NASCAR points standings: Updated driver rankings from every 2026 Cup Series race originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The NASCAR season is in full swing, which means drivers are competing for seeds in the season-long standings.
After over a decade using an elimination-style points system, NASCAR made the decision to drastically change its competition format for the 2026 season, bringing The Chase back into play. That will impact both how drivers collect points over the course of the season and how drivers will qualify for the Cup Series race.
Last year, Kyle Larson won his second Cup Series title, using overtime to defeat Denny Hamlin in the final race. However, a new year means every driver begins the season with the belief that they can top the field in the end.
Here’s a look at the updated NASCAR standings for 2026.
NASCAR standings 2026
Updated as of May 10.
| Rank | Driver | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | 620 | 5 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 498 | 2 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | 446 | 1 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 425 | 1 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 423 | 1 |
| 6 | Kyle Larson | 386 | 0 |
| 7 | Chris Buescher | 385 | 0 |
| 8 | Christopher Bell | 361 | 1 |
| 9 | Carson Hocevar | 356 | 1 |
| 10 | Daniel Suarez | 350 | 1 |
| 11 | Brad Keselowski | 343 | 0 |
| 12 | William Byron | 337 | 0 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 328 | 0 |
| 14 | Shane van Gisbergen | 316 | 1 |
| 15 | Chase Briscoe | 304 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece | 303 | 0 |
| 17 | Austin Cindric | 288 | 0 |
| 18 | Joey Logano | 274 | 0 |
| 19 | AJ Allmendinger | 254 | 0 |
| 20 | Michael McDowell | 248 | 0 |
| 21 | Zane Smith | 244 | 0 |
| 22 | Erik Jones | 244 | 0 |
| 23 | Ross Chastain | 238 | 0 |
| 24 | Austin Dillon | 225 | 0 |
| 25 | Todd Gilliland | 223 | 0 |
| 26 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 222 | 0 |
| 27 | Kyle Busch | 217 | 0 |
| 28 | Riley Herbst | 202 | 0 |
| 29 | John Hunter Nemechek | 200 | 0 |
| 30 | Noah Gragson | 181 | 0 |
| 31 | Josh Berry | 168 | 0 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | 152 | 0 |
| 33 | Alex Bowman | 147 | 0 |
| 34 | Connor Zilisch | 146 | 0 |
| 35 | Cole Custer | 134 | 0 |
| 36 | Cody Ware | 102 | 0 |
How does the NASCAR points system work?
NASCAR changed its point system for the 2026 season, eliminating the elimination-style system after over a decade and returning to The Chase.
The new system instead is similar to the Cup Series system that NASCAR used from 2004 to 2013, with some notable changes. The top 16 drivers by points in the Cup Series will qualify for The Chase, doing away with automatic playoff berths and regular-season winners.
The point system works as follows: race winners will earn 55 points, up 15 from the last system, while the rest of the finishers’ points remain unchanged. This year, drivers can’t earn bankable playoff points like they could in the past.
Every Cup Series Chase field will feature 25 points awarded to the regular-season champion, and the top seed will begin The Chase with 2,100 points while each seed following has a decreased number of points from there.
Simply, the driver who ends the series with the most points will be declared a champion.
NASCAR race schedule 2026
| Date | Race | Track | Winner |
| 2/4 | Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray | Bowman Gray Stadium | Ryan Preece |
| 2/12 | America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona | Daytona International Speedway | Joey Lagano |
| 2/12 | America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona | Dayton International Speedway | Chase Elliott |
| 2/15 | Daytona 500 | Dayton International Speedway | Tyler Reddick |
| 2/22 | Autotrader 400 | Echopark Speedway | Tyler Reddick |
| 3/1 | DuraMax Texas Grand Prix | Circuit of the Americas | Tyler Reddick |
| 3/8 | Straight Talk Wireless 500 | Phoenix Raceway | Ryan Blaney |
| 3/15 | Penzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Denny Hamlin |
| 3/22 | Goodyear 400 | Darlington Raceway | Tyler Reddick |
| 3/29 | Cook Out 400 | Martinsville Speedway | Chase Elliott |
| 4/12 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Ty Gibbs |
| 4/19 | AdventHealth 400 | Kansas Speedway | Tyler Reddick |
| 4/26 | Jack Link’s 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | Carson Hocevar |
| 5/3 | Wurth 400 | Texas Motor Speedway | Chase Elliott |
| 5/10 | Go Bowling at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 5/17 | NASCAR All-Star Race | Dover Motor Speedway | |
| 5/24 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
| 5/31 | Cracker Barrel 400 | Nashville Superspeedway | |
| 6/7 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway | |
| 6/14 | Great Ameican Getaway 400 | Pocono Raceway | |
| 6/21 | Andruil 250 | Naval Base Coronado | |
| 6/28 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | |
| 7/5 | NASCAR Cup Series Race ar Chicagoland | Chicagoland Speedway | |
| 7/12 | Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart | Echopark Speedway | |
| 7/19 | Window World 450 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | |
| 7/26 | Brickyard 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | |
| 8/9 | Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol | Iowa Speedway | |
| 8/15 | Cook Out 400 | Richmond Raceway | |
| 8/23 | NASCAR Cup Series Race at New Hampshire | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | |
| 8/29 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | |
| 9/6 | Cook Out Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | |
| 9/13 | Enjoy Illinois 300 | World Wide Technology Raceway | |
| 9/19 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | |
| 9/27 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | |
| 10/4 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |
| 10/11 | Bank of America 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
| 10/18 | Freeway Insurance 500 | Phoenix Raceway | |
| 10/25 | Yellawood 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | |
| 11/1 | Xfinity 500 | Martinsville Speedway | |
| 11/8 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race | Homestead-Miami Speedway |