Two playoff rounds are complete. Now only three races separate the remaining drivers from spots in the Championship 4.
And no driver is set up better than 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who leads the playoff standings entering the Round of 8.
Larson is 33 points above the playoff cutline after scoring his sixth win of the season at the Charlotte Roval. He missed out on the regular-season championship by one point, but he has since won two of the opening six playoff races.
Christopher Bell is second in the standings, a spot he held entering the Round of 12. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is only 13 points above the cutline as he tries to score his third consecutive trip to the Championship 4.
Tyler Reddick, the regular-season champion, is 10 points above the cutline after he pulled off a major comeback at the Roval.
Reddick's team had to make repairs after a hard collision in Turn 7 and then they put fresh tires on the No. 45 Toyota during the final caution of the race. Reddick used these tires to gain 15 positions in the closing laps and pass Joey Logano in the points.
William Byron is the final driver above the Championship 4 cutline after doing exactly what he needed during the Round of 12. He finished no worse than third at Kansas, Talladega, and the Roval while scoring a combined 31 stage points and one stage win.
A look at the updated #NASCARPlayoffs standings following post-race inspection at @CLTMotorSpdwy. pic.twitter.com/6NYSC9AafG
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 14, 2024
The four drivers below the cutline are reigning champion Ryan Blaney (-4), Denny Hamlin (-8), 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott (-9), and two-time champion Joey Logano (-11).
Alex Bowman held the final spot over Logano in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's playoff race. However, NASCAR disqualified him after his car failed post-race inspection due to being underweight. Hendrick Motorsports has not announced whether it will appeal the disqualification.
For now, Logano will join Larson and the other drivers in the semifinal round.
This upcoming round of the playoffs is the most "standard" considering that there are no superspeedways or road courses. Instead, the round consists of two intermediate tracks — Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway — and one short track in Martinsville Speedway.
This is a round where seven of the remaining eight drivers have celebrated at least one win.
Hamlin leads the way with one Vegas win, three Homestead wins, and five Martinsville wins. Byron has one win at Vegas, one win at Homestead, and two wins at Martinsville.
Elliott and Blaney each have one win at Martinsville. Bell has one win at Martinsville and one win at Homestead. Logano and Larson each have three wins at Vegas, one win at Homestead, and one win at Martinsville.
