Chase Briscoe Wins Again as Championship Battle Heats Up
The NASCAR Cup Series Chase standings received another major shake-up following Sunday’s Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chase Briscoe captured his second consecutive victory, defeating Christopher Bell in a dramatic photo finish, while Kyle Larson extended his championship lead with a sixth place finish.
With six of the 10 Chase races complete, Larson remains in control of the championship battle. However, Briscoe’s back to back wins have put him firmly in contention as the series heads toward the final four races of the season.
Larson finished Charlotte with a 49 point advantage over Denny Hamlin, who finished fifth. Bell remains third, while Briscoe climbed to fourth after another impressive performance.
Updated Cup Series Chase Standings
Here are the standings following Charlotte, with points deficits measured against Larson.
- Kyle Larson — 2,367 points
- Denny Hamlin — 2,318 points (-49)
- Christopher Bell — 2,316 points (-51)
- Chase Briscoe — 2,302 points (-65)
- Ryan Blaney — 2,282 points (-85)
- Joey Logano — 2,275 points (-92)
- Tyler Reddick — 2,253 points (-114)
- Austin Cindric — 2,222 points (-145)
- Ty Gibbs — 2,211 points (-156)
- Carson Hocevar — 2,187 points (-180)
- Bubba Wallace — 2,182 points (-185)
- Chase Elliott — 2,182 points (-185)
- William Byron — 2,159 points (-208)
- Daniel Suarez — 2,152 points (-215)
- Chris Buescher — 2,151 points (-216)
- Ryan Preece — 2,140 points (-227)
Briscoe Continues His Championship Charge
Briscoe delivered one of the biggest performances of the season at Charlotte, holding off Bell by just 0.029 seconds. The victory marked his second straight win and moved him two positions higher in the Chase standings.
Although Briscoe remains 65 points behind Larson, his recent momentum makes him a serious threat. Bell also had an excellent race, but the narrow defeat left him 51 points behind the leader.
Larson, meanwhile, continues to benefit from consistency. He won the opening stage, led 97 laps and finished sixth despite losing track position late in the race.
Phoenix Becomes the Next Big Test
The Cup Series now heads to Phoenix Raceway, where four races remain in the championship Chase. Larson has built a valuable cushion, but the competition is getting tighter behind him.
Hamlin and Bell need to start closing the gap, while Briscoe will look to continue his winning streak. With Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead-Miami still ahead, the championship battle remains far from over.