23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick led the NASCAR Cup Series point standings after each of the first 17 races on the 2026 schedule. But in every single race from No. 13 to No. 17, his lead over Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin decreased.
In race number 18 at Sonoma Raceway, Hamlin took the lead by just one point, and he didn't stop there. Even though Chicagoland Speedway produced his first non-win in a full-length oval race in more than two months, Hamlin extended his lead to 44 points over Reddick as Reddick dealt with radiator and oil cooler issues after striking a piece of debris.
After Hamlin's third place finish on Sunday at Chicagoland, here are the top 10 in the point standings heading into this Sunday night's Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway).
NASCAR Cup Series standings before Atlanta
Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 764 | 0 |
2 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 720 | -44 |
3 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 651 | -113 |
4 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 627 | -137 |
5 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 584 | -180 |
6 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 583 | -181 |
7 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 541 | -223 |
8 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 538 | -226 |
9 | Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 524 | -240 |
10 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 512 | -252 |
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney took the pole position for Sunday night's race in Saturday's qualifying session as he looks to continue to have an outside chance of joining the regular season championship battle.
The four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) high-banked oval in Hampton, Georgia is the first track on the 2026 schedule to host its second race, as it also hosted the season's second race back in February.
Follow along with our standings updates from Atlanta as the Quaker State 400 unfolds.
NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: Standings updates
NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: Quaker State 400 Stage 1 standings
NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: Quaker State 400 Stage 2 standings
NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: Full standings after the Quaker State 400
There are just six races remaining on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season schedule, including next weekend's Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. That race, the first points race at the track since 1996, is set to be shown live on TNT beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19.
