While so much of the early season NASCAR Cup Series championship storyline centered on the apparent runaway opportunity for 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin to a first title, as the regular season winds down subplots arise and new characters have arrived changing the competitive outlook.
Only two races remain to set the 16-driver field for the 10-race Chase to award the 2026 trophy. Up next is the New Hampshire Motor Speedway mile hosting Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301 (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Certainly, Saturday night under the Richmond Raceway bright lights and sold-out grandstands, a certain three-time series champion reminded again that he is absolutely among those ready to prove this title is still very much up for grabs.
Race winner Joey Logano’s win was a strong statement on a number of levels – and his resiliency this season is indicative of the strength of this championship field and a lesson in never counting out anyone – especially one of the most successful drivers on one of the most heralded organizations in Team Penske.
After suffering through the worst early season tenure in his sure-bet NASCAR Hall of Fame career, Logano has two wins and made up nine positions in the championship standings in just the last six race weekends. His win at Richmond moves him into ninth place in the standings and he’s only a single point behind reigning series champ Kyle Larson in eighth place; only 36 points off sixth place Chase Elliott.
The way his No. 22 Team Penske Ford team has been performing this summer, it’s hard to believe Logano was ranked a season-low 20th place in the standings in the first week of July. And now he stands a reasonable opportunity to high-gear it into title contention.
“We’ve been able to ride some momentum here right now,” a smiling Logano said Saturday night after celebrating in Richmond’s Victory Lane. “It’s been a nice turnaround. We’ve been able to switch our goals from making the Chase to winning the championship. It’s quite the turnaround in a month and a half’s time or so.”
And Logano’s certainly not the only driver who has repositioned himself as a threat for the title.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who kept Logano honest all night and actually led a race high 171 of the 400 laps to finish runner-up – earned his first career top 10 on a short track. As importantly, it gives Briscoe – who is ranked fifth in the championship – plenty of confidence heading into the Chase.
His JGR teammate Christopher Bell has also been on a summer surge. A week ago at Iowa, he claimed his seventh runner-up finish and Saturday night, he led laps and finished seventh at Richmond for his sixth top-10 finish in the last seven races. He’s seventh in the rankings.
Hendrick Motorsports had a similarly encouraging day for its title contenders with reigning series champ Kyle Larson getting back in the championship groove after an uncharacteristically “off” summer run. His sixth-place showing at Richmond was his first top-10 since the Sonoma, Calif. road course at the end of June.
Larson’s teammates, Chase Elliott (fifth place) and William Byron (ninth) also had strong Richmond showings. It was Elliott’s first top-10 in the last 11 races and only Byron’s second top-10 in the last five races. They ranked sixth and 12th, respectively in the championship.
“Obviously it’s not a win, but for how things have been going the last few months, it feels nice to just have a really solid night and hopefully we can get things rolling in the right direction,” the 2020 series champion Elliott said. “There’s been a lot of hard work put in across the board; everyone on this No. 9 Chevrolet team and Hendrick Motorsports. I appreciate that effort. Everyone shows up with it each week, even after a bad day, so hopefully we can get things rolling here.”
Of course, not to be overlooked – or underestimated – were Hamlin and Reddick who reminded Saturday at Richmond that they are up for the challenges coming their way. Hamlin, who holds a massive 115-point edge over Penske’s Ryan Blaney atop the championship, finished fourth at his home track, Richmond – his fifth top-five finish in the last six races.
And for Reddick, who won five of the season’s opening nine races including the DAYTONA 500, an 11th-place finish and laps led at Richmond was a timely resurgence after an excruciating summer run that’s included five finishes of 25th or worse in the last eight races. He’s still ranked fourth with two races to go before the points are reset for the 2026 Chase run.
Opening practice at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway mile is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 11:35 a.m. ET. Logano is the defending pole-winner and Blaney the defending race winner.
— NASCAR News Wire —