NASCAR drivers are scrambling for spots in the Chase as the end of the regular season nears. Erik Jones knew the reality of his situation heading into the NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. Jones came into the weekend 18th in the standings, 44 points behind 16th-place Austin Cindric for the final spot in the Chase that determines the series champion.
Regular Season Standings
Denny Hamlin leads the standings with 923 points, 103 points ahead of Ty Gibbs, who won Sunday’s race just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell. Only four drivers have wrapped up Chase spots: Hamlin, Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick.
Cindric has 526 points. Ryan Preece is the first driver below the cutline at 497 points. Ross Chastain jumped three spots after his seventh-place finish at Iowa, moving into 18th place at 479 points. Brad Keselowski is one point behind Chastain.
The biggest scramble now in this final month could be for seeding. Points for the top 16 drivers will reset after the Aug. 29 regular-season finale at Daytona. The regular-season champion will be the top seed and start the Chase with 2,100 points, the second seed will have 2,075 points and the third seed will have 2,065, with a five-point drop for each seed after that.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
