from Phoenix as the Freeway Insurance 500 unfolds.
NOTE: Only the 16 playoff drivers are included after the first two stages.
NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix: Standings after Stage 1
1 - Kyle Larson - 2367 (0)
2 - Denny Hamlin - 2327 (-40)
3 - Christopher Bell - 2324 (-43)
4 - Chase Briscoe - 2308 (-59)
5 - Ryan Blaney - 2289 (-78)
6 - Joey Logano - 2285 (-82)
7 - Tyler Reddick - 2255 (-112)
8 - Austin Cindric - 2222 (-145)
9 - Ty Gibbs - 2211 (-156)
10 - Carson Hocevar - 2187 (-180)
11 - Chase Elliott - 2186 (-181)
12 - Bubba Wallace - 2182 (-185)
13 - William Byron - 2164 (-203)
14 - Daniel Suarez - 2152 (-215)
15 - Chris Buescher - 2151 (-216)
16 - Ryan Preece - 2140 (-227)
NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix: Standings after Stage 2
NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix: Full standings after Freeway Insurance 500
The antepenultimate race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is the YellaWood 500, which is set to be shown live on NBC from Talladega Superspeedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET next Sunday, October 25. This race is the first of three in a row set to be shown live on NBC to conclude the season, so begin a free trial of FuboTV and catch all of the action!
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