Chase Elliott and Nick Sanchez each won their way into their respective series’ playoffs last weekend at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta. Now, another wild-card race looms this weekend at the Chicago Street Course that could bring more changes to the postseason field.
As a reminder: A win clinches a playoff spot for full-time drivers in all three series, and it’s the simplest path to the postseason. The remainder of the postseason field — 16 drivers in Cup, 12 in Xfinity and 10 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series — is determined by points earned over the regular season.
Read on to see full playoff standings and key battles in each of NASCAR’s three national series.
RELATED: Upcoming Chicago schedule
NASCAR CUP SERIES
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was firmly in the field on points, but his electric EchoPark Speedway victory cements his status in the postseason. There are now 12 drivers with wins in the Cup Series. Back-to-back races at Chicago’s street course and the winding Sonoma Raceway present opportunities for others below the elimination line to steal a bid with a win.
Drivers provisionally qualified for playoffs with a win (12): Kyle Larson (three wins), Denny Hamlin (three wins), Christopher Bell (three wins), William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain.
Winless drivers more than 100 points above the elimination line (one): Tyler Reddick (+128).
Biggest movement: Alex Bowman aided in pushing teammate Chase Elliott to the win at Atlanta, although the No. 48 team could still use a win itself. Bowman’s third-place run, though, combined with a chaotic series of wrecks allowed him to move from +20 to +39.
Note: Drivers in bold have provisionally clinched a playoff spot by virtue of winning. There are eight races remaining in the regular season.
| Rank | Driver | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 3 WINS |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 3 WINS |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | 3 WINS |
| 4 | William Byron | WIN |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | WIN |
| 6 | Austin Cindric | WIN |
| 7 | Joey Logano | WIN |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | WIN |
| 9 | Josh Berry | WIN |
| 10 | Shane van Gisbergen | WIN |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | WIN |
| 12 | Ross Chastain | WIN |
| 13 | Tyler Reddick | +128 |
| 14 | Chris Buescher | +52 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | +39 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | +23 |
| ELIMINATION LINE | ||
| 17 | Ryan Preece | -23 |
| 18 | Erik Jones | -49 |
| 19 | AJ Allmendinger | -59 |
| 20 | Carson Hocevar | -62 |
| 21 | Kyle Busch | -72 |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | -73 |
| 23 | Michael McDowell | -77 |
| 24 | John Hunter Nemechek | -82 |
| 25 | Ty Gibbs | -86 |
| 26 | Zane Smith | -91 |
| 27 | Austin Dillon | -114 |
| 28 | Brad Keselowski | -122 |
| 29 | Todd Gilliland | -123 |
| 30 | Daniel Suarez | -129 |
| 31 | Justin Haley | -149 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | -154 |
| 33 | Noah Gragson | -171 |
| 34 | Cole Custer | -191 |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | -222 |
| 36 | Cody Ware | -295 |
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Big Machine Racing driver Nick Sanchez jumped from out of the playoff field to lock in with his thrilling Friday night victory. That comes at the expense of at-large hopefuls Sheldon Creed and Ryan Sieg, who dropped in the standings and find themselves tied for the final spot as it stands.
Drivers provisionally qualified for playoffs with a win (7): Justin Allgaier (three wins), Austin Hill (three wins), Connor Zilisch (two wins), Brandon Jones, Sammy Smith, Jesse Love and Nick Sanchez.
Winless drivers more than 100 points above the elimination line (one): Sam Mayer (+136).
Biggest movement: Carson Kvapil gained 20-plus points to move a full race ahead of the elimination line … Taylor Gray’s strong top-five run moved him firmly off the “last driver in” position.
Note: Drivers in bold have provisionally clinched a playoff spot by virtue of winning. There are nine races remaining in the regular season.
| Rank | Driver | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Allgaier | 3 WINS |
| 2 | Austin Hill | 3 WINS |
| 3 | Connor Zilisch | 2 WINS |
| 4 | Brandon Jones | WIN |
| 5 | Sammy Smith | WIN |
| 6 | Jesse Love | WIN |
| 7 | Nick Sanchez | WIN |
| 8 | Sam Mayer | +136 |
| 9 | Carson Kvapil | +63 |
| 10 | Taylor Gray | +28 |
| 11 | Jeb Burton | +20 |
| 12 | Sheldon Creed | +0 |
| ELIMINATION LINE | ||
| 13 | Ryan Sieg | -0 |
| 14 | Harrison Burton | -1 |
| 15 | Christian Eckes | -51 |
| 16 | Daniel Dye | -52 |
| 17 | Dean Thompson | -53 |
| 18 | Brennan Poole | -99 |
| 19 | Jeremy Clements | -105 |
| 20 | Josh Williams | -126 |
| 21 | Anthony Alfredo | -144 |
| 22 | Matt DiBenedetto | -157 |
| 23 | William Sawalich | -177 |
| 24 | Kyle Sieg | -192 |
| 25 | Parker Retzlaff | -195 |
| 26 | Blaine Perkins | -202 |
| 27 | Ryan Ellis | -206 |
| 28 | Kris Wright | -256 |
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES
Corey Heim doesn’t need to worry about making the postseason field, but his Lime Rock Park victory stacks more playoff points and nearly assures him of the top seed.
Drivers provisionally qualified for playoffs with a win (7): Corey Heim (five wins), Chandler Smith (two wins), Layne Riggs, Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Henric, Stewart Friesen and Rajah Caruth.
Biggest movement: Reigning series champion Ty Majeski has gone from being on the bubble to firmly +38, which gives him some breathing room. He’d drop below the elimination line, though, should anyone below him in the standings win their way in.
Note: Drivers in bold have provisionally clinched a playoff spot by virtue of winning. There are three races remaining in the regular season.
| Rank | Driver | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Heim | 5 WINS |
| 2 | Chandler Smith | 2 WINS |
| 3 | Layne Riggs | WIN |
| 4 | Tyler Ankrum | WIN |
| 5 | Daniel Hemric | WIN |
| 6 | Stewart Friesen | WIN |
| 7 | Rajah Caruth | WIN |
| 8 | Kaden Honeycutt | +67 |
| 9 | Grant Enfinger | +64 |
| 10 | Ty Majeski | +38 |
| ELIMINATION LINE | ||
| 11 | Jake Garcia | -38 |
| 12 | Giovanni Ruggiero | -65 |
| 13 | Ben Rhodes | -68 |
| 14 | Tanner Gray | -101 |
| 15 | Connor Mosack | -141 |
| 16 | Matt Crafton | -153 |
| 17 | Andres Perez | -165 |
| 18 | Jack Wood | -175 |
| 19 | Matt Mills | -189 |
| 20 | Dawson Sutton | -206 |
| 21 | Spencer Boyd | -248 |
| 22 | Toni Breidinger | -273 |
| 23 | Frankie Muniz | -280 |