Martin Truex Jr. has three victories this season to Denny Hamlin’s zero, yet the latter remains atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
Truex — the only driver to win multiple races this year — picked up his third victory of the season Sunday afternoon when he won the throwback-themed Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Hamlin rounded out the top five.
That Hamlin still tops the NASCAR standings is evidence of just how good he’s been this year.
Here are the top 16 drivers following Truex’s win:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. William Byron
4. Joey Logano
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Kyle Larson
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Chase Elliott
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Kyle Busch
11. Christopher Bell
12. Austin Dillon
13. Chris Buescher
14. Alex Bowman
15. Michael McDowell
16. Tyler Reddick
Matt DiBenedetto, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch 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 16 races left in the regular season.
The next Cup race, the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway, is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
