With two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, seven of the 16 drivers participating in the Chase have locked themselves into the 10-race post-season when this year’s champion will be determined.
Those who have already secured a place in the Chase are Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell. The remaining nine positions are up for grabs with 14-18 in the standings possibly changing in the final two events of the 26-race regular season at the one-mile New Hampshire track and the 2.5-mile Daytona facility.
Bubba Wallace is 14th, just 20 points ahead of Shane van Gisbergen in 16th. Next is Austin Cindric, who has a mere seven-point advantage over Van Gisbergen. Then Ryan Preece is still clinging to hope in 17th, 50 points behind Van Gisbergen. Ross Chastain in 18th trails Trackhouse Racing teammate Van Gisbergen by 63 points.
Van Gisbergen said it was his team’s strategy that allowed him to finish 14th in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway that was won by Joey Logano.
“The line I used during the Truck race seemed to work for us, especially when the tires wore out. I could roll the top and gain quite a few spots. Clean air, as well, seemed to work.”
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Shane van Gisbergen (#97) finished in 14th.
Van Gisbergen earned the pole for the Black’s Tire 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and then finished fourth in the event that was scheduled for Friday night but postponed until Saturday afternoon due to rain.
Chastain, who finished 12th in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400, ran in the top 10 for most of the night. “If we would have been doing this all summer, we would be in a lot different spot (in the standings),” Chastain noted.
Top 10 For Hendrick
Throughout the season, fans and media have focused on Hendrick Motorsports’ performance as the organization adapted to the new Chevrolet body. Twenty-four races into the 2026 season, Chase Elliott is the only Hendrick driver with a victory and he owns two.
Even though Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 victory at Richmond Raceway went to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports managed to place all four of its drivers in the top 10. Elliott finished fifth, Kyle Larson sixth, William Byron ninth and Alex Bowman 10th.
“I thought we were kind of hovering around seventh and eighth,” Elliott said. “Then, obviously, most of the field committed to three-stopping the last Stage up until that caution. We elected to stay out, and I know a few guys chose to pit there, put on some scuffs, and maybe burn a set of stickers. It ended up working out pretty well for us.
“Obviously, it’s not a win, but for how things have been going the last few months, it feels nice to just have a really solid night.”
Cindric, Suarez Avoid Pit Road Collison
Austin Cindric and Daniel Suarez barely avoided colliding on pit road during Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, but it was Cindric’s front-tire changer that executed a heads-up move that prevented possible problems for both drivers.
On lap 181 of the 400-lap race, Suarez was exiting his pit just as Cindric was pulling into his. Team Penske front-tire changer Justin Armwood saw the near collision and as he ran to the right side of Cindric’s Ford, he threw the air hose connected to his impact wrench over Suarez’s car. That prevented Suarez from running over the air hose and possibly yanking it out of Armwood’s air gun.
Cindric eventually finished third and Suarez 16th. The Team Penske driver also advanced one position in the driver standings to 15th.
“I felt like I had a car that could have won tonight and we didn’t and that’s my only frustration,” Cindric said, “but as far as the big picture goes for the season, it was a very important night for us to capitalize on a good car.”
Gragson Staying With Front Row
Noah Gragson will return to Front Row Motorsports in 2027 with options to extend beyond next year.
Gragson, who finished 18th in Richmond Raceway’s Cook Out 400, is in his third full season in the Cup Series and second with FRM. He is 31st in the standings. His lone top 10 this year came at Talladega in April when he finished ninth.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.