NASCAR playoff standings, Cup points updated after Austin Dillon’s controversial Richmond win

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Steve Samra | Last updated Aug 12, 2024 10:59 AM ET

The return of the NASCAR Cup Series didn’t disappoint after a two-week break due to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

In an absolutely wild turn of events, Austin Dillon went from the doldrums to Victory Lane, adding new life to the phrase checkers or wreckers at Richmond, and capturing the checkered flag. He’ll have to answer Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin for his actions, but the No. 3 was celebrating after a long night of racing.

With Dillon’s shocking win, the playoff standings and overall Cup Series points have been thrown for a loop. Check them out below, and see how Dillon changed everything for a myriad of wheelmen.

Updated NASCAR Playoff Standings after Richmond

Austin Dillon was an afterthought ahead of Richmond, but he secured his spot in the playoffs with the shocking win on Sunday evening. That bumped Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain into must-win territory, and Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs are on notice now, as well.

Rank	Driver	Wins	Playoff Points
1	Kyle Larson	4	28
2	Christopher Bell	3	25
3	Denny Hamlin	3	21
4	William Byron	3	16
5	Ryan Blaney	2	12
6	Tyler Reddick	1	8
7	Austin Cindric	1	7
8	Chase Elliott	1	6
9	Joey Logano	1	6
10	Daniel Suárez	1	6
11	Brad Keselowski	1	5
12	Alex Bowman	1	5
13	Austin Dillon	1	5
14	Martin Truex Jr.	0	+78
15	Ty Gibbs	0	+19
16	Bubba Wallace	0	+3
17	Chris Buescher	0	-3
18	Ross Chastain	0	-3
19	Chase Briscoe	0	-103
20	Kyle Busch	0	-122

Updated NASCAR Cup Standings after Richmond

Elsewhere, while Austin Dillon’s win won’t be felt as much in the overall Cup Series points, it was another solid performance for Tyler Reddick, who left Richmond with a podium finish. Now, the No. 45 is in striking distance of Kyle Larson, and could overtake him for the lead at any moment over the course of the summer.

Rank	Drivers	Points	Leader
1	Kyle Larson	779	0
2	Tyler Reddick	774	-5
3	Chase Elliott	773	-6
4	Denny Hamlin	758	-21
5	Ryan Blaney	702	-77
6	Christopher Bell	701	-78
7	William Byron	678	-101
8	Martin Truex Jr.	662	-117
9	Brad Keselowski	636	-143
10	Alex Bowman	615	-164
11	Ty Gibbs	602	-177
12	Bubba Wallace	587	-192
13	Chris Buescher	584	-195
14	Ross Chastain	584	-195
15	Joey Logano	557	-222
16	Daniel Suárez	497	-282
17	Chase Briscoe	485	-294
18	Kyle Busch	465	-314
19	Todd Gilliland	454	-325
20	Austin Cindric	451	-328
21	Michael McDowell	431	-348
22	Carson Hocevar	414	-365
23	Josh Berry	412	-367
24	Noah Gragson	400	-379
25	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	376	-403
26	Austin Dillon	344	-435
27	Ryan Preece	341	-438
28	Erik Jones	337	-442
29	Justin Haley	329	-450
30	Corey LaJoie	327	-452

As you can see, Sunday’s race at Richmond was a game-changer for the Cup Series, and added a myriad of storylines to an already hot summer. The next couple of weeks should be bonkers, so buckle up and come along for the ride, as NASCAR returned with a bang in Virginia.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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