Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick are officially locked into NASCAR's new 10-race Chase, and believe me, this fresh playoff system is going to be wild. With six races still left in the regular season after the Atlanta race, these two have already punched their tickets to the final 10-race stretch. No more "win-and-in" for the playoffs in 2026, it's all about finishing in the top 16 in the regular-season standings.
The Chase Is Back, And It's Resetting Everything
This year, the Chase is a pure grind, a true mini-season without eliminations. Talk about a shake-up! The regular-season champ doesn't just get bragging rights, they get a serious leg up, rolling into that final stretch with 2,100 points. Second place isn't far behind at 2,075, then it's 2,065 for third, and 2,060 for fourth. Every spot down to 16th gets a five-point drop, with the 16th driver starting at 2,000 points. It's a straight-up fight to the finish for those ten races, but you gotta make the cut first. Hamlin, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, clinched his spot and holds a 24-point edge over Reddick in the battle for that regular-season title. But Reddick, from 23XI, is no slouch, leading the entire series with five wins this year! That's massive, and it's what has him securely in.Who Else Is Feeling Safe In The Chase Picture?
Beyond Hamlin and Reddick, eight drivers are sitting pretty, more than 104 points above the cutoff line. The last guy on that list, Chase Briscoe, would have to practically throw away 17 points per race to fall out, and that's not easy to do consistently. At Atlanta, only three drivers lost more than 17 points to the cutoff: Briscoe (who lost 27 after a 36th place finish), Bubba Wallace (22 points after 29th), and Kyle Larson (20 points despite picking up eight stage points). They'd need a string of those kinds of finishes to even be in danger. Ryan Blaney is up a monstrous 288 points, with two wins and a series-leading 15 top 10s. Ty Gibbs, another JGR driver, is 227 points clear. He's got his first career Cup victory and eight top fives, with only four DNFs holding him back. Chase Elliott, 172 points up, is having his best start to a season with two wins already. Kyle Larson, the defending series champion, is 156 points above the line, leading all drivers with 169 stage points. Chris Buescher (+130) has no wins, but his consistent finishes are doing the trick. Carson Hocevar (+125) has a win, five top fives, eight top 10s, and zero DNFs. He even lost only three points to the cutoff after finishing 22nd at Chicagoland without stage points. Christopher Bell (+113) is battling a broken left wrist but jumped from 60 points above the cutoff to 113 in just three weeks. Briscoe (+104) made a huge move with his Chicagoland win, gaining 52 points on the cutline, putting him safely in this group despite a last-place finish at Atlanta last week. With North Wilkesboro, Indianapolis, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, and Daytona still on the schedule, the fight for those final playoff spots, and who gets what points reset advantage, is going to be insane. These next six races? Every single lap matters.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.