At the end of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 18, Alex Bowman edges out Denny Hamlin in the final laps of the race to become the eighth different winner of the 2021 NASCAR racing season.

Hamlin has ranked in the top five in eight of the nine races run so far and leads the field with five stage wins…but has yet to win a race.

His stage wins and race results have helped to keep Denny Hamlin as the leader in the point standings with 434 points.  With an 81 point lead, Hamlin could literally take a race off and still lead in the points standings.

However, the eight race winners from this season are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs; leaving only eight more drivers to make it in the playoffs of points.  Those eight drivers are Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, and Michael McDowell.

Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell currently sits in 17th in the points standings five points below the cut line.

After being the first driver of the season to win two races, Martin Truex Jr holds down the second place spot.

The top 16 in the points standings as of April 19, 2021:
Denny Hamlin
Martin Truex Jr
Joey Logano
William Byron
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
Chase Elliott
Kevin Harvick
Brad Keselowski
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Alex Bowman
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Kurt Busch
Chris Buescher