With four races remaining in the regular season, the field for the 2026 NASCAR Chase is taking shape, with several new names locking themselves in prior to the off weekend.
Entering last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney had already locked themselves in through their wins and consistency. This week, only one driver, Ty Gibbs, joined them after another strong stretch of results.
Gibbs finished 12th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after starting fourth, scoring 43 points through a Stage 1 win and a third-place finish in Stage 2. The result moved him into fourth in the Cup standings and completed a six-week run that precisely showed why he belongs among the playoff contenders.
The 23-year-old finished fourth at North Wilkesboro, starting from second after his fourth-place result at Atlanta despite starting 23rd.
Before that, he had finished in eighth place at Chicagoland, a third-place result after starting from the pole at Sonoma, and a ninth-place finish at Pocono after starting fourth. His 15th-place result at San Diego was the only finish outside the top 10 during that stretch.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series also added five drivers to its playoff field following the Indianapolis race. Justin Allgaier and Jesse Love had already secured their spots, with Allgaier entering the Chase after six wins and Love relying on his season-long consistency.
Carson Kvapil made his case and locked himself into the Chase by winning the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis after starting second. He collected 69 points and moved three positions to second in the standings. After finishing third in Stage 1 and fifth in Stage 2, Kvapil held off Allgaier in the final stage and won by 0.643 seconds.
Sheldon Creed finished eighth from the pole at Indianapolis and earned 40 points after placing inside the top 10 in both stages. It marked his best result in the four-race stretch that also included Sonoma, Chicagoland, and EchoPark Speedway.
Corey Day secured his playoff position with a seventh-place Indianapolis finish and 30 points. He dropped one position in the standings, but his early-season consistency gave him enough of a cushion to withstand recent results of 19th at Chicagoland and 32nd at EchoPark.
Brandon Jones remained sixth in the standings after finishing ninth at Indianapolis. His season includes one win, 13 top-10 finishes, and five top-five results in 22 starts. Besides that, his recent form has also helped, with a win at Chicagoland followed by a seventh-place finish at EchoPark.
Austin Hill became the final addition to the group after finishing 10th at Indianapolis. Starting 19th, he gained 29 points and strengthened a playoff spot following his wins at Daytona and Naval Base Coronado.
Those wins produced 75 and 68 points, respectively, while his season totals of nine top-10s and six top-five finishes have kept him seventh in the standings.
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