NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings Rile Up After World Wide Technology Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway was the site of the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Chase. In a crash-filled race that saw 18 caution flags, Kyle Larson came out the winner for the first time in the 2026 season.

With multiple Chase drivers getting collected in incidents, the Cup Series points standings saw a major shake-up. However, things remain the same at the top of the leaderboard as Denny Hamlin scored a ninth-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway, securing his points lead heading into Bristol next Saturday night.

Yet, the win for Larson was a massive boost for the driver of the No. 5 in the Chase standings. The two-time and defending Cup Series champion entered World Wide Technology Raceway seventh in the points. After his first victory of the season, "Yung Money" leaps to second in the standings and is nine points behind Hamlin for the lead.

For some drivers, however, they went backwards in the standings. After getting caught up in a late-race crash, Christopher Bell slipped to third in the standings. The driver of the No. 20 entered Gateway 12 points behind Hamlin in second place after his first victory of the season last Sunday at Darlington.

Ryan Blaney took a hit in the Chase standings, too, as the driver of the No. 12 fell to fourth position, 33 points behind Hamlin. Blaney suffered a brake issue that sent the 2023 Cup champions crashing into the wall and out of the race, ultimately scoring a 35th-place finish.

Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe were two other drivers who suffered in the points standings. After the two got tangled in a late-race crash, Elliott slipped from eighth to 11th in the standings, while Briscoe fell from fifth to eighth in the rankings.

The incident happened after Elliott suffered a brake failure going into turn 1, causing the driver of the No. 9 to crash into Briscoe's No. 19 Toyota. Both were out of the race following the incident.

NASCAR Cup Series Chase standings after World Wide Technology Raceway

Here is a look at the NASCAR Cup Series Chase standings following the Enjoy Illinois 300

The NASCAR Cup Series circuit heads to the Bristol Motor Speedway next Saturday night, September 19, for the Bass Pro Shops Night race. It is scheduled for 500 laps and is the third race of the Chase. The race can be watched on USA Network or listened to on the Performance Racing Network.