The NASCAR Cup Series began the Chase on Sunday night, and it was a thrilling show. Christopher Bell and the No. 20 team for Joe Gibbs Racing won at Darlington Raceway, earning their first victory of the 2026 Cup Series season. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin struggled after damage, shrinking his championship lead.
Leaving Darlington, Hamlin only holds a 12-point advantage over Bell for the lead in the Chase. There are nine races remaining, so there is plenty of time; however, it wasn’t an ideal start for the No. 1 seed. For Bell, it was a much-needed victory in the 2026 Southern 500 at Darlington.
Check out the Chase standings for the Cup Series with nine races left in 2026!
- No. 11 Denny Hamlin: +12
- No. 20 Christopher Bell: -12
No. 12 Ryan Blaney: -16
No. 45 Tyler Reddick: -24
No. 19 Chase Briscoe: -37
No. 54 Ty Gibbs: -39
No. 5 Kyle Larson: -49
No. 22 Joey Logano: -72
No. 9 Chase Elliott: -72
Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.No. 23 Bubba Wallace: -81
No. 17 Chris Buescher: -88
No. 77 Carson Hocevar: -89
No. 7 Daniel Suarez: -94
No. 2 Austin Cindric: -102
No. 60 Ryan Preece: -104
No. 24 William Byron: -114
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR Cup Series standings with 9 races left in the 2026 Chase
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