After William Byron swept the stages Sunday night at Chicagoland Speedway, Chase Briscoe took control late and led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top three finishing positions to claim his first victory of 2026. Byron's Chevrolet set the pace for much of the night, but the JGR Toyotas rose to the challenge as long runs dominated the closing portion of the race. As the sun went down and the track evolved, Briscoe took the lead for the final time with 46 laps remaining. Teammate Christopher Bell made a strong push in the final laps as he tried to take the win for himself, but Briscoe held him off and crossed the line first, strengthening his claim on one of the 16 spots available to compete for this season's NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Next week, the competitors will have to navigate the perils of the draft as the series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick won there earlier this season during his remarkable three-race win streak to open the year, but he will face plenty of competition this time around. Chase Elliott is the defending fall race winner, and Hendrick Motorsports has been working hard to close the gap to Toyota. They also have plenty of positives to take from Chicago. With just seven races remaining, the points picture is tightening, and the field is running out of time to ensure they are part of the season-defining 10-race run to the championship.
To keep up with all your
After William Byron swept the stages Sunday night at Chicagoland Speedway, Chase Briscoe took control late and led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top three finishing positions to claim his first victory of 2026. Byron's Chevrolet set the pace for much of the night, but the JGR Toyotas rose to the challenge as long runs dominated the closing portion of the race. As the sun went down and the track evolved, Briscoe took the lead for the final time with 46 laps remaining. Teammate Christopher Bell made a strong push in the final laps as he tried to take the win for himself, but Briscoe held him off and crossed the line first, strengthening his claim on one of the 16 spots available to compete for this season's NASCAR Cup Series championship.
Next week, the competitors will have to navigate the perils of the draft as the series returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick won there earlier this season during his remarkable three-race win streak to open the year, but he will face plenty of competition this time around. Chase Elliott is the defending fall race winner, and Hendrick Motorsports has been working hard to close the gap to Toyota. They also have plenty of positives to take from Chicago. With just seven races remaining, the points picture is tightening, and the field is running out of time to ensure they are part of the season-defining 10-race run to the championship.
To keep up with all your favorite drivers and get updates throughout the season, head to RotoWire's latest NASCAR news or follow @RotoWireNASCAR on X.
NASCAR Power Rankings After Chicagoland
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
Hamlin extended his points lead Sunday at Chicagoland with another top-five finish. He was one of the cars to beat throughout the weekend, qualifying on pole and scoring points in both stages. Hamlin led 30 laps on his way to a third-place finish, giving him his 10th top-five of the season, a total matched only by his main points rival, Tyler Reddick. Hamlin and the No. 11 team are firing on all cylinders and making few, if any, mistakes. As long as that continues, they will be tough to catch. The competition is closing the gap, though, so carrying this momentum all the way into The Chase remains the goal.
2. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 2
Reddick lost more ground in the championship hunt Sunday after radiator damage forced him to the garage for significant repairs during the second stage. It was the second week in a row that the No. 45 team was hit by mechanical issues, and Reddick is now 44 points behind Denny Hamlin in the standings. It was not long ago that the No. 45 team held an advantage of more than 100 points, too. Their five victories still have them in solid position, but momentum and weekly success matter in this sport. With just seven races remaining in the regular season, Reddick and the team will be working hard to regain their footing and turn their results in a more positive direction over the coming weeks.
3. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 3
Sunday's performance at Chicagoland was more of the same from Blaney and the No. 12 team. When they don't have the raw speed to lead and race for victories, Blaney and team execute cleanly and capture as many points as possible without overreaching and opening the door to mistakes. Sunday's seventh-place finish was their seventh in a row and their 14th of the season, which is more than anyone else. This is the most consistent team in the series right now even without the sheer pace that would be winning them races. That aspect could be different at Atlanta, though. The draft acts as an equalizer throughout the competition and Blaney has been one of the best at superspeedways.
4. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 5
Elliott was not able to challenge the leaders at Chicagoland, but he and the team got through the race without issues and snagged an 11th-place finish with a few stage points. Sometimes that is enough, and Sunday it helped push Elliott past teammate Kyle Larson in the championship standings. The battle between the teammates has been seesawing the past several weeks, but Elliott was the one who got the upper hand last week. The No. 9 team should be hopeful of having a more competitive package next week at Atlanta. Elliott has two prior wins at the track, including last fall. This past spring, he started fourth and led 11 laps on his way to finishing 11th. Elliott and Chevrolet still have work to do to catch Toyota, though.
5. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54
Last Week: 6
Sunday's eighth-place finish was the third top-10 from the last five races for Gibbs, bolstering his fourth-place position in the standings as the regular season approaches its finale. The result came with stage points from both segments and was the 12th of the season for the No. 54 team, which is equal to Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and behind only Ryan Blaney. Statistics like that are series leading and very impressive output from a team that has been relatively quiet compared to teammates. This season has been mature and methodical, and Gibbs is reaping the rewards. With just some small tweaks in The Chase, Gibbs is showing that he could be a real contender to win this championship.
6. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 4
Larson's biggest drawback for fantasy players is his ability to finish races. He has a tendency to run well and win but is equally as prone to mistakes and accidents. That was the case Sunday at Chicagoland. Larson qualified well and started started on the front row. He went on to finish second in the opening stage before spinning and falling multiple laps behind the leaders. That deficit was too much to overcome and he finished two laps down in 34th position. He lost one position in the standings and now faces the coming race at Atlanta in a superspeedway format that is not his best. Larson crashed out of the race there earlier this season despite leading 48 laps, and he remains winless since May of last year.
7. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 7
Sunday's runner-up finish at Chicagoland gave Bell his second top-five in a row after a rough stretch of three straight finishes outside the top 20. It was also his third second-place finish in the last seven races and his fourth of the season. Results like that are bound to reward the No. 20 team with a victory at some point, and with the recent bad luck seemingly behind him, Bell could be ready to make a charge toward the front. With Briscoe winning last week, Bell is now the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver without a victory this season, but it feels like only a matter of time before that box gets checked. Bell won at Atlanta last season and could be hungrier than ever to make another visit to Victory Lane.
8. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17
Last Week: 8
Hopes were high for a strong finish from Buescher on Sunday after he qualified third for the race. He was in contention early and finished sixth in the first stage, but those hopes started to unravel in the second stage. During green flag pit stops, a wheel was not secured, forcing Buescher to stop and reverse back to his box to have it tightened. A quick caution after the issue cemented the loss of position, which proved to be too much to overcome. Buescher finished 19th for the second race in a row, but he still holds seventh in the championship standings and will be hopeful for his chances at Atlanta. He finished 15th there earlier this season and will need that or better to continue bolstering his spot in The Chase.
9. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 10
Chase Briscoe got the breakthrough he had been waiting for, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in the final laps to claim his first victory of 2026 Sunday night at Chicagoland. It was Briscoe's sixth career win, and the points haul pushed him to eighth in the championship standings with seven races remaining in the regular season. Sunday's win came just one week after a runner-up finish at Sonoma, and it was his third top-five finish in the last seven races. This No. 19 team is hitting its stride, and it is coming at a good time with The Chase on the horizon. The work to fine-tune the small details that will keep them there for the championship battle now gets underway as they try to close the gap to Hamlin and Reddick further up the standings.
10. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: 9
Hocevar is enjoying his best season in the NASCAR Cup Series so far, but Sunday's 20th-place finish was his third outside the top 15 in the last four races. Consistent top-15 finishes, paired with the occasional top-10, are what it takes to claim a spot in The Chase, and that is what the No. 77 team has delivered for most of the season. They need to be careful that this recent dip in form does not become a habit as The Chase approaches, though. This team has punched above its weight for much of the year, but the season is long, and keeping that momentum alive will be one of its biggest challenges. Hocevar should be licking his chops with Atlanta next week, though. He has finished in the top 10 there in each of the last three races.
Knocking on the Door
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: N/A
Bubba Wallace delivered another top-10 finish Sunday, which continues his push up the championship standings. His sixth-place run Sunday night was his third top-10 from the last five races and leaves him with a 47-point advantage over 14th position in the standings and just under 70 points clear of the cutoff line for a spot in The Chase. The rough patch the team endured the past few months seems to be fading away, but consistent results week to week are still elusive. The coming week could be Wallace's chance to change that, though. At Atlanta, he finished eighth earlier this season and has three top-10 finishes from his last four starts.
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: N/A
Hendrick Motorsports has been closing the gap to Toyota in recent weeks, and last week it was William Byron's turn to carry that progress forward. He qualified 10th and led 94 laps, sweeping the stage wins before slipping back on the final long run to finish fourth. It was an impressive outing for the No. 24 team and their second top-five finish in the last four races. The points from Sunday's strong performance moved Byron to just eight points behind Daniel Suarez in the standings. However, wins are still lacking for Byron, and if he is going to have a realistic chance at winning the championship, he will need to start collecting some. Momentum appears to be heading in the right direction now, though.
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97
Last Week: N/A
After winning two road course races this season, Van Gisbergen is working to continue his improving trends on ovals. Doing so will keep in contention for The Chase, but Sunday's race at Chicagoland left a lot to be desired. SVG qualified just 30th for the race and had a run in with Austin Hill before finishing 25th. As he works to get back to top-15 finishing form, he may find it challenging racing with enemies on track looking for payback. There isn't much room for error with just 30 points separating him from the drop zone, and one misplaced bump from a rival could wipe that margin away. Van Gisbergen and team need to be clean and mistake free these last seven regular-season races to book a spot in The Chase.
