NASCAR Cup Series standings: Martin Truex Jr. on a hot streak
Sonoma Raceway didn’t provide a ton of fireworks, but the NASCAR Cup Series standings have been shaken up once again. Last week, it was Ryan Blaney who found himself at the top of the standings. However, after a P31 finish and a hard day in Wine Country, things have changed in a big way.
Martin Truex Jr. was the big winner, in more than one way. He, of course, won the race itself. His strong performance at Sonoma also catapulted him to the top of the NASCAR standings. Truex is on a hot streak that doesn’t feel like it is going to end.
In the last six points-paying races, Truex Jr. has two wins, two top-5 finishes, a top-10 and a DNF. He’s racked up 244 points over the span of those races and now leads the Cup Series with 525 total points on the year.
Not far behind is William Byron with 512 points. He has led more laps than any other driver this season with 717 out in the wind. Byron is quietly performing at a high level, even a month out from his last win at Darlington.
The rest of the top-5 are separated by just a single point. Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain both have 501 points. Blaney gets the tiebreaker with his Coca-Cola 600 win. Kevin Harvick is down in fifth with 500 points and has yet to win a race.
With the regular season winding down, all of these drivers are in the mix for the regular season championship. Those bonus playoff points are a big plus for whoever ends up at the top of the NASCAR standings by the end of the season.
NASCAR standings: Drivers on the bubble
Once again, there is a pack of drivers around the playoff bubble. With 10 winners so far this season, it seems that a couple of drivers will make the playoffs on points, at least. The NASCAR standings this week look a lot like they did last week. But there were some winners and losers for sure.
Chris Buescher had a big day at Sonoma, picking up his second straight top-5 finish at the track. He finished P2 last year and pulled off a P4 result this year. Buescher also picked up 37 points and went from 13th to 11th in the NASCAR standings.
There is a bit of a gap between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at 14th and Bubba Wallace at 15th. 46 points is the difference between them. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman found his way back into the top-16 with a decent race at Sonoma. Daniel Suárez and Ty Gibbs are in 17th and 18th and are both within 11 points of Bowman.
The NASCAR regular season is winding down. Who will be the drivers to grab a win and lock themselves into the postseason and who will get by just on points? 10 more races to determine the playoff field.