The Cup Series calendar is heating up, with just two races separating us from postseason play.
It's been a memorable campaign thus far, filled with thrills, spills and a steady stream of point deductions in NASCAR's top flight. Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney are among the biggest standouts in the field, with all four looking capable of taking home the gold at the Cup Series championship in Phoenix.
Reddick in particular has been wondrous. In his last seven races, he has an average finish of 3.29, the best seven-race run of any NASCAR driver since Kyle Larson in 2021. Simply put, no driver has manipulated speed in the Next Gen car as impressively as Reddick, who sits atop the Cup Series standings after vanquishing all comers at Michigan.
The battle at the top has been enticing — Reddick, Elliott, Larson and Denny Hamlin (prior to his point penalty) all have looked capable of capturing that No. 1 seed. With it comes 15 additional playoff points, a notable sum.
The duel at the cut line, by comparison, has been bloodthirsty. Some of NASCAR's biggest names find themselves ambling closer and closer to the equator, including Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch.
Only 16 drivers can make it to NASCAR's biggest stage. Here's a look at how the postseason standings shake out prior to Saturday's race at Daytona, the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
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NASCAR playoffs standings 2024
Below is a current look at the top 16 drivers in the Cup Series playoff standings, based on regular season points.
This section will be updated as the Cup Series campaign nears its conclusion.
| Rank | Driver | Points | Points over cut line |
| 1 | Tyler Reddick* | 814 | +0 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott* | 804 | +0 |
| 3 | Kyle Larson* | 782 | +0 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 732 | +0 |
| 5 | William Byron* | 728 | +0 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin* | 711 | +0 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell* | 703 | +0 |
| 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | 682 | +76 |
| 9 | Brad Keselowski* | 677 | +0 |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | 644 | +39 |
| 11 | Alex Bowman* | 627 | +0 |
| 12 | Chris Buescher | 621 | +16 |
| 13 | Ross Chastain | 606 | +1 |
| 15 | Joey Logano* | 561 | +0 |
| 16 | Daniel Suarez* | 526 | +0 |
| 19 | Austin Cindric* | 460 | +0 |
* clinched playoff spot with a win
Wallace is the first driver out at present, sitting one point behind Chastain in the standings. Busch, the 17th-best driver this season based on points, finds himself 93 points back of Chastain. He'll likely need a win to get into the postseason for Richard Childress Racing.
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NASCAR playoff race schedule 2024
(All times ET)
| Date | Race | Track | Time | TV/Radio | Winner |
| Sun., Sept. 8 | Quaker State 400 (Buy Tickets) | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA/PRN | — |
| Sun., Sept. 15 | Go Bowling at the Glen (Buy Tickets) | Watkins Glen International | 3 p.m. | USA/MRN | — |
| Sat., Sept. 21 | Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Buy Tickets) | Bristol Motor Speedway | 7:30 p.m. | USA/PRN | — |
| Sun., Sept. 29 | Hollywood Casino 400 (Buy Tickets) | Kansas Speedway | 3 p.m. | USA/PRN | — |
| Sun., Oct. 6 | YellaWood 500 (Buy Tickets) | Talladega Superspeedway | 2 p.m. | NBC/MRN | — |
| Sun., Oct. 13 | Bank of America Roval 400 (Buy Tickets) | Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course | 2 p.m. | NBC/PRN | — |
| Sun., Oct. 20 | South Point 400 (Buy Tickets) | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC/PRN | — |
| Sun., Oct. 27 | Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami (Buy Tickets) | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2:30 p.m. | NBC/MRN | — |
| Sun., Nov. 3 | XFINITY 500 (Buy Tickets) | Martinsville Speedway | 2 p.m. | NBC/MRN | — |
| Sun., Nov. 10 | NASCAR Cup Series Championship (Buy Tickets) | Phoenix Raceway | 3 p.m. | NBC/MRN | — |