Joey Logano’s long-awaited return to Victory Lane dramatically changed the NASCAR Cup Series standings Sunday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The Team Penske driver dominated the Window World 450, leading a career-high 323 laps before holding off Denny Hamlin to secure his first victory since May 2025. More importantly, the 73-point day vaulted Logano from outside the provisional Chase field to 15th in the standings with six races remaining in the regular season.
Advertisement
Logano entered the weekend on the wrong side of the cut line. He leaves North Wilkesboro with 511 points and a significant boost to his postseason hopes, while Erik Jones dropped to 17th and is now the first driver below the provisional 16-driver Chase cutoff.
Joey Logano Headlines Biggest Movement
Sunday’s race produced several notable changes inside the top 16.
Carson Hocevar climbed one position to seventh after a solid 13th-place finish, while Chase Briscoe moved up to eighth. Chris Buescher slipped two spots to ninth, and Christopher Bell dropped one position to 10th.
Further down the standings, Shane van Gisbergen continued his impressive summer run by climbing to 14th after another top-five finish. Logano jumped two positions to 15th, while Austin Cindric slid to the final provisional Chase position in 16th.
Advertisement
The biggest loser was Jones, who fell from inside the top 16 to 17th after being overtaken by both Logano and van Gisbergen.
NASCAR Cup Series Standings After North Wilkesboro (Top 17)
-
Carson Hocevar (+1) – 598
-
Chase Briscoe (+2) – 587
-
Chris Buescher (-2) – 585
-
Christopher Bell (-1) – 574
-
Shane van Gisbergen (+1) – 516
-
Austin Cindric (-2) – 495 (Final provisional Chase position)
Ryan Blaney Joins Two Drivers Already Locked Into the Chase
While Logano made the biggest move near the cut line, Ryan Blaney also reached an important milestone.
By finishing 11th after starting from the pole, Blaney officially joined Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick as the only three drivers who have mathematically clinched a place in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase.
With five races remaining before the postseason begins, the battle for the remaining 13 Chase positions remains wide open. Just 33 points separate Austin Cindric in the final provisional spot from Erik Jones immediately outside the cutoff, while Logano’s dominant victory has completely reshaped what looked like an uphill climb only one week ago.
Read the full article here