Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway reshuffled several key positions in the championship standings.
While Denny Hamlin maintained his hold on the points lead after finishing third, Chase Briscoe enjoyed the biggest jump inside the top 10 following his first victory of the 2026 season. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson’s afternoon unraveled after spinning from third place, allowing Chase Elliott to move ahead of him in the standings.
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With seven races remaining before the regular season ends, every position is becoming increasingly important.
Biggest Winners
Chase Briscoe: ↑3 (11th to 8th)
Briscoe’s victory could not have come at a better time.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned an automatic Chase berth with his first win of the season while climbing three spots in the standings. He now sits eighth with 538 points, giving himself valuable breathing room after spending much of the first half of the season hovering near the provisional cutoff.
Shane van Gisbergen: Holds 14th
Van Gisbergen’s afternoon ended in controversy after his incident with Austin Hill, but his 25th-place finish was enough to keep him comfortably inside the Chase field thanks to his two victories this season.
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He remains 14th in the standings with 437 points and enters Atlanta with one of the strongest playoff positions among the multi-time winners.
Denny Hamlin: Extends championship lead
Hamlin’s third-place finish allowed him to stretch his advantage over Tyler Reddick from 36 points entering Chicagoland to 44 points leaving the weekend.
The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran now leads the standings with 764 points and continues to strengthen his case for the regular-season championship.
Biggest Losers
Kyle Larson: ↓1 (5th to 6th)
Larson entered Sunday’s race starting alongside Hamlin on the front row and finished second in Stage 1 before his afternoon changed dramatically early in Stage 2.
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The No. 5 Chevrolet spun exiting Turn 4 after appearing to bounce over one of Chicagoland’s notorious bumps, becoming stuck in the grass before returning to the race several laps down. Larson eventually finished 34th, dropping behind Chase Elliott by a single point in the standings.
Ryan Preece: ↓2 (15th to 17th)
Preece slipped two positions after a difficult afternoon, falling to 17th with 407 points.
The drop leaves him trailing Austin Cindric and Erik Jones as the fight around the Chase cutoff continues to tighten.
Top 10 Cup Series Standings After Chicagoland
Pos. Driver Points
1 Denny Hamlin 764
2 Tyler Reddick 720
3 Ryan Blaney 651
4 Ty Gibbs 627
5 Chase Elliott 584
6 Kyle Larson 583
7 Chris Buescher 541
8 Chase Briscoe 538
9 Carson Hocevar 524
10 Christopher Bell 512
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With Atlanta Motor Speedway next on the schedule, the battle for both the regular-season title and Chase positioning remains wide open. Hamlin continues to control the standings, but Briscoe’s victory and Larson’s difficult afternoon proved just how quickly the championship picture can change.
