What the NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture looks like after Darlington

Chase Briscoe locked himself into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs after his dominant victory in Sunday's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. 

Here's what the rest of the playoff picture looks like after the first race of the postseason:

1. Chase Briscoe (Win) 

2. Denny Hamlin (+43) 

Darlington finish: seventh

Hamlin is in the best points spot of any playoff driver after Darlington — an advantage that could come in handy over the next two races. 

3. Kyle Larson (+38) 

Darlington finish: 19th 

Larson surprisingly struggled on Sunday, but he shouldn't be worrying about the cut line going into Gateway. 

4. Tyler Reddick (+35) 

Darlington finish: second 

Reddick wasn't able to get around Briscoe on Sunday night, but he's still in a solid points spot. 

5. Bubba Wallace (+25) 

Darlington finish: sixth

Wallace is in a great spot after Darlington, but he'll need to finally have a good run at Gateway to be comfortable heading into Bristol. 

6. William Byron (+25) 

Darlington finish: 21st

Byron dominated at Darlington in April, but didn't bring any speed to the venue on Sunday. 

7. Ryan Blaney (+22) 

Darlington finish: 18th

Blaney spun mid-way through Sunday's race, but Gateway — a track he nearly won at a year ago — should give him a chance to bounce back. 

8. Ross Chastain (+21) 

Darlington finish: 11th

Chastain ran a solid race on Sunday, but ultimately fell to 11th. 

9. Austin Cindric (+12) 

Darlington finish: 12th

Cindric is the defending Gateway winner, and another victory next week would send him to the Round of 12. 

10. Christopher Bell (+11) 

Darlington finish: 29th

A pit road mistake set Bell back on Sunday. He'll need a strong showing at Gateway in order to feel good going into Bristol. 

11. Chase Elliott (+9) 

Darlington finish: 17th

A lack of race wins and stage wins has begun to hurt Elliott, who is dangerously close to the cut line going into Gateway. 

12. Shane van Gisbergen (+3) 

Darlington finish: 32nd

SVG's gap to the cut line has evaporated quite quickly. He's never made a start at Gateway, and it wouldn't be surprising if he falls below the cut line. 

13. Joey Logano (-3) 

Darlington finish: 20th 

The defending series champion is in a points hole going into Gateway, but Gateway should be a solid showing for Logano and the No. 22 team. 

14. Austin Dillon (-8)

Darlington finish: 23rd

Dillon will need two solid runs at Gateway and Bristol if he wants a chance of advancing. His poor result on Sunday makes those chances slim. 

15. Alex Bowman (-19) 

Darlington finish: 31st

Bowman was a dark horse pick to make a deep playoff run, but that's looking less likely after a poor run on Sunday evening. 

16. Josh Berry (-19)

A Lap 1 crash doomed Berry's night and put him behind the eight ball already. A Bristol win may have to be his saving grace.