NASCAR has a new points leader after Watkins Glen, first time in 54 races

As a die-hard NASCAR fan with years of racing lore etched into my heart, I can’t help but feel the exhilaration coursing through my veins as we witness the unpredictable dance of points during this year’s playoffs. The drama at Atlanta and Watkins Glen has been a rollercoaster ride, to say the least!

During each round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, the points are reset, leading to intense competition and unpredictability in the race results, particularly since this year’s playoff began with a drafting race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and a road course race at Watkins Glen International. Consequently, the point standings can fluctuate significantly throughout the playoffs.

In other words, none of the drivers who ended the regular season in the first and second positions are currently ranked among the top five after the completion of the first two playoff races.

In simpler terms, during the opening race of the playoffs at Atlanta, Joey Logano from Team Penske emerged victorious, securing a place in the round of 12. However, it was Ryan Blaney, another team member and the current series champion, who moved into the lead of the point standings for the first time since March.

After the race at Watkins Glen, there is another new points leader.

Currently, the front-runner in the standings is Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing, who was considered equally likely to claim the 2024 title at the start of The Go Bowling event, sharing the odds with Kyle Larson from Hendrick Motorsports.

As a gamer racing through the season, I ended up in fourth spot at the close of the regular rounds, but when it came to playoff points, I nailed down the second position. This meant I started the playoffs from a strong second place, ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Initially, he began the playoffs by securing a fourth-place finish in Atlanta, maintaining his second place standing. However, he didn’t earn any stage points and could only manage a 14th position at Watkins Glen. Yet, this was still one of the top five outcomes among the 16 playoff drivers, as several other competitors had difficult afternoons.

Among all the 14 drivers striving to progress alongside Logano from the round of 16 to the round of 12, Bell’s race was not spotless, but it turned out significantly more fruitful compared to their afternoons.

I’ve managed to snatch the lead in points, sitting comfortably three points ahead of Austin Cindric from Team Penske. The top four of us are neck-and-neck, with a mere five points separating us all. My teammate Logano and Alex Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports are right on my tail, only five points behind me. It’s a tight race, but I’m ready to keep pushing!

As a dedicated fan, I’ve seen Bell take the lead in the playoff standings before, quite remarkably, doing so after two out of three races in the round of 16 all the way back in 2022. However, it’s been a while since he last topped the overall point standings, which was back in April 2023, some 54 races ago. Interestingly enough, he’s still battling it out in fourth place in the total points tally for this year’s season.

In 2022 and 2023, he was in a technical tie for the highest score as one of the four championship finalists. However, none of these four title contenders have managed to maintain an undisputed lead going into the season finale since, from that point onwards, playoff points are no longer accumulated and added to their overall scores.

Blaney dropped from first to eighth position in the standings due to a DNF (Did Not Finish) during Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick, last season’s regular champion racing for 23XI, currently sits in sixth place. Larson, who concluded the regular season as runner-up and had the highest playoff point total, is now ninth.

At Watkins Glen, Chris Buescher (of RFK Racing) clinched a win, but he’s not part of the playoffs. This leaves only one driver, Logano, locked into the Round of 12. There are 11 more spots open for the quarterfinal round and 15 drivers are preparing to compete for them in the Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway, which takes place this coming Saturday night.

Join FuboTV for free today and catch the live broadcast of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on USA Network this coming Saturday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who is currently below the round of 12 cut line due to a poor start in the round of 16, won this race last year and also triumphed at the track earlier this year. Don’t miss out on all the excitement!

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2024-09-16 15:02