3 drivers remain eligible for NASCAR Cup Series championship
Ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series finale next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, only three drivers are mathematically eligible for the championship.
Despite not scoring stage points Sunday in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Larson has a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell and 70-point lead over Denny Hamlin.
Larson, on the heels of a back-to-back championship win and third title overall, called the gap comfortable but not locked up.
“I’m surprised that it’s that good,” Larson said. “I’m happy but I’m also bummed because there were a lot of opportunities there (to earn stage points).”
Bell’s 10th-place effort and seven earned stage points chipped away seven total points of his deficit on Larson after Martinsville.
Bell’s finished moved him to second overall in points.
“It’s another race, another opportunity to fight for a win, but I think we know,” Bell said to USA Sports about his chances at earning his first title next week.
Hamlin, also looking for his first Cup Series title, reflected on his Martinsville performance.
“Didn’t capitalize today on all Larson not getting any stage points… the first stage was the killer for us that set us back,” Hamlin said.
All thee drivers are former winners at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Cup Series Championship race is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. (NBC/MRN)
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.