The NASCAR playoff schedule is officially underway, with Sunday night at Darlington Raceway delivering the first of three races in the Round of 16. As the Cook Out Southern 500 draws to a close, we can now take a look at the NASCAR playoff standings with two races to go.
Let’s dive into what the NASCAR playoff bubble looks like for the Round of 12 heading into Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway) next Sunday with the Enjoy Illinois 300. In addition to showing where each driver sits above or below the bubble, our NASCAR playoff standings examine how each of them fared at Darlington.
1. Chase Briscoe – Clinched Spot in Round of 12
Complete and utter domination from Chase Briscoe, exactly the tone-setter the No. 19 team wanted to start the NASCAR Playoffs. Briscoe didn’t just lead the field in laps led tonight; he overwhelmed the competition with the next-closest driver not even within 240 laps of him. That’s how you punch your ticket to the Round of 12 and Briscoe is absolutely a championship contender.
- Darlington Finish: 1st
2. Denny Hamlin – +43 Above the Cutline
Considering that Denny Hamlin’s pit crew cost him 19 spots during a pit stop in this race, a seventh-place finish should be viewed as a success. His performance, which included 12 laps led and 8 stage points, firmly landed Hamlin second in the NASCAR playoff standings, with a six-point lead over Tyler Reddick in fourth and effectively a one-race cushion over the cutline.
- Darlington Finish: 7th
Read More: Denny Hamlin Praises Dale Earnhardt Jr for Work in Broken NASCAR System
2. Kyle Larson – +38 Above the Cutline
It was a relatively modest night for Kyle Larson. he finished sixth in Stage 1 (5 points) and fourth in Stage 2 (seven points), but a small issue with the car on the final stage dropped him from the top 10. The No. 5 team never showed race-winning speed on Sunday night, but at least Larson sits 38 points above the NASCAR cutline heading into Gateway.
- Darlington Finish: 19th
4. Tyler Reddick – +35 Above the Cutline
Tyler Reddick was easily one of the biggest winners from the Southern 500 on Sunday night. Coming into the Round of 16, Reddick sat 14th in the NASCAR standings and one point below the cutline. There was an early scare when Josh Berry got into him on the first lap, causing a minor issue. Reddick overcame it, driving the second-fastest car on the night, snagging 53 points at Darlington and catapulting his way to fourth in the NASCAR playoff standings heading into Gateway.
- Darlington Finish: 2nd
5. William Byron – +25 Above the Cutline
William Byron was largely a non-factor in the Southern 500. Hendrick Motorsports didn’t really have great speed, with Toyota dominating this race. Byron did manage to snag a single stage point (10th in Stage 2), but it was otherwise a disappointing performance from a driver who entered the playoffs tied with Kyle Larson for first in the NASCAR playoff standings.
- Darlington Finish: 21st
Read More: NASCAR Awards 2025, from Best Driver to Best Race, Breakout Driver
6. Bubba Wallace – +25 Above the Cutline
Amid their legal battle with NASCAR, with a ruling on whether or not they’ll continue to run as open teams in the playoffs, 23XI Racing came away in a much better position points-wise on Sunday night. While Bubba Wallace didn’t necessarily have the car to challenge Reddick or Briscoe, he was consistently in the top six of the field throughout the night. As a result, he’s now got a sizeable cushion above the cutline with two to go/
- Darlington Finish: 6th
Related: Lawsuit Reveals Heated Text Messages From 23XI Racing, NASCAR Officials
7. Ryan Blaney – +22 Above the Cutline
The win at Daytona in the regular-season finale is now proving more crucial for Ryan Blaney. In the Southern 500, Blaney was in the top 15 when he got caught in between Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon. When Busch got loose, Blaney had to check up, and Dillon hit him. It sent the No. 12 off track, forcing him to spend the rest of the night just working his way back into the top 20 to secure a few more points.
- Darlington Finish: 18th
8. Ross Chastain – +21 Above the Cutline
If Ross Chastain misses the Round of 12 by a few points, there’s one thing this team can go back to. A mistake on the final pit stop with the fuel resulted in him finding out with under 18 laps to go that he’d be two laps short on fuel. It forced Chastain to dial it back, dropping him from a surefire top-10 finish to coming in 11th. Every point counts, and that small mistake probably cost him 4 points.
- Darlington Finish: 11th
9. Austin Cindric – +12 Above the Cutline
Austin Cindric helped himself out a bit at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night, finishing eighth in Stage 1 (3 points) and ultimately coming in 12th on the night. What’s surprising is that he outperformed teammate Joey Logano, who now drops behind him in the NASCAR playoffs standings. Those stage points could be a difference-maker in the end.
- Darlington Finish: 12th
10. Christopher Bell – +11 Above the Cutline
It feels like a year ago that Christopher Bell won three consecutive races and seemed like the favorite to win the NASCAR championship. What happened on Sunday night wasn’t all Bell’s fault, given that some hard contact on pit road caused damage to the front of the car that couldn’t be repaired until a caution pit stop much later. But that feels representative of how this summer has spiraled out of control for the No. 20 team. Those who picked Bell to miss the Round of 12 are a step closer to being right.
- Darlington Finish: 29th
11. Chase Elliott – +9 Above the Cutline
Hendrick Motorsports is going to need to revisit some things after Darlington. Chase Elliott wasn’t the worst-performing driver on the team in the Southern 500, but that’s not saying much. What has to be concerning for the No. 9 team is that Team Penske has an advantage in this round, with Logano a potential win-and-in driver. If that happens, Elliott is hovering right at the cutline.
- Darlington Finish: 17th
Related: NASCAR Power Rankings: Evaluating all 16 Drivers before the NASCAR Playoffs
12. Shane van Gisbergen – +3 Above the Cutline
The good news for Shane van Gisbergen is he’s still 12th in the NASCAR playoff standings right now, clinging to that final spot. Unfortunately for SVG, he’s now headed to a track (Gateway) where he has no experience in the Next Gen car. By this time next week, he’ll likely be below the cutline with one race left.
- Darlington Finish: 32nd
13. Joey Logano – 3 Points Below the Cutlie
Maybe the odd-year curse in the NASCAR playoffs will take Joey Logano out again. One thing was clear on Sunday: the No. 22 team didn’t have a car that gave them any shot at competing for even a top-15 finish in the Southern 500. Fortunately for Logano, there’s still a track in the Round of 16 where he has a good shot of winning.
- Darlington Finish: 20th
Related: NASCAR Results from Darlington, Southern 500 Winner and full Cup Results
14. Austin Dillon – 8 Points Below the Cutline
Austin Dillon and Richard Childress Racing earned their playoff spot this season. With that said, this team just doesn’t have what’s needed to make a deep run. The most notable moment from the No. 3 in the Southern 500 came when he ran into Ryan Blaney, forcing the No. 12 off the track. Blaney still has a solid footing in the NASCAR playoff standings; the same can’t be said for Dillon with Gateway and Bristol remaining.
- Darlington Finish: 23rd
Related: Denny Hamlin Predicts Which Drivers Will Be Out First in NASCAR Playoffs
15. Alex Bowman – 19 Below the Cutline
Despite driving for arguably the best team in NASCAR, you’d be hard-pressed to find many who picked Alex Bowman to advance far in the playoffs. What happened on Sunday night might ultimately make him one of the four drivers eliminated in the Round of 16. On Bowman’s second pit stop in Stage 1, the air gun became disconnected and confusion over the issue resulted in a 40-second pit stop.putting him multiple laps down. Bowman did eventually work his way back onto the lead lap, but he still dropped further down the cutline.
- Darlington Finish: 31st
Read More: NASCAR Truck Series Results from Darlington, Driver Clinches Spot in Round 2
16. Josh Berry – 19 Points Below the Cut Line
Josh Berry entered the NASCAR playoffs 13th, 1 point below the cutoff line for the Round of 12. Many expected him to get knocked out in the first round, in part because the No. 21 ranked 25th in average finishing position (20.4) in the last 16 races. Unfortunately for Berry, the predictions will likely prove accurate. Just seconds after the green flag waved for Lap 1, Berry got loose and crashed. The car collided with Tyler Reddick and then spun out before the left rear slammed into the wall. On the bright side, he at least got a point for the fastest lap.
- Darlington Finish: 38th, 2 points (1 for Xfinity fastest lap)
Related: Winners, Losers from the Southern 500 at Darlington
