With just four races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season, Chase Elliott is barely maintaining his hold on the points lead amid fierce competition. Heading into the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway, Elliott’s lead over his closest pursuers has shrunk significantly, underscoring the intensity of the Chase Elliott NASCAR Cup battle.
Before the recent Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Elliott enjoyed a somewhat comfortable 16-point cushion over his teammate William Byron. However, that margin has since tightened dramatically to just four points as the drivers move toward Iowa. The gap between Elliott and both the third- and fourth-place contenders has also become smaller, signaling a very close fight at the top.
Kyle Larson, another Hendrick Motorsports teammate, surged after finishing second at the Brickyard, now sitting 15 points behind Elliott and only 11 points behind Byron. Denny Hamlin, who skipped the earlier race in Mexico City and seemed to give up on the regular season title, remains within striking distance, trailing Elliott by 20 points and Larson by a mere five points. Fifth place, occupied by Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing, is effectively out of contention, lagging 62 points behind Elliott, which exceeds the maximum points that can be earned in a single race.
Explaining How Playoff Points Impact the Championship Fight
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season champion is the driver leading in points after 26 races, and while the title provides a trophy, the real advantage lies in the playoff points awarded. These points give drivers a crucial edge as the postseason unfolds, since all playoff competitors’ points reset to the same baseline before each playoff round except the final one.
Drivers accumulate playoff points through race and stage wins during the regular season: five points per race victory and one point per stage win. For example, if a driver dominated the season with 10 race wins and 15 stage wins, that competitor would begin the playoffs with a 65-point lead over others with no playoff points, significantly influencing their seeding and progression in the chase for the championship.
Why Securing the Regular Season Title Matters, Especially for Chase Elliott
Though Chase Elliott leads the standings currently, his playoff points tally remains modest with only one race win and one stage win, earning him six playoff points so far this season. This total is lower than that of Denny Hamlin, who tops the playoff points chart with 24, and Kyle Larson, who sits just behind Hamlin with 23.
Winning the regular season championship automatically awards the titleholder an additional 15 bonus playoff points. The runner-up and subsequent finishers down to tenth place also earn progressively fewer bonus points, with 10 for second and eight for third, and so forth. These added points can be decisive in securing better playoff positioning, giving drivers a strategic benefit as the postseason advances.
Therefore, Elliott’s pursuit of the regular season championship carries meaningful stakes beyond just the trophy, offering a potential boost in playoff seeding that could be crucial in the championship run. This tight contest among Elliott, Byron, Larson, and Hamlin ensures that fans have an intense drama to follow over the final four races of the regular season.