Updated NASCAR Cup Series Standings After Chase Elliott’s COTA Victory
Denny Hamlin remains on top
The NASCAR Cup Series standings saw a shakeup Sunday after a rainy afternoon in Austin, Texas.
Chase Elliott, at this point the top road course driver in NASCAR, earned a victory in the rain-shortened EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. It was the first win of the season for Elliott, who is the defending Cup Series champion.
Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain and A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
Denny Hamlin, who finished 14th at COTA, remains atop the standings with Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson in second and third, respectively. Larson entered Sunday’s race in fifth place.
Here are the top 16 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series standings following Elliott’s victory:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. William Byron
3. Kyle Larson
4. Joey Logano
5. Chase Elliott
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Kyle Busch
11. Austin Dillon
12. Alex Bowman
13. Chris Buescher
14. Christopher Bell
15. Tyler Reddick
16. Michael McDowell
Matt DiBenedetto, Kurth Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chastain rank 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th, respectively.
The top 16 drivers earn spots in the NASCAR playoffs, with race winners automatically qualifying. Given Hamlin’s position and the fact there have been 11 different winners this season, there really only are four spots up for grabs.
There are 14 races left in the regular season. The next Cup race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
