There are 4 races remaining within the common season — occasions on the Iowa Speedway (Aug. 3), Watkins Glen (Aug. 10), Richmond Raceway (Aug. 16) and Daytona Worldwide Speedway (Aug. 23) — earlier than the playoffs start with the Southern 500 at Darlington on Aug. 31.
For the reason that newest tweaks to NASCAR’s playoff format have been launched for the regular-season championship in 2017, solely two regular-season champs have missed the Championship 4: Kevin Harvick in 2020 and Martin Truex Jr. in 2023.
This is how the 4 drivers in competition are trending because the common season winds down.
1. Chase Elliott (+4) | Trending: Up
Elliott was radio silent at Indianapolis, however the No. 9 workforce has discovered profitable velocity over the previous month. Elliott broke a 44-race winless drought at EchoPark Speedway on June 28, completed third at Sonoma on July 13 and led 238 laps at Dover on July 20 over a latest stretch wherein he took over the factors lead. Watkins Glen is a wonderful alternative for Elliott to win for the second time in 2025 and to increase a slim factors lead.
2. William Byron (-4) | Trending: Down
Byron was in for a top-five end within the Brickyard 400 earlier than he ran out of gasoline on the ultimate lap and completed sixteenth. The Daytona 500 winner has six finishes of sixteenth or worse over the previous eight races and has been bleeding factors in latest weeks. To topple Elliott and to take the regular-season title for himself, he might use a Daytona sweep.
3. Kyle Larson (-15) | Trending: Up
Larson has been mired in a stoop since late Might, however consecutive top-five efforts — together with a runner-up end within the Brickyard 400 — have him again inside putting distance. Watkins Glen is probably going the most effective observe remaining on the regular-season schedule for Larson, however the No. 5 workforce has the flexibility to dominate on any given weekend — one thing that may’t essentially be mentioned for every other workforce within the area.
4. Denny Hamlin (-20) | Trending: Up
Had Hamlin not missed the June 15 race in Mexico Metropolis, he would at the very least be nearer to Elliott, if not main the standings. Regardless, Hamlin has been on a tear all through the summer time, amassing six top-five finishes — together with wins at Michigan and Dover — over his previous eight begins. Iowa and Richmond are golden alternatives for Hamlin to achieve on these above him, and if he can mitigate his losses at Watkins Glen and survive at Daytona, he might declare the regular-season championship for the second time in his profession.
