Kyle Larson maintained a significant points gap following Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at the Martinsville. The driver of the No. 5 will go into the season-finale race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 67-point lead.
Christopher Bell moved up to second in the standings. Denny Hamlin dropped back to the third position and trails Larson by 70 points heading into Homestead.
Advertisement
The top three drivers are the only three who can mathematically leave Homestead with the championship. Chase Briscoe, who ranks fourth in the standings, is the first driver of the nine who can no longer win the 2026 championship at 84 points behind Larson.
Bell was the only driver of the top three to score stage points at Martinsville, notching eight points after finishing fourth in Stage 1 and 10th in Stage 2. Because Hamlin failed to score stage points, the driver of the No. 11 missed an opportunity to gain ground on Larson.
Hamlin finished sixth in Sunday’s Xfinity 500. Larson came home in the ninth position, while Bell placed 10th.
William Byron surged to ninth in the standings after dominating at Martinsville en route to his first win of the 2026 season. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, moved up to 10th in the standings after finishing second at Martinsville.
Advertisement
Carson Hocevar dropped two positions in the standings after a 21st-place result at Martinsville, falling from 10th to 12th. Ryan Blaney took a hit in the standings, too, after a 35th-place effort at Martinsville. The driver of the No. 12 sits seventh in the standings with one race remaining.
After suffering a 36th-place DNF, Austin Cindric fell back to 11th in the standings.
Larson is aiming to secure his third NASCAR Cup Series championship next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series championship race, scheduled for 267 laps and 400 miles, is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET. It can be watched on NBC or listened to on the Motor Racing Network.
Updated NASCAR Cup Series Points Standings After Martinsville
Here are the points standings for the NASCAR Cup Series after the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway:
Advertisement
