There are seven races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the championship, and after the eventful Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, four drivers have distanced themselves in the playoff point standings.
Kyle Larson is the new leader. Denny Hamlin is one marker back, while Joey Logano has closed to within 16 and Christopher Bell lurks one point behind him. Everybody else has a significant mountain to climb if they're going to fight their way back into contention.
And if they're going to do so, it's going to need to happen in the next three weeks.
Three-race intermediate stretch gives Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell chance to seize control of the championship
In recent months, Team Penske and Larson's No. 5 team (maybe not quite the rest of Hendrick) have seemingly caught up to the Toyotas that have dominated the entire 2026 season. But have they really, or have they just gone through a part of the schedule that suits them well?
NASCAR hasn't raced at a regular intermediate track in nearly three months, since the race at Chicagoland Speedway in early July. Since then, the only high-speed non-superspeedway race has been the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which is a total and complete track position derby.
Those are the tracks where Toyota has the biggest edge. Now, the Cup Series is set to hit three of them in a row at Kansas Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is back on the oval this fall for the first time in nine years. For Hamlin in particular, that should be considered a massive gift.
The veteran Virginia native, who has been so infamously eluded in the title column, has the best chance he's ever had to finally capture the big trophy. But he also hasn't been in early-season form lately, and the points lead has slipped away. If this is going to be his year, these next three weeks are where that will need to change.
The same goes for Bell, who has been as fast as if not faster than Hamlin for the past several months. If Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing are untouchable these next few weeks, he needs to be the one capitalizing on it. He's long teetered on the edge of superstar status in the Cup Series, and this is his chance to make a statement. All he has to do is outperform a 45-year-old.
As for Larson and Logano, it's all about treading water. Hendrick and Penske aren't going to roll out with winning speed during this stretch. They'll need to avoid mistakes and get creative to give themselves a chance, and perhaps hope the Toyotas self-destruct. If they can leave Charlotte within 50 points of the lead, their title dreams might not be over just yet.
Three weeks from now, we'll have a much better idea of who might be taking home the championship trophy. Larson has gained the advantage for now, but this is where the schedule greatly benefits his rivals.
We'll see which way the momentum swings.
