NASCAR Cup Series Chase bubble tightens dramatically after Coronado

With only nine races left in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, the race to make the 16-driver Chase is as intense as it's been all year. 

Not only is the race at the top of the standings between Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin currently separated by eight points, but 14th through 27th is separated by only 74 — two points shy of a full race. Multiple bubble drivers had issues on Sunday at Naval Base Coronado, drawing the postseason hopefuls closer together. 

Here's what the Cup Series Chase grid looks like after 17 races in 2026. 

1. Tyler Reddick (+354)

2. Denny Hamlin (+346)

3. Ryan Blaney (+221)

4. Kyle Larson (+174)

5. Ty Gibbs (+173)

6. Chase Elliott (+172)

7. Chris Buescher (+138)

8. Daniel Suarez (+116)

9. Carson Hocevar (+114)

10.  Chase Briscoe (+69)

11. Bubba Wallace (+67)

12. Christopher Bell (+60)

13. William Byron (+59)

Byron lost two spots and five points to the cut line with a 32nd-place finish on Sunday after mechanical issues derailed his day. Nobody would've thought Byron would be fighting by the bubble at this point in the season, but it's now a reality. 

14. Erik Jones (+10)

Jones finished a quiet 20th at Coronado but gained a spot and six points on the cut line this week. If he can hold serve and stay above the cut line at Sonoma, that would constitute a successful weekend in Wine Country. 

15. Austin Cindric (+8)

Cindric also gained a spot and four points on Sunday after an unremarkable 22nd-place finish. The No. 2 team has done little more than stay out of big trouble for much of the season to this point. 

16. Ryan Preece (+5)

A Stage 2 win and 11th-place run helped Preece gain 38 points on the cut line this week, putting him back on the right side of the bubble. 

17. Shane van Gisbergen (-5)

A Lap 31 crash at Coronado on Sunday took SVG out of contention for the race win but also served as a massive detriment to his Chase hopes. The No. 97 team needs a win at Sonoma in the worst way. Van Gisbergen lost 15 points to the cut line this week. 

18. Joey Logano (-10)

Logano finished 18th at Coronado on Sunday, though it was enough for him to gain 11 points on the cut line. The three-time champion would likely be happy with simply staying in place after Sonoma. 

19. Brad Keselowski (-13)

Keselowski's hellish summer stretch continued with a fourth consecutive finish of 30th or worse. He finished 34th at Coronado on Sunday, losing nine more points to the cut line. 

20. AJ Allmendinger (-21)

Don't look now, but Allmendinger is nearly within a couple stages of a Chase berth after a fifth-place finish Sunday at Coronado. Another strong road course run at Sonoma could vault him inside the provisional postseason field. 

21. Michael McDowell (-34)

22. Ross Chastain (-40)

23. Zane Smith (-51)

24. Riley Herbst (-58)

25. Todd Gilliland (-61)

26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-64)

27. John Hunter Nemechek (-69)