Two races into NASCAR’s new Chase, the championship standings are already showing how quickly things can change.

Kyle Larson left Darlington 49 points behind Denny Hamlin. One win at Gateway later, he sits second, just nine points back.

Advertisement

Ryan Blaney experienced the opposite. He entered Gateway 16 points behind Hamlin before a brake failure ended his race in 35th. Now he trails by 33.

Next comes Bristol Motor Speedway, and there is no reset waiting on the other side.

Under NASCAR’s previous playoff format, drivers raced through elimination rounds with points resets along the way. The 2026 Chase is different. After the initial…

Read the full article at SPORTS.YAHOO.COM