Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Michelle R. Martinelli

Breaking down NASCAR’s playoff picture with just 10 regular-season races left

Going into the race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway for Sunday’s Ally 400, the NASCAR Cup Series has just 10 of 26 regular-season races remaining, which means only 10 more chances for drivers to win a race and lock themselves into the playoffs, starting in September.

After a rare off-weekend, NASCAR is headed to Nashville before taking on Chicago’s street course race in a new event, followed by races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Richmond Raceway to close out the month.

If a driver wins at least one of the 26 regular-season races, they secure their spot in the 10-race playoffs culminating in a winner-take-all championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November. If there are fewer than 16 different race winners in the regular season, the rest of the playoff field is determined by points.

RELATED: Daytona International Speedway might host Jaguars games, even though it probably shouldn’t

With the season’s first 16 races in the books, Martin Truex Jr. is at the top of the regular-season standings, and the regular-season winner gets a 15-point bonus headed into the playoffs.

Notably absent from the current projected playoff picture is 2020 champ Chase Elliott, who’s recent suspension and injury have kept him sidelined for seven races. At 27th in the regular-season standings, he’ll likely have to win a race to make the postseason at this point.

So with 10 races remaining before the playoffs, here’s a look at the top-20 drivers in the regular-season standings, along with their projected playoff rank and points.

1
Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 525
Projected playoff rank: 2
Projected playoff points: 2026

2023 wins: 2
Top-5 finishes: 5
Laps led: 434

2
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

(David Jensen/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 512 (-13)
Projected playoff rank: 1
Projected playoff points: 2027

2023 wins: 3
Top-5 finishes: 7
Laps led: 717

3
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 501 (-24)
Projected playoff rank: 4
Projected playoff points: 2015

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 4
Laps led: 319

4
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

(Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 501 (-24)
Projected playoff rank: 6
Projected playoff points: 2012

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes:5
Laps led: 348

5
Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

(Logan Riely/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 500 (-25)
Projected playoff rank: 11
Projected playoff points: 2007

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 4
Laps led: 98

6
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

(Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 496 (-29)
Projected playoff rank: 3
Projected playoff points: 2022

2023 wins: 3
Top-5 finishes: 5
Laps led: 214

7
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 493 (-32)
Projected playoff rank: 9
Projected playoff points: 2009

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 5
Laps led: 206

8
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

(Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports)

Regular season points: 462 (-63)
Projected playoff rank: 7
Projected playoff points: 2011

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 4
Laps led: 255

9
Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 444 (-81)
Projected playoff rank: 8
Projected playoff points: 2009

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 5
Laps led: 217

10
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 440 (-85)
Projected playoff rank: 5
Projected playoff points: 2013

2023 wins: 2
Top-5 finishes: 6
Laps led: 588

11
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 430 (-95)
Projected playoff rank: 14
Projected playoff points: 2001

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 3
Laps led: 50

12
Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

(David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports)

Regular season points: 424 (-101)
Projected playoff rank: 13
Projected playoff points: 2001

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 3
Laps led: 115

13
Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

(SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Regular season points: 420 (-105)
Projected playoff rank: 10
Projected playoff points: 2007

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 5
Laps led: 168

14
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Regular season points: 400 (-125)
Projected playoff rank: 12
Projected playoff points: 2005

2023 wins: 1
Top-5 finishes: 2
Laps led: 21

15
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 354 (-171)
Projected playoff rank: 15
Projected playoff points: 2000

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 4
Laps led: 53

16
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

(Jeff Curry/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 3331 (-194)
Projected playoff rank: 16
Projected playoff points: 1995

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 3
Laps led: 47

17
Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 328 (-197)
Projected playoff rank: 17
Projected playoff points: N/A

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 1
Laps led: 16

18
Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

(Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Regular season points: 320 (-205)
Projected playoff rank: 18
Projected playoff points: N/A

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 0
Laps led: 4

19
Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

(Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports)

Regular season points: 317 (-208)
Projected playoff rank: 19
Projected playoff points: N/A

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 0
Laps led: 12

20
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

(AP Photo/Darren Yamashita)

Regular season points: 298 (-227)
Projected playoff rank: 20
Projected playoff points: N/A

2023 wins: 0
Top-5 finishes: 0
Laps led: 1

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.