Drivers Are Scrambling for Spots in NASCAR's Chase as the End of the Regular Season Nears
The 350-lap race reshaped the playoff picture, with Denny Hamlin leading the standings and several drivers shifting near the cutline.
- On Sunday, Ty Gibbs won the NASCAR Cup Series race on the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway, finishing just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell and moving to second in the standings.
- Only four drivers—Denny Hamlin, Gibbs, Ryan Blaney , and Tyler Reddick —have secured spots in The Chase, with competition intensifying as drivers scramble for seeding before the August 29 finale at Daytona.
- Erik Jones crashed on lap 4 following contact with Reddick, ending his day early and dropping him to 20th place, 50 points behind the final playoff cutline with three races remaining.
- Significant shifts occurred in the middle standings, with Chase Briscoe rising to fifth place with 663 points and Bell climbing four spots into sixth, tightening the battle for final playoff positions.
- Ryan Blaney, who finished third, emphasized the intensity of the playoff push, stating, "the battle from sixth to 11th or 12th right now is really, really tight and that's exciting.
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Drivers scrambling for Chase spots
NEWTON, Iowa — Erik Jones knew the reality of his situation heading into the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. Jones came into the weekend 18th in the standings, 44 points behind 16th-place Austin Cindric for the final spot in The Chase that determines the series champion. The 350-lap race Sunday was the first […]
Associated Press News
Drivers are scrambling for spots in NASCAR's Chase as the end of the regular season nears
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway featured plenty of changes in the season point standings heading into the final month of the regular season.
NASCAR standings after Iowa Speedway (August 2026)
Updated NASCAR Cup Series points after Iowa Speedway On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series went short track racing in Newton, Iowa. Ty Gibbs drove to the race win on the 7/8-mile of Iowa Speedway. View updated NASCAR standings after Iowa Speedway below. Tyler Reddick won the first three races of the season and was leading the points until only recently. He’s suffered a string of bad luck and that continued today as he exited the race on lap 4. NASCAR…
Erik Jones knew the reality of his situation as he reached the NASCAR Cup Series race in Iowa Speedway.
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