It’s finally time for The Chase! The 2026 NASCAR regular season has officially wrapped up in dramatic fashion after a high-stakes finale at Daytona International Speedway. With NASCAR leaning heavily into its revamped, classic “Chase” format, which emphasizes aggregate point totals over the course of 10 races to heavily reward long-term driver consistency, the field of 16 is locked in. The battle lines are drawn as teams head straight to Darlington Raceway to begin the postseason journey.
Under the updated system, setting a blistering pace right out of the gate is absolutely paramount. As the points reset takes effect, specific drivers are carrying roaring momentum into The Chase, while other championship-caliber names find themselves searching for answers during a badly timed ice-cold slump.
Who is Hot and Cold Entering The Chase?
Denny Hamlin (Hot)
Nobody is entering The Chase in a more dominant psychological or mathematical position than Denny Hamlin. Thanks to a masterclass in consistent execution throughout the 26-race regular season, Hamlin locked up the coveted No. 1 seed following the baseline reset. By claiming four regular-season victories, Hamlin stands as the definitive benchmark for the garage. The reset leaves him with a 25-point lead over second place, putting his Joe Gibbs Racing program in perfect position to dictate the tempo of the final stretch.
Joey Logano (Hot)
When the calendar flips to the postseason, you can never count out Team Penske’s veteran wheelman. Joey Logano has surged back into peak championship form at the exact right moment, highlighted by an impressive victory in the late-summer stretch at Richmond Raceway. Logano has paired his race-winning upside with reliable front-running speed, comfortably settling into the upper tier of the postseason grid. Armed with extensive championship experience, he knows exactly how to maximize performance under the pressure of The Chase.
Ryan Blaney (Hot)
Logano’s Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney, is matching that championship intensity blow-for-blow. Blaney captured a dominant victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway recently and has punched his ticket toward the front of the postseason lineup. Blaney has consistently shown elite intermediate and short-track packages over the final months of the summer, establishing himself as a direct threat to disrupt the Joe Gibbs Racing stable and make a deep, unyielding run at the title.
William Byron (Cold)
While William Byron comfortably preserved his spot among the elite 16 to secure his spot in The Chase, his late-summer performance trajectory is flashing warning signs. The Hendrick Motorsports star endured a noticeable cooling-off period during the high-temperature months, struggling to find the top-five finishes and race-winning dominance that defined his earlier campaigns. Entering The Chase 13th on the re-seeded board, Byron cannot afford a sluggish start at a demanding venue like Darlington.
Carson Hocevar (Cold)
Though Carson Hocevar put together a highly impressive regular season highlighted by a breakthrough victory, he enters The Chase fighting through a distinct rough patch. Hocevar suffered a tough DNF at the Daytona finale, and also had an arduous evening at Richmond where his car also failed to make it to the checkered flag. Stumbling into the playoffs with multiple finishes outside the top 30 recently means the young driver must reset his team’s focus immediately.
Austin Cindric (Cold)
Austin Cindric successfully safely navigated his way into The Chase, slotting near the bottom tier of the reset field. However, Cindric backed his way into the dance on points rather than kicking the front door down with overwhelming authority like his Penske teammates. With a meager two top-five finishes recorded over the grueling 26-race stretch, the No. 2 Ford team has frequently lacked the raw vertical speed necessary to contend with top-tier frontrunners like Hamlin or Blaney.
Final Thoughts
The return of a classic 10-race points haul structure dramatically changes driver psychology. Under this pure format, contenders can no longer have a disastrous couple of weeks and expect a single erratic victory to save them. Hamlin, Logano, and Blaney have successfully fine-tuned their race cars to perform at absolute peak velocity right as The Chase begins. Conversely, if lagging operations like Byron or Hocevar can’t pinpoint their sudden lack of top-end speed immediately, their championship aspirations will quickly evaporate.
Main Image: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
