Three NASCAR Cup Series champions at risk of being chopped from playoffs

The NASCAR Cup Series playoff picture got a little clearer after Sunday's race at Las Vegas, with the first driver locked into the championship race and points gaps beginning to form.

Denny Hamlin's 60th career win locks him into the Championship 4 with two races to spare as he looks to take the long-awaited first title of a long and storied career.

Below him though, there is now a 15-point gap separating the top four from the drivers below the cut, with Chase Briscoe on the bubble – a position which would've been more precarious had William Byron not dropped from second to 36th in a massive wreck in the last 30 laps.

Byron is now the first driver on the outside looking in, 15 points behind Briscoe, with Chase Elliott (-23), Joey Logano (-24) and Ryan Blaney (-31) the others hoping that the chaos of Talladega plays into their hands next weekend.

Blaney's Stage 1 wreck on Sunday – his right front tire failing and sending him hard into the wall to end his day – puts him most dramatically behind the 8-ball, but just one multi-car wreck at the superspeedway could change things in a heartbeat.

With all of that said, let's take a look at the latest playoff standings below.

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NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings after Las Vegas

Following Sunday afternoon's race at Las Vegas, here is how the playoff standings shape up in the Cup Series.

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