When the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season began in Daytona Beach, Florida, back in February, there was one big storyline going into Speedweeks. That being the return of “The Chase.” The way the year started it seemed like the No.45 of Tyler Reddick and 23XI Racing were going to dominate the point standings after Reddick won the first three races (Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA). Reddick led the point standings by 120 points at one time over the Joe Gibbs Racing No.11 team of Denny Hamlin.

After this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, things started to shift in the standings. Denny Hamlin would go on a hot streak, winning three races in a row (Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono). Hamlin would go on a 150-point stretch after being 120 points behind Reddick to lead by 44 points after Sonoma. The 45 team kept having a streak of bad luck, while the 11 team was racking up three wins and top-5 finishes for weeks straight.

Now, as we enter the North Wilkesboro weekend, there’s a new driver chasing the top of the standings by the name of Ryan Blaney in the Team Penske No.12. Blaney is just 41 points behind Reddick for second and 65 back on Hamlin for the points lead. While the Fords and Team Penske have struggled in what’s been a season dominated by Toyotas, it’s been Blaney carrying the load for the Fords in 2026 so far.

Blaney is just one of three Fords currently in the Chase, along with Buescher(7th) and Cindric(14th). While Toyota holds seven of the sixteen spots in the chase entering the weekend. There are just six races left before the Chase(North Wilkesboro, Indianapolis, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, and Daytona).

Those tracks outside of Daytona can really favor a Reddick or Hamlin over Blaney, especially when you look at Hamlin’s track record at places like Indy, Richmond, and New Hampshire. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona will always be a wild card, especially as it’ll set the rest of the Chase field. Reddick and Hamlin are the only two drivers who have clinched a spot right now, but Blaney has a chance to do so on Sunday.

With the points format now, it has completely erased the “win, and you’re in” moments that we have typically seen in the last several seasons. The perfect example is Shane VanGisbergen, he has two wins this year and currently sits 15th in the standings, just 31 points above the cut line. Which means when it comes to the battle for the top spot with Reddick, Hamlin, and Blaney. Another win by any of these three drivers can really set them up well when the chase begins. However, a bad finish can also take them out of regular-season championship contention.

Plenty of storylines to keep an eye on going into Sunday’s Window World 450 from North Wilkesboro. Practice and Qualifying begin Saturday at 5:00 pm on TruTV. The race starts at 7:00 pm Sunday on TNT.

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