NASCAR points standings: Updated driver rankings from every 2026 Cup Series race originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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
567
5
2
Denny Hamlin
438
1
3
Chase Elliott
422
2
4
Ryan Blaney
405
1
5
Chris Buescher
375
0
6
Ty Gibbs
372
1
7
Carson Hocevar
342
1
8
Kyle Larson
332
0
9
Brad Keselowski
318
0
10
Bubba Wallace
313
0
11
Christopher Bell
311
0
12
William Byron
309
0
13
Ryan Preece
296
0
14
Daniel Suarez
295
0
15
Austin Cindric
287
0
16
Shane van Gisbergen
283
1
17
Chase Briscoe
277
0
18
Joey Logano
245
0
19
Ross Chastain
236
0
20
AJ Allmendinger
235
0
21
Michael McDowell
225
0
22
Austin Dillon
220
0
23
Zane Smith
217
0
24
Kyle Busch
217
0
25
Erik Jones
214
0
26
Todd Gilliland
206
0
27
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
193
0
28
John Hunter Nemechek
189
0
29
Riley Herbst
186
0
30
Noah Gragson
168
0
31
Josh Berry
160
0
32
Connor Zilisch
145
0
33
Ty Dillon
140
0
34
Alex Bowman
127
0
35
Cole Custer
113
0
36
Cody Ware
93
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
