Chase Elliott won Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway, officially locking up a berth in the 2025 Cup Series playoffs. With eight races remaining in the regular season, here’s what the Cup Series playoff picture looks like.
1. Kyle Larson (three wins)
2. Denny Hamlin (three wins)
3. Christopher Bell (three wins)
4. William Byron (one win)
5. Ryan Blaney (one win)
6. Austin Cindric (one win)
7. Joey Logano (one win)
8. Chase Briscoe (one win)
9. Josh Berry (one win)
10. Shane van Gisbergen (one win)
11. Chase Elliott (one win)
12. Ross Chastain (one win)
13. Tyler Reddick (+128)
Reddick was in contention for the win all evening, but settled for a fourth-place finish. He’s in a comfortable points position at the moment, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if the No. 45 team found its way to victory lane soon.
14. Chris Buescher (+52)
Buescher finished ninth and gained 14 points on the cut line at Atlanta. While he’s focused on winning, consistent results certainly don’t hurt him at the moment.
15. Alex Bowman (+39)
Bowman gained 19 points on the cut line and moved up a spot in the playoff standings this week with a third-place finish at Atlanta, but missed out on a golden opportunity to snag a win. A repeat victory at Chicago would be huge for the No. 48 team.
16. Bubba Wallace (+23)
Bad luck has plagued Wallace over the last month, and did so again at Atlanta. After suffering damage in an early crash, Wallace got back on the lead lap in Stage 3 and drove into the top 15 — only to spin and never recover, finishing 22nd. He’s on the right side of the cut line for now, but will almost assuredly need a win to make the playoffs.
17. Ryan Preece (-23)
Preece could only muster a 15th-place finish at Atlanta in a wounded No. 60, but stayed within striking distance of the cut line. Consecutive road course races at Chicago and Sonoma are excellent opportunities for Preece to gain on the cut line over the next two weeks.
18. Erik Jones (-49)
Jones and the No. 43 team have been on a tear as of late. Jones finished fifth at Atlanta on Saturday, and while he and everyone below him likely needs a win to make the postseason, he does have an outside chance of making the playoffs on points if this hot streak continues.
19. AJ Allmendinger (-59)
A 12th-place finish at Atlanta is a decent day for Allmendinger, but he has to have the three remaining road course races in the regular season — Chicago, Sonoma and Watkins Glen — circled as his opportunity to notch a win and earn a playoff berth.
20. Carson Hocevar (-62)
A 10th-place run at Atlanta puts Hocevar back within striking distance of the bubble. The No. 77 can win at any of the remaining tracks in the regular season, but whether or not Hocevar is ready for the pressure will determine if that win comes or not.
