Kyle Larson left Phoenix Raceway with the NASCAR Cup Series points lead still in his hands. After the afternoon he endured Sunday, that might be the best news he could have hoped for.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver entered the Freeway Insurance 500 atop the Chase standings, only to watch his race unravel with a flat right-front tire, a trip into the wall and an early exit to the garage.
Larson finished 34th and failed to collect a single stage point, but he remains the championship leader with 2,370 points following Sunday’s race.
The problem? His cushion is getting awfully thin.
Christopher Bell sits just five points behind, while Chase Briscoe trails by 24. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are also within 40 points of the lead, setting up an increasingly tight championship fight with three races remaining.
Updated NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings After Phoenix
Here are the updated championship standings following Sunday’s Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
| Rank | Driver | Points | Behind Leader |
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 2,370 | Leader |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 2,365 | -5 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | 2,346 | -24 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 2,339 | -31 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 2,330 | -40 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 2,326 | -44 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick | 2,314 | -56 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric | 2,240 | -130 |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs | 2,238 | -132 |
| 10 | Chase Elliott | 2,221 | -149 |
| 11 | Carson Hocevar | 2,212 | -158 |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 2,208 | -162 |
| 13 | Daniel Suarez | 2,182 | -188 |
| 14 | William Byron | 2,180 | -190 |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 2,166 | -204 |
| 16 | Ryan Preece | 2,159 | -211 |
Standings reflect the championship leaderboard displayed at Phoenix Raceway following Sunday’s race.
NASCAR Championship Battle Tightens With Three Races Remaining
The biggest takeaway from Phoenix isn’t simply that Larson had a bad day. It’s how little room he now has for another one.
Just five points separate the top two drivers. The top four are covered by 31 points, and Blaney sits only 40 points back despite an afternoon that briefly threatened to derail his own race.
Reddick also gave his championship hopes a boost by winning at Phoenix, although he remains seventh in the standings, 56 points behind Larson.
For Logano, a sixth-place finish came after he swept the opening two stages, collecting valuable points along the way. He sits sixth, 44 points behind the leader.
With three races left in the 10-race Chase, there is no runaway championship favorite.
Larson still controls the top spot, but Bell is close enough to take it with a single strong race. Briscoe, Hamlin, Blaney and Logano are all within striking distance.
Phoenix didn’t knock Larson out of the championship lead. It did, however, make the final stretch of the season a whole lot more interesting.
NASCAR Chase Standings After Phoenix: Kyle Larson’s Lead Shrinks as Rivals Close In