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Four races of the NASCAR Cup Series season are complete, and four drivers have punched their tickets to the playoffs with wins. However, a group of winless drivers holds the top spots in the championship standings with more consistent performances.
NASCAR released the updated standings after Chase Briscoe won his first career Cup Series race on March 13. The driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang is now fifth in the standings while Team Penske’s Joey Logano holds the top spot without a win. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch (zero wins) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (zero wins) round out the top three spots.
Kyle Larson, the defending champion, is the first driver with a win to crack the top five. He sits fourth after a win at Auto Club Speedway and a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, a crash at Daytona International Speedway and a mechanical issue at Phoenix Raceway dropped him in the standings.
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Logano has started his season in a quiet, yet consistent manner. He only finished 21st in the Daytona 500 but avoided race-ending incidents. He added a top-five finish at Auto Club Speedway and an eighth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway with a 14th-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway sandwiched in between.
He hasn’t made major waves, but he has still accumulated a series-leading 136 points. Logano now sits four points ahead of Busch, who has top-10s at Daytona and Phoenix and a top-five at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his name.
A Late Spin Derailed Chase Elliott’s Strong Performance
Elliott, the 2020 champion, was en route to his first top-five of the season during the race at Phoenix on March 13. He had spent the day stockpiling stage points and leading a total of 50 laps, but a late incident disrupted a strong performance.
Elliott raced in the top 10 with fewer than 10 laps remaining in the Ruoff Mortgage 500, but he lost control exiting a turn on Lap 305. He avoided hitting other stock cars and the inside wall, but he brought out the caution while losing several spots.
The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro restarted in the middle of the pack, but he showcased speed while working his way back through the field. He moved up to 13th overall as Chase Briscoe crossed the finish line but gained two more spots passing both Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon, who hit the wall after contact from Daniel Suarez.
Elliott has not yet returned to Victory Lane after winning twice in 2021, but he holds the third spot overall in the standings with consistent performances. He has two top-10s and the 11th-place finish with only a 26th-place run at Auto Club Speedway as his worst showing.
The top-10s play a critical role in Elliott holding the third spot overall, but he has also stockpiled points during the first four races. According to NASCAR, Elliott has 33 stage points so far, which is fourth-best in the Cup Series. Only William Byron (43), Larson (39), and Logano (34) have more.
Kurt Busch Continues To Battle Each & Every Week
The first four races of the 2022 Cup Series season have not been easy for Busch. The driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry has lost his qualifying spot due to three failed inspections, and he has faced multiple other hurdles.
While he hasn’t won any stages or accumulated more than four stage points, the 2004 Cup Series champion has still battled throughout the season. He passed 133 total cars at Auto Club Speedway after starting last, serving a pass-through penalty, and receiving another penalty for speeding en route to an eighth-place finish.
The trip to Phoenix Raceway was a quiet day overall for Busch considering that he started 15th and remained buried in the middle of the pack for much of the race. However, he made moves at the most important time to finish fifth overall.
Busch has now finished inside the top 20 in all four races while keeping himself in the playoff picture. He is 11th overall in the standings after four races, and he will have more opportunities to keep fighting for wins.
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