The top four drivers in the Cup standings are separated by 20 points with four races left in the regular season. It is the closest margin among the top four drivers in the standings after 22 races since 2012.
Chase Elliott leads the points heading into Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway (coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network).
Elliott has two Hendrick Motorsports teammates chasing him for the top spot. William Byron is four points behind Elliott. Kyle Larson is 15 points behind Elliott.
RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher holds the final playoff spot and teammate Ryan Preece is the first driver below the cutline heading to Sunday’s race at Iowa.
Denny Hamlin is fourth in the season standings and trails Elliott by 20 points despite missing the Mexico City race for the birth of his son.
The most points a driver can earn in a race is 61. Christopher Bell is fifth in the standings, 62 points behind Elliot.
The remaining races in the regular season are Iowa (Aug. 3), Watkins Glen (Aug. 10), Richmond (Aug. 16) and Daytona (Aug. 23).
Bubba Wallace wasn’t the only driver to leave Indianapolis Motor Speedway happy.
Not only will a regular season champion be crowned at Daytona, but playoff points are awarded to the top 10 drivers in the season standings after the regular season finale.
The regular season champion is awarded 15 playoff points. Second receives 10 points, third receives eight points and on down to 10th place in the regular season earning one playoff point.
The playoffs begin with the Southern 500 on Aug. 31 at Darlington Raceway.
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