HAMPTON, G.A. (WSPA) - The NASCAR Cup Series regular season closed it's doors this week. Playoff action begins Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.
After a thrilling final face of the regular season at Darlington Raceway, a field of 16 drivers are locked in for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
| Position | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points (Stage) | Wins |
| 1 | 5 Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2,040 (253) | 4 |
| 2 | 20 Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2,032 (186) | 3 |
| 3 | 45 Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 2,028 (170) | 2 |
| 4 | 24 William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2,022 (160) | 3 |
| 5 | 12 Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 2,018 (193) | 2 |
| 6 | 11 Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2,015 (233) | 3 |
| 7 | 9 Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2,014 (158) | 1 |
| 8 | 6 Brad Keslowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 2,008 (139) | 1 |
| 9 | 22 Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2,007 (122) | 1 |
| 10 | 2 Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 2,007 (70) | 1 |
| 11 | 99 Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet | 2,006 (47) | 1 |
| 12 | 48 Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2,005 (91) | 1 |
| 13 | 14 Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2,005 (56) | 1 |
| 14 | 21 Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 2,005 (15) | 1 |
| 15 | 54 Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2,004 (118) | 0 |
| 16 | 19 Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2,004 (175) | 0 |
Here are four notable things to keep in mind as drivers head into the first post-season race.
Back to Atlanta
For the first time since 2008, Atlanta Motor Speedway will host the opening race of the playoffs. Drivers are back in action after a thrilling February race that proved to be one of the closest three-way finishes in NASCAR history.
Chase Elliott will return to his home track and said he expects it to be a heated ride, much like Talladega and Daytona.
“Obviously starting at Atlanta is gonna be wild. What that race has turned into is nuts, so it’ll be kind of like Daytona all over again and we’ll try to have a little better outing than we did," said Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott.
10 Races Remaining
With ten races remaining, anything can happen.
Tyler Reddick was crowned the regular season champion, but still begins the playoffs trailing Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell in the standings.
The Final Three In
Driver Chase Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing took the checkered flag last weekend and clinched a spot above the cutline. The organization will have one final shot at a championship this year before shutting its doors at the end of the season.
“Regardless, even if we don’t move out of the first round, it’s successful. You know, to win a race in the Cup Series is hard to do," said Briscoe. "You know, for us, to be able to do it in the turmoil our shop is in, right, we’ve not had a shop since May and for us to continue to bring cars that are capable of winning and running up front is a testament of the grit of each and every one of the 320-something employees of Stewart-Haas."
"I’m glad that we won because it was going to be hard to keep people if we didn’t have anything to race for and now we gotta get to work," Briscoe added.
Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. got into the field based on points as each are still looking for their first win of the season.
The Winners & Returners
14 drivers have at least one win in the regular season.
Defending Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney brings Team Penske back to the playoffs in the hunt for another title, along with past champs Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr.
With the green flag dropping on the playoff, anything can happen. It all begins Sunday at 3 p.m. with the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart.