Nine races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the picture is already coming into focus — one driver setting the pace, the rest scrambling to keep up.
With the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway looming April 26, the pressure is only getting higher. After nine of 36 races, here’s where drivers stand:
1. Tyler Reddick (Preseason: 8)
Reddick is having one of the greatest starts to a season in Cup Series history. He has won five of the first nine races, including the Daytona 500 and Sunday’s race at Kansas. He leads the series standings by 105 points going into race 10 at Talladega.
2. Denny Hamlin (Preseason: 2)
Hamlin hasn’t missed a beat after a heartbreaking championship loss last fall. He scored his first win of the season at Las Vegas and nearly had another at Kansas on Sunday. He’s second in the standings through nine races and has led a series-high 575 laps this season.
3. Kyle Larson (Preseason: 1)
The defending Cup Series champ hasn’t won in 33 races, but he’s still been consistent. Larson was one lap away from winning Sunday before being passed by Reddick on the last lap. But even without a win, he’s fifth in the points standings.
4. Ty Gibbs (Preseason: Unranked)
Gibbs makes the biggest jump from our preseason rankings, and for good reason. The fourth-year driver scored career win No. 1 at Bristol and has seven consecutive top-10 finishes. After three years in which he struggled, Gibbs is a bona fide contender.
5. Ryan Blaney (Preseason: 4)
Blaney has Ford’s only victory of the season so far (at Phoenix). Without the well-documented struggles of his pit crew, he could’ve had another at Bristol. He’s third in the series standings but had his first real no-show of the season at Kansas on Sunday, finishing 24th.
6. Chase Elliott (Preseason: 7)
Elliott is the only Chevrolet driver to win in 2026, breaking through at Martinsville. Aside from that victory, he’s been his usual steady, consistent self. Elliott is sixth in the series standings going into Talladega.
7. William Byron (Preseason: 5)
Byron is surprisingly winless through the first quarter and has led only 34 laps through the first nine races. He’s still seventh in points, but has yet to flash the winning speed No. 24 fans have been accustomed to in recent years.
8. Bubba Wallace (Preseason: 10)
Wallace is off to a career-best start in 2026. He has five top-10s and scored his first top-five of the season at Kansas on Sunday. He is, of course, lagging behind Reddick, his 23XI Racing teammate, but so is the rest of the field.
9. Christopher Bell (Preseason: 3)
Bell had been running up front before crippling incidents in the last two races and finds himself 10th in the series standings. There’s not a huge reason for concern because Bell has been fast more often than not this season, but a win before the halfway mark of the year would be nice for the No. 20 team.
10. Chris Buescher (Preseason: 14)
Buescher, like his RFK Racing teammates who are just below him, has been consistent in 2026. He’s 11th in the series standings with four top-10 finishes and in a great position to make the Chase.
11. Ryan Preece (Preseason: 12)
Preece is still searching for his first career win, but he looks to at least be in position for his first Cup Series postseason berth. The No. 60 team has been quietly consistent this season, and RFK’s decision to hire Preece looks good.
12. Brad Keselowski (Preseason: Unranked)
Because Keselowski is still racing with a broken leg, there were plenty of questions surrounding the 2012 champion. He’s answered them so far, sitting ninth in the standings with four top-10 finishes through nine races and looking every bit like a future Hall of Famer.
13. Carson Hocevar (Preseason: 16)
Hocevar has run inside the top 10 and top 15 so much this season that it’s no longer the surprise or major storyline. The third-year driver should be in the Chase picture for the rest of the regular season and could be the next driver to claim his first career Cup win.
14. Chase Briscoe (Preseason: 6)
Briscoe has come to life lately, finishing fifth and third at Bristol and Kansas, respectively. Still, a slow start has him down in 15th in the standings. The No. 19 team is still waking up but is a threat to win on any given weekend.
15. Joey Logano (Preseason: 9)
Logano was a complete no-show at Kansas, finishing 30th and falling to 14th in the standings. The three-time champion may have trouble simply making the Chase, let alone making a title run, if the No. 22 team continues to struggle to find speed.
16. Austin Cindric (Preseason: Unranked)
Cindric is just 13 points behind Daniel Suarez for the 16th and final provisional Chase berth. As the circuit heads to Talladega, look for Cindric to be in contention — he won the 2025 Talladega spring race and is always fast on drafting tracks.