The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are nearly upon us, with just two races remaining in the 2025 regular season following Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, Aug. 10.
Van Gisbergen collected his fourth win of 2025 to tie Denny Hamlin for the most victories this season.
Sixteen drivers will compete in the 10-race playoffs, and only three berths remain available, with 13 drivers already locked into the postseason. Drivers clinch automatic spots in the playoffs with a victory in any regular-season race (not including The Clash and All-Star race) if there are not more than 16 different winners in a season – which there won’t be this year.
If a winless driver takes the checkered flag at either of the next two races – at Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway – he will gain entry to the playoffs. If not, the remaining spots will be allocated to the winless drivers with the most points this season.
Winless drivers currently above the cut line will have to weigh – along with their crew chiefs and owners – whether to prioritize points in the final two regular-season races to maintain their position in the standings or race for the win. For those below the cut line, Richmond and Daytona will be must-win situations.
Here’s a look at the top 20 drivers in the standings following Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen ranked by playoff seeding as of now:
NASCAR driver standings — Projected 2025 playoffs
A look at the top 20 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, ranked by projected playoff seeding with two races remaining in regular season.
Includes rank, driver, wins (playoff points in parentheses), regular-season points, and points above or below 16-driver cut line, where applicable:
Denny Hamlin….. 4 (24) ….. 731
Shane Van Gisbergen….. 4 (22) ….. 441
Christopher Bell….. 3 (17) ….. 727
Kyle Larson….. 3 (23) ….. 727
William Byron….. 2 (17) ….. 812
Chase Elliott….. 1 (6) ….. 770
Ryan Blaney….. 1 (11) ….. 710
Chase Briscoe….. 1 (7) ….. 674
Bubba Wallace….. 1 (7) ….. 610
Joey Logano….. 1 (7) ….. 583
Ross Chastain….. 1 (6) ….. 571
Austin Cindric….. 1 (8) ….. 502
Josh Berry….. 1 (6) ….. 445
Tyler Reddick….. 0 (1) ….. 701 ….. +117
Alex Bowman….. 0 (0) ….. 644 ….. +60
Chris Buescher….. 0 (-3) ….. 618 ….. +34
Ryan Preece….. 0 (2) ….. 584 ….. -34
Kyle Busch….. 0 (0) ….. 516 ….. -102
Ty Gibbs….. 0 (0) ….. 493 ….. -125
AJ Allmendinger….. 0 (0) ….. 489 ….. -129
Upcoming NASCAR Cup Series races
Here are the final two races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. You can stream both races on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.
Watch NASCAR Cup races on Fubo
At Richmond Raceway
Race: Cook Out 400
Date: Saturday, Aug. 16
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Richmond, Virigina
TV channel: USA Network
Streaming: HBO Max and Fubo
At Daytona International Speedway
Race: Coke Zero Sugar 400
Date: Saturday, Aug. 23
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Daytona Beach, Florida
TV channel: NBC
Streaming: HBO Max and Fubo
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