Only three drivers managed to close the points gap to Denny Hamlin during an intense race at World Wide Technology Raceway. This 1.25-mile circuit, situated just across the river from St. Louis and once known as Gateway, saw nearly every Chase competitor involved in some incident throughout the event.
Here is my ranking of Chase contenders with eight races remaining, starting with Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
On The Cusp (in alphabetical order):
Chris Buescher (RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, 111 points behind Hamlin): Suffered a brake failure in St. Louis, losing 23 points to Hamlin. Though he won at Bristol in 2022, he hasn’t cracked the top 10 in his last four starts there.
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, -114): Finished fourth at St. Louis, maintaining his point gap but not shrinking it. Byron has yet to finish in the top five at Bristol since 2022.
Austin Cindric (Team Penske No. 2 Ford, -108): Climbed a couple of spots to 12th after finishing 10th at St. Louis but didn’t gain on Hamlin. His average Bristol finish sits at 22.7.
Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevy, -88): Finished eighth at St. Louis, one spot ahead of Hamlin, but his battles during the race could impact him going forward. Bristol, a track where alliances are valuable, saw him finish 10th this spring.
Ryan Preece (RFK Racing No. 60 Ford, -111): Finished 17th at St. Louis, a position too low to make a serious comeback. Preece has never led a lap at Bristol in the Cup Series.
Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy, -119): Had a disappointing 29th place at St. Louis, hoping to climb the points standings. Bristol is one of his weakest tracks, with an average finish of 19.7.
Chase Contender Rankings:
10. Bubba Wallace: After finishing 14th at St. Louis, Wallace had a tough race, but some stronger tracks remain in the Chase schedule. Unfortunately, Bristol is not one of his strengths, with only two top-10 finishes in 14 starts there. He finished 11th in the spring race.
9. Joey Logano: Currently seventh in points, Logano still needs his team to prove competitive on 1.5-mile tracks to mount a serious comeback. His third-place finish at St. Louis helped him gain 21 points on Hamlin. He has recently put together two consecutive top-10 finishes at Bristol, breaking a pattern of nine finishes outside the top 10 there.
8. Chase Elliott: Displaying better speed than usual at St. Louis before a brake rotor failure ended his day. Elliott has twice finished second at Bristol during the Next Gen era but has struggled in his last three races there, placing 15th or worse.
7. Ty Gibbs: After an 18th-place finish at St. Louis, it’s uncertain if Gibbs can rally without extensive Chase experience. However, his spring victory at Bristol offers hope that the track could be a turning point.
6. Tyler Reddick: Encountered multiple incidents at St. Louis resulting in a 25th-place finish. Bristol is not a top track for him, but he recently broke a string of seven finishes outside the top 10 with a fourth-place finish in the spring.
5. Chase Briscoe: One of the few drivers whose late-race incident was just bad luck. Briscoe, along with Logano, might be among the few who can overcome point deficits. He has two top-five finishes at Bristol in the Next Gen era, including fifth place this spring.
4. Ryan Blaney: His brake rotor trouble at a track where Fords had strong chances was unfortunate. Blaney boasts three straight top-five finishes at Bristol, including a runner-up finish in the spring.
3. Christopher Bell: Finished 19th at St. Louis, missing a prime opportunity to take over the points lead. Bell is the defending Bristol night race winner and has four top-five finishes there in the Next Gen era, though he struggled with a 27th-place finish in the spring.
2. Kyle Larson: Larson gained 40 points on Hamlin with his St. Louis win. If he finds momentum, he will be a formidable challenger. Bristol has been kind to Larson, with two wins and six top-five finishes in seven Next Gen races, including a third-place finish this spring.
1. Denny Hamlin: While not having back-to-back standout races, Hamlin has maintained the points lead. Only three drivers closed the gap to him at St. Louis. With tracks ahead that suit his strengths, starting with Bristol—where he has just one finish outside the top 10 in the Next Gen era, including two wins—Hamlin is well-positioned. He finished ninth in the spring.
Fan Take:
This update is crucial as it shows how the Chase field is tightening, with only a few drivers realistically able to challenge Hamlin’s dominance. For NASCAR fans, the upcoming races, beginning with Bristol, promise high-stakes drama and intense battles that could define the championship’s outcome.
Source: www.foxsports.com
