Kyle Larson now is nipping at Denny Hamlin’s heels for the top spot in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver took the checkered flag Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his second win of the season. Larson joins Alex Bowman and Martin Truex Jr. as the only drivers to win multiple races on the campaign.
Hamlin, despite not being one of this season’s 11 different race winners, remains atop the NASCAR standings as the Cup Series enters the summer months. Larson, who entered Sunday’s race in third, now is in second place.
William Byron, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Here are the top 16 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series standings following Larson’s victory:
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Larson
3. William Byron
4. Chase Elliott
5. Joey Logano
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Ryan Blaney
8. Kyle Busch
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Brad Keselowski
11. Austin Dillon
12. Alex Bowman
13. Tyler Reddick
14. Chris Buescher
15. Christopher Bell
16. Michael McDowell
Matt DiBenedetto, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman 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 13 races left in the regular season. The next Cup race, the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.
