Chase Elliott leads field in stage points

LAS VEGAS — Two races into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott leads the NASCAR Cup Series field in stage points earned in points-awarding races.

Elliott, who has won three stages this season, has earned 34 points, including 20 points Sunday (Feb. 23) in the Pennzoil 400.

Elliott was unavailable for comment.

Ryan Blaney is tied with Martin Truex Jr. with the second-most points two races into the season with 24 points.

Joey Logano (21 points) and Jimmie Johnson (17 points) round out the top-five competitors.

Overall, 17 drivers have finished inside the top 10 in stage endings in Cup Series races this season.

In total, four drivers have earned stage points in each stage endings in points-awarding races in 2020 (Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano).

With the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 in May (four stages), every points awarding race in 2018 is broken up into three stages.

Each of the first two stages awards points to the top-10 finishing drivers. A first-place finish earns 10 points, second-place gets nine points, and so forth.

The next points-awarding race for the series will be next Sunday (March 1) at Auto Club Speedway.

STAGE POINT TOTALS
1) Chase Elliott 34
2) Ryan Blaney 24
3) Martin Truex Jr. 24
4) Joey Logano 21
5) Jimmie Johnson 17
6) Alex Bowman 14
7) Kevin Harvick 13
8) William Byron 12
9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 12
10) Kyle Busch 10
11) Denny Hamlin 10
12) Aric Almirola 8
13) Ross Chastain 7*
14) Kyle Larson 7
15) Matt DiBenedetto 3
16) Chris Buescher 3
17) Ty Dillon 1

*Chastain is not collecting points in the Cup Series in 2020.

SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info