Who is most likely to claim the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship?
Welcome to the FOX Sports Contender Rankings. With the regular season concluded, attention now turns to the 16 drivers competing in The Chase.
I have listed the top 10 title contenders based on my assessment of their odds to win the championship. These rankings will be updated weekly with a brief preview of each upcoming race track.
On The Cusp (In Alphabetical Order):
Chris Buescher (RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, 70 points behind leader): His performance is too erratic. Although he nearly won at Darlington in 2024, he boasts only one top-five finish there during the Next Gen car era.
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, -85): He hasn’t shown strong pace this season. Perhaps Darlington, where he secured a win in May 2023, will be his breakthrough spot.
Austin Cindric (Team Penske No. 2 Ford, -95): His earlier fifth-place finish at Darlington marked his first top 10, so a strong start could help him become competitive.
Ryan Preece (RFK Racing No. 60 Ford, -100): Although he earned a spot in The Chase, he has yet to crack a top 10 at Darlington, raising doubts about his championship potential.
Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy, -75): With only seven top 10s this season and just two career top 10 finishes at Darlington, he will need much more in the final 10 races to contend for the title.
Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota, -90): His results have been inconsistent, but he has shown promise at Darlington, recording five top 10 finishes.
Champion Contender Rankings:
Carson Hocevar: He’s capable of ranking anywhere from the top five to 16th. His speed and aggressive driving earn strong finishes, as shown by a ninth and fourth place in his last two Darlington starts, though that approach can at times be costly.
Joey Logano: A three-time champion with experience handling pressure, Logano questions remain about his current speed. He won the first Next Gen race at Darlington in 2022 but has managed only one top 10 in his last eight starts there and performed poorly in April.
Chase Elliott: He has led laps in just three of the past nine races, which likely won’t be sufficient to challenge seriously. Elliott hasn’t earned a top-five finish in his last eight Darlington races, signaling a tough Chase start.
Kyle Larson: Despite not winning in 50 races, Larson has led an impressive 659 laps this year. Although he will need some luck and competitive missteps from others to claim the title, his record includes wins at eight of the 10 Chase tracks, including Darlington in 2023 – though the latter has also been a challenging venue for him physically.
Ty Gibbs: A bit more experience and refinement might be all Gibbs needs to contend seriously. His finishes of second and sixth at Darlington in 2024 suggest that a strong beginning to The Chase could make him a bigger factor.
Chase Briscoe: Known for consistently positioning himself to contend, Briscoe and the well-tested JGR No. 19 team bring postseason confidence. He won the last two Southern 500 races, though he placed 12th at Darlington in spring.
Tyler Reddick: As a two-time O’Reilly Series champ, Reddick handles pressure well. Early in 2026, he won five of the first nine races, including Darlington, and aims to regain that momentum as The Chase kicks off on this track.
Ryan Blaney: The 2023 Cup champion has been the top Ford driver with three wins. He posted his best Darlington finish ever with third place in spring but must overcome inconsistencies in his pit crew and keep accumulating stage points, which he led during the regular season.
Christopher Bell: Without a win this year but boasting a career-best 11 top fives (including seven runner-up finishes), Bell’s increasing consistency in stage points is vital moving forward. His mixed history at Darlington includes a third-place finish in the 2024 Southern 500.
Denny Hamlin: Leading the regular season by 89 points over Blaney but reduced to a 25-point advantage after the Chase reset, Hamlin remains the favorite to win. He holds a win and three top-five finishes in the Next Gen era at Darlington and has won at all Chase tracks across his career.
Fan Take: This ranking sheds light on the most formidable competitors as NASCAR enters The Chase, highlighting how past performance and track history can influence the title race. For fans, it promises an exciting postseason filled with potential surprises and fierce battles, underscoring NASCAR’s thrilling unpredictability and fierce competition.
Source: www.foxsports.com
