NASCAR Chase Contender Rankings: Assessing the Field Ahead of the Bristol Night Race

The NASCAR Cup Series Chase took a chaotic turn at World Wide Technology Raceway, where a high rate of incidents tested the resilience of the championship contenders. Amidst the chaos, only three drivers managed to chip away at Denny Hamlin’s commanding points lead on the 1.25-mile oval near St. Louis. As the playoff field prepares for the high-intensity Bristol Motor Speedway night race, here is the updated contender rankings with eight races remaining in the championship battle.

The 1.25-mile track — located across the river from St. Louis and commonly referred to by its previous Gateway name — featured a race where nearly all Chase drivers were involved in an incident one time or another. Here are the updated contender rankings with eight races left, the next one coming Saturday night in the Bristol Motor Speedway night race.

On The Verge (Alphabetical Order):

Chris Buescher (RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, -111 points behind leader): A brake failure at St. Louis cost Buescher 23 points relative to Hamlin. While he won at Bristol in 2022, he has struggled to find top-10 finishes in his last four starts at the track.

William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, -114): Byron secured a solid fourth-place finish at St. Louis, preventing any further point loss to Hamlin. However, with no points gained, he remains 114 points back and has not recorded a top-five finish at Bristol since 2022.

Austin Cindric (Team Penske No. 2 Ford, -108): Cindric climbed two spots to 12th in the standings following a 10th-place run at St. Louis, though he still trails Hamlin. He holds an average finish of 22.7 at Bristol.

Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevy, -88): Hocevar finished eighth, just ahead of Hamlin at St. Louis, but ongoing battles with competitors like Brad Keselowski could impact his standing. Bristol is a track where alliances matter, and Hocevar finished 10th in the spring event.

Ryan Preece (RFK Racing No. 60 Ford, -111): Preece finished 17th at St. Louis, a result far from what is needed to mount a rally. He has yet to lead a single lap in Cup Series competition at Bristol.

Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy, -119): Suárez endured a disappointing 29th-place finish at St. Louis, leaving his primary focus on climbing in the points standings. Bristol represents one of his most challenging tracks, where he averages a 19.7 finish.

Contender Rankings

10.

Bubba Wallace faced a challenging race at St. Louis, crossing the line in 14th place. While the final eight races of The Chase present some of his stronger tracks, Bristol is not among them. Wallace has recorded only two top-10 finishes in 14 career starts at the venue, including an 11th-place result in the spring.

9.

Joey Logano sits seventh in the standings, but until his team demonstrates consistent speed on the 1.5-mile tracks, their rally potential remains uncertain. Although he needed a win at St. Louis, Logano gained 21 points on Hamlin with a third-place finish. At Bristol, he has secured two consecutive top-10 finishes after a streak of nine finishes outside the top 10.

8.

Chase Elliott displayed stronger-than-usual speed at St. Louis before a brake rotor failure prematurely ended his race. In the Next Gen era, he has two second-place finishes at Bristol, though he has finished 15th or worse in his last three starts there.

7.

Whether Ty Gibbs can mount a rally is debatable, as navigating the final two months typically requires extensive Chase experience. However, his spring victory at Bristol suggests the track could serve as a potential springboard for his championship hopes.

6.

Tyler Reddick’s car seemed to attract incidents, suffering damage in a couple of clashes that left him 25th at St. Louis. He will need to recapture the early-season magic to stay competitive. Bristol has historically been a challenging track for him, where he had seven consecutive finishes outside the top 10 before finishing fourth in the spring.

5.

Chase Briscoe was one of the few drivers caught in a late-race incident that was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If any driver and team can overcome such a points deficit, it is Briscoe, alongside perhaps Logano. He has recorded two top-five finishes in the Next Gen era at Bristol, including a fifth-place run in the spring.

4.

Ryan Blaney’s brake rotor issue occurred at a track where Ford teams had one of their best opportunities to secure a victory. Despite this, Blaney has proven strong at Bristol, posting three consecutive top-five finishes, including a second-place result in the spring.

3.

Christopher Bell missed a golden opportunity to take the points lead and control of The Chase after finishing 19th at St. Louis. Such opportunities are rare. However, Bell is the defending winner of the Bristol night race and boasts four top-five finishes in the Next Gen era at the track, despite finishing 27th in the spring.

2.

Kyle Larson gained a massive 40 points on Hamlin following his victory at St. Louis. If he gets on a roll, he will be incredibly difficult to beat. Larson has recorded two wins and six top-five finishes, including a third-place result in the spring, across seven Next Gen races at Bristol. Next week could set up a defining battle between Hamlin and Larson if they can pull ahead of the rest of the field.

1.

Despite not having two peak performances, Denny Hamlin has successfully retained his points lead. Only three drivers managed to close the gap to him during the St. Louis race. Hamlin is due for strong points days, and the upcoming schedule features some of his best tracks. It begins at Bristol, where he has finished outside the top 10 only once in the Next Gen era, including two victories. He finished ninth in the spring.

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