Running the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 14 turned out to be a wild ride for the NASCAR Cup Series drivers that included two red flags and several drivers with a DNF – Did Not Finish – after their names.
Going into tat race, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were tied in the points standings with 917 points but Larson having the edge with five race wins.
With just two races remaining in the regular season, Denny Hamlin is the first driver to secure a spot in the playoffs without scoring a race win for the 2021 season. His 931 points have him locked in to one of the three remaining spots open. After leading the points race for most of the 2021 season.
In the manufacturers race, Chevrolet leads the way with 13 wins and 892 points; Ford follows with five wins and 822 points. Toyota rounds out the standings with six wins and 813 points.
With five race and 12 stage wins, Kyle Larson leads the point and playoff standings.
Drivers who have secued a spot in the playoffs:
Kyle Larson
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Brad Keselowski
Kurt Busch
Christopher Bell
Michael McDowell
and Aric Almirola
Drivers currently in the playoffs standings via points:
Tyler Reddick
Kevin Harvick
Austin Dillon currently sits outside the top 16, 28 points below the cut line.