Denny Hamlin remains on top
Alex Bowman on Sunday joined Martin Truex Jr. as the only other driver to win multiple NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver took the checkered flag in the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway, moving up one spot in the NASCAR points standings as a result. Bowman’s first victory of the campaign was in last month’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.
Denny Hamlin, who finished seventh at Dover, remains atop the standings with William Byron eclipsing Truex for the No. 2 spot.
Here are the top 16 drivers following Bowman’s win:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. William Byron
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Joey Logano
5. Kyle Larson
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Chase Elliott
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Kyle Busch
11. Austin Dillon
12. Christopher Bell
13. Alex Bowman
14. Chris Buescher
15. Tyler Reddick
16. Michael McDowell
Matt DiBenedetto, Kurth Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Newman rank 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th, respectively.
The top 16 drivers qualify for the NASCAR playoffs, with race winners automatically qualifying. Given Hamlin’s position and the fact there have been 10 different winners this season, there really only are five spots up for grabs.
There are 15 races left in the regular season. The next Cup race, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.