Two races are down.
Eight remain.
And the NASCAR Cup Series Chase suddenly has Kyle Larson breathing down Denny Hamlin’s neck.
Larson won Sunday at Gateway and jumped from seventh to second.
He now trails Hamlin by only nine points.
That is a massive swing after one race.
Larson Just Changed Everything
Kyle Larson entered Gateway 49 points behind Hamlin.
He leaves just nine points back.
That is a 40-point swing in one afternoon.
Larson also snapped a 51-race winless streak.
Now, he heads to Bristol as one of the championship favorites.
Christopher Bell sits third, just 18 points behind Hamlin.
Ryan Blaney remains fourth, but he dropped to 33 points back.
Blaney suffered a brake failure and finished 35th.
That turned what looked like a strong day into a major points hit.
The Middle of the Chase Is Getting Tight
Tyler Reddick sits fifth, 42 points behind Hamlin.
Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano are tied at 51 points back.
Chase Briscoe sits eighth, 59 points behind the leader.
Then things get interesting.
Carson Hocevar sits ninth, 88 points behind Hamlin.
Bubba Wallace is 10th, trailing by 90 points.
Chase Elliott sits 11th, 93 points behind the championship lead.
That is a much different position than Elliott wanted entering Bristol.
Bristol Could Change Everything
Bristol is next.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race arrives Saturday, Sept. 19.
The race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Bristol is also a completely different challenge from Gateway.
Drivers will deal with tight quarters and constant traffic.
There is little room for mistakes.
That makes momentum incredibly important.
Larson has it.
Hamlin still has the points lead.
Bell remains within striking distance.
Meanwhile, Blaney and Elliott need strong recoveries.
Nobody Is Out of This Fight
The bottom of the standings looks ugly.
However, the new Chase format changes the equation.
All 16 championship contenders remain eligible throughout the 10-race championship.
There are no elimination races.
That means nobody needs to panic after two races.
Still, points gained now matter later.
Larson just proved how quickly the standings can change.
A 49-point deficit became nine in one afternoon.
Now everyone heads to Bristol knowing the same thing.
This championship is wide open.
And Kyle Larson just kicked the door wide open.