The stage is set. The Chase presented by Mobil 1 is upon us. The 12-driver field for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series was cemented after the 2026 regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Now comes the nine-race gantlet toward title glory, with one driver taking home the championship crown once the dust settles in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
So, how does the group shake out heading into postseason play? Let’s cut to The Chase (no pun intended), with NASCAR.com’s John Crane ranking the 12 Chase drivers before the postseason begins at Darlington Raceway on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule
Seed: No. 1
Postseason appearance: 11th
Regular-season stats: 6 wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s, 2 poles, 559 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Bristol, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Martinsville, Homestead
Analysis: The runaway leader during the regular season, the 40-year-old Allgaier enters The Chase as the championship favorite. The 2024 O’Reilly champion’s wins, top fives, top 10s, laps led and 9.4 average finish this season lead all full-timers, and when comparing his 2026 to prior O’Reilly campaigns, it isn’t far-fetched to suggest that this is Allgaier’s best. The postseason slate only strengthens Allgaier’s title case as the No. 7 driver possesses at least one O’Reilly victory at every playoff track except for two (Gateway, Talladega).
Seed: No. 2
Postseason appearance: 2nd
Regular-season stats: 2 wins, 9 top fives, 15 top 10s, 0 poles, 181 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Bristol, Charlotte, Phoenix
Analysis: It’s been up, up, up for the 23-year-old Kvapil ever since his first career O’Reilly win in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Following it up with career O’Reilly triumph No. 2 at Iowa Speedway two weeks later — not to mention a third-place result in the regular-season finale — illustrates Kvapil’s budding stardom. Such momentum could be dangerous for the rest of the postseason field. Let’s not forget Kvapil raced in the postseason last year. With experience, speed and winning capability, the future No. 8 JR Motorsports driver has what it takes to make a claim for the championship crown.
Seed: No. 5
Postseason appearance: 5th
Regular-season stats: 2 wins, 7 top fives, 11 top 10s, 1 pole, 173 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Las Vegas, Talladega, Martinsville, Homestead
Analysis: A Daytona runner-up has Hill on a momentum swing, with finishes of 11th or better in four of the last five O’Reilly races. Though his top-five, top-10 and lap-led totals are not on pace to shatter any records, Hill brings some of the best oval acumen to the table, and there are plenty of ovals on the postseason slate. With a career-best O’Reilly finish of fourth in the championship table (2024), does the soon-to-be full-time driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series have enough juice to capture a title before the Cup leap? There is a path.
Seed: No. 3
Postseason appearance: 4th
Regular-season stats: 1 win, 9 top fives, 16 top 10s, 1 pole, 182 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville
Analysis: Creed’s 8.2 average start ranks first among full-timers, while his 10.5 average finish ranks second. Not too shabby. Coupled with four consecutive races with at least one lap led, the No. 00 Chevrolet is in good shape entering postseason action. The big question: Can Creed make another winning impact? We all know about his Victory Lane breakthrough in February at EchoPark Speedway, but another triumph or two would go a long way in making a championship case. Opportunities certainly abound, and with Creed on pace to shatter his laps-led total (190 in 2023), that could become reality.
Seed: No. 4
Postseason appearance: 3rd
Regular-season stats: 0 wins, 7 top fives, 13 top 10s, 1 pole, 383 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Phoenix, Talladega, Homestead
Analysis: Tough sledding of late — look no further than four consecutive finishes of 16th or worse — has the defending O’Reilly champion on the cusp of dropping out of the top five. The No. 2 remains inside the top five in this installment, though, primarily on track record and the ability to race at the front of the field during postseason action; Love’s 383 laps led rank second among full-time drivers. Benefit of the doubt is applicable in this instance. Whether Love can put together a scorcher will be the difference between defending his title and missing it by a wide margin.
Seed: No. 6
Postseason appearance: 8th
Regular-season stats: 1 win, 6 top fives, 14 top 10s, 1 pole, 131 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Martinsville, Homestead
Analysis: Jones has held steady at P6 in the driver standings for a bit, and that continues heading into The Chase. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been consistent in his starting and finishing position, with near-identical marks in average start and average finish (11.2 vs. 12.2). Though Kansas Speedway — where he possesses three wins — is not on the postseason docket, Jones (who will return to Joe Gibbs next season) still has the capability to make postseason noise. After all, Jones finished runner-up in March at Darlington. Can that performance be replicated and then duplicated for other tracks? To be determined.
Seed: No. 7
Postseason appearance: 1st
Regular-season stats: 2 wins, 6 top fives, 15 top 10s, 1 pole, 195 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Las Vegas, Charlotte, Talladega
Analysis: Finishes of 29th or worse in three of the last four races have Day limping into postseason play. Leading laps and contending for race wins give Day a Chase advantage, but just how much of that advantage will propel the No. 17 driver? The good news is that the bulk of Day’s 2026 success has come at tracks on the postseason schedule, with finishes inside the top 10 at Phoenix Raceway (ninth), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (eighth), Bristol Motor Speedway (eighth), Darlington (sixth) and Charlotte (fifth), a runner-up at Martinsville Speedway and a win at Talladega Superspeedway. Being a rookie, postseason racing could be a different beast, and how Day tackles the challenge will be fascinating to watch.
Seed: No. 9
Postseason appearance: 1st
Regular-season stats: 0 wins, 4 top fives, 10 top 10s, 0 poles, 8 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Gateway, Talladega
Analysis: The theme of Retzlaff’s 2026 campaign? Consistent and clean. With only two DNFs to his ledger — with the most recent one coming in May at Dover Motor Speedway — it’s no surprise the 23-year-old Retzlaff has compiled a ton of positive track time, with the net result being a top-10 points position and coveted Chase berth. The No. 99 driver has been a boon for Viking Motorsports this season, but with limited laps led, the team will need to reach another gear if it wants to contend for hardware.
Seed: No. 8
Postseason appearance: 4th
Regular-season stats: 0 wins, 6 top fives, 10 top 10s, 0 poles, 51 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Darlington, Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville
Analysis: Smith has run a similar trajectory to Retzlaff in terms of overall consistency, though the former enters The Chase on shakier footing, finishing 36th at Daytona. Smith’s strong start to 2026 — where he finished ninth or better in six of the first seven contests — will need to be replicated in some fashion if Smith wishes to crack into the circuit’s upper echelon over his final nine races as driver of the No. 8. Luckily for Smith, four of the first seven tracks to open the season (Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington, Martinsville) are on the postseason calendar. Same goes for Talladega, where Smith compiled his second-best finish of the year (fourth).
Seed: No. 11
Postseason appearance: 2nd
Regular-season stats: 1 win, 3 top fives, 9 top 10s, 1 pole, 189 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Phoenix, Martinsville
Analysis: Going dancing for a second consecutive season gives the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing a sense of unfinished business. Add in the fact that Gray’s first O’Reilly victory came at Martinsville during postseason play last season, and the storyline of what the young Gray can do in his sophomore postseason campaign becomes more tantalizing. With Martinsville the penultimate Chase track this season, it is imperative that Gray leverages consistent, solid finishes in the build-up to that short-track showdown. Can it be done? Sure. But work still needs to happen beforehand.
Seed: No. 10
Postseason appearance: 5th
Regular-season stats: 0 wins, 5 top fives, 10 top 10s, 3 poles, 171 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Bristol, Martinsville, Homestead
Analysis: There’s no doubt that Mayer has illustrated qualifying speed; Mayer’s 8.5 average start ranks tied for second among full-time drivers, behind only Creed (8.2). A 17.5 average finish puts a damper on that statistic, and whether Mayer can finish races in The Chase will determine if a legitimate title path can be paved. Like Gray, success needs to come early and often. Why? Homestead-Miami Speedway is arguably Mayer’s best track (one win, three top fives, four top 10s, 68 laps led), and that is the site of this year’s finale. If there is a stretch for Mayer to put complete races together, this is the time.
Seed: No. 12
Postseason appearance: 1st
Regular-season stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 8 top 10s, 1 pole, 87 laps led
Best Chase tracks: Charlotte, Phoenix
Analysis: Overcoming a late wreck at Daytona to slide into the 12-driver Chase field highlights Caruth’s ability to perform in the clutch. The clutch gene will need to continue in more ways than one during this year’s postseason, though, not only because he was the last driver in, but also because the 24-year-old driver only has top-10 finishes at two Chase tracks (Charlotte, Phoenix). The mountain will be a tough one to climb, and even if it is successfully completed, help from others in the postseason hunt will be necessary to make a big climb.