NASCAR Playoffs: Where Drivers Stand After Las Vegas South Point 400
The playoff standings look much different following today’s race at Las Vegas, which was won by Logano. The Team Penske driver chased down race leader Ross Chastain and after a few attempts, got by him with two laps remaining. Logano’s victory today locks him into the Championship Four race at Phoenix, where he will try to earn his second Cup title.
Logano now holds the top spot in the standings, with Chastain moving up from 3rd to 2nd with his runner-up finish. The Trackhouse Racing driver is now 18 points above the cutline with two races remaining in this round. He has been the best driver on 1.5-mile tracks this season, which bodes well for him next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Chase Elliott had a subpar day at Las Vegas, finishing 21st and dropping to 3rd in the standings. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is 17 points above the cutline and still in a good position as long as he can avoid disaster next weekend.
| 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings (After Race 7 of 10) | |||
| Pos | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 2 | Ross Chastain | TrackHouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart Haas Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
Denny Hamlin was never a factor in today’s race but still managed a top-five finish, keeping him above the cutline heading into next weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver sits 6 points to the good as he continues the pursuit of his first championship.
The first driver below the cutline is William Byron, who had a good start to the race at Las Vegas, but his 13th place finish was not what he needed. It has been an up-and-down few weeks for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet but he still has a couple of opportunities to move up.
Like Hamlin, Chase Briscoe was nowhere to be found for a majority of the race, but still scored a top-five at the end. That helped but not scoring any stage points during the race did not. The Stewart Haas Racing driver is 6th in the standings, 9 points below the cutline.
Ryan Blaney had one of the best cars on Sunday but another dose of bad luck struck the Penske driver near the end. Blaney was running in 2nd with 40 laps to go when a tire went down on his Mustang, sending him into the wall multiple times. His 28th place finish dropped him to 7th in the standings, 11 points below the cutline. He remains winless this season.
Christopher Bell was riding high last weekend after his victory in a must-win situation. He was running towards the front of the field today when he got caught up in an incident with Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace. Bell was an innocent bystander, and after his 34th place finish, sits 23 points below the cutline with two races to go.
