NASCAR has a new points leader after Kansas, first time in 29 races
As a seasoned NASCAR enthusiast with decades of racing under my belt, I can’t help but feel a sense of unpredictability and excitement as we navigate through this year’s playoffs. The recent trend of non-playoff drivers snatching victories has certainly shaken up the standings, making every race more nerve-wracking than the last.
The second stage of the four-part, ten-race NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for 2024 began on Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, featuring the Hollywood Casino 400 sponsored by ESPN BET. This race was won by a driver who is not competing in this year’s playoff season.
Interestingly, out of the four playoff races held this season, two have been claimed by drivers who were not initially part of the playoffs. Recently, Chris Buescher from RFK Racing triumphed at Watkins Glen International, and just a few days ago, Ross Chastain from Trackhouse Racing Team emerged victorious in the most recent race.
In the final laps, Chastain managed to stay ahead of William Byron from Hendrick Motorsports, clinching his first win for the year and his fifth overall. However, this victory put Byron in the lead of the points standings, with six races left on the calendar that includes a total of 36 races.
Byron back on top as points lead changes hands again
This season, Byron has been at the top of the rankings, but his last victory was back in February following his triumph in the Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway. Since then, he’s yet to secure another win, with his most recent being in early April at Martinsville Speedway. Additionally, he triumphed at Circuit of the Americas in March as well.
In these final two races of the round of 12, Byron currently holds a six-point advantage over Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing. With a total of 34 points, Byron is comfortably above the cutoff line for the round of 8, but no driver has yet secured a spot in this stage as it was Chastain who clinched victory at Kansas.
In the previous season, while Byron didn’t clinch the title, he ended up accumulating the most points overall, excluding the point resets during the playoff phases.
Speaking about points amassed without counting resets, it’s worth noting that as of now, Larson is leading the pack, but only by a single point. However, the driver trailing him by this narrow margin is none other than his teammate, Chase Elliott. Despite not being flashy or racking up multiple wins this season, Elliott has maintained an impressive level of consistency that has kept him in contention. His sole victory this year was at Texas Motor Speedway back in April.
Initially holding the top position in the playoff rankings, Larson was leading due to his accumulated playoff points being the highest among all drivers. However, an early collision with the wall resulted in a 26th place finish for him, which caused him to slip down to fourth place in the standings, with only an 18-point cushion above the cut-off line for the round of 8. The winner from May’s Kansas race now finds himself in this precarious position.
As a dedicated fan, I’m excited to share that just like Larson started the playoffs leading the pack, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney grabbed the lead following the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway. However, Bell snatched the lead after the race at Watkins Glen. Post the round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway, the reset put Larson back on top again.
If Larson makes it to the quarterfinals, he’ll start off that round as the one with the most points. Currently, his playoff points stand at 47, a significant lead over Bell, who has 32 points.
In the final two races of the elimination round at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, a total of 14 playoff points are available in each race. This means that Bell can secure a maximum of 46 playoff points going into the next stage. Currently, Byron has the fourth highest number of playoff points with 23, while Tyler Reddick, who is champion of the regular season, holds 28 points.
Tune into NBC this coming Sunday, October 6th at 2:00 p.m. ET as they broadcast the YellaWood 500 live from Talladega Superspeedway. Don’t forget to sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all the exciting moments unfold!
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2024-10-01 13:32