What the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture looks like after Dover

Denny Hamlin won Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway and added to his bank of playoff points, but the playoff cut line continued to fluctuate. Here's what the playoff picture looks like with five races remaining in the Cup Series regular season. 

1. Denny Hamlin (four wins) 

2. Kyle Larson (three wins) 

3. Christopher Bell (three wins) 

4. Shane van Gisbergen (three wins) 

5. William Byron (one win) 

6. Ryan Blaney (one win) 

7. Austin Cindric (one win)

8. Joey Logano (one win) 

9. Chase Elliott (one win)

10. Chase Briscoe (one win) 

11. Ross Chastain (one win) 

12. Josh Berry (one win) 

13. Tyler Reddick (+156) 

Reddick has over two races' worth of points in the bank and should be able to lock himself in on points within the next two races. However, a win would add some much-needed playoff points to a small pile for the No. 45 team. 

14. Alex Bowman (+63) 

An inspired third-place run at Dover gives Bowman a race's worth of cushion to the cut line and should make him much more comfortable next weekend at Indianapolis. He's the only Hendrick Motorsports driver who's not yet locked into the playoffs, but Bowman is in a much better spot than he was a week ago. 

15. Chris Buescher (+44) 

Buescher gained 10 points on the cut line with a sneaky ninth-place run at Dover. Buescher is looking to get back to the playoffs after barely missing out on the postseason in 2024. 

16. Bubba Wallace (+16) 

Thanks to a seventh-place finish on Sunday, Wallace gained 13 points on the cut line and can breathe slightly easier going into Indianapolis. He'll be looking to run back the top-five result he scored in the 2024 Brickyard 400. 

17. Ryan Preece (-16) 

An uncharacteristically radio-silent day befell Preece at Dover. Heavy contact in a late crash could've spelled a much worse result for the No. 60 team, but Preece limped home in 19th to stay well within striking distance of the bubble. 

18. Kyle Busch (-39) 

Busch put together a solid day at Dover with an 11th-place finish, but lost two points to the cut line. He'll need several big races to get back to the postseason - top-15s simply won't cut it anymore. 

19. Ty Gibbs (-52) 

Gibbs has come on strong in recent weeks and is now within a race of the playoff bubble after a fifth-place run at Dover. In a surprising late-season surge, there's life in the No. 54 camp. 

20. Michael McDowell (-77) 

McDowell had a fairly quiet day at Dover, but brought home a 13th-place finish. He'll need a win in order to get back to the playoffs, but Sunday's race was a solid day at the office for the No. 71 team.