KANSAS CITY, Kansas - Chase Elliott locking himself into the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 via win at Kansas Speedway on Sunday wasn't the only good news for Hendrick Motorsports when it came to the playoff picture.
Thanks to a consistent run and a sixth-place showing, Kyle Larson moved to the verge of clinching his own spot and will enter the dangerous Charlotte ROVAL next weekend a full 54 points above the cutline in third place. William Byron, who overcame some early adversity to finish ninth and has a 40-point cushion to fall back on as well.
By the end of Sunday's race, the field of 12 remaining drivers will be whittled down to eight with Elliott already reserving a spot in the next round.
Here's a look at the standings with one race remaining before the Round of 8:
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NASCAR standings after today
| Driver | Points |
|---|---|
| 1. Chase Elliott | ADV (1 win) |
| 1. Ryan Blaney | ADV (1 win) |
| 3. Kyle Larson | +54 |
| 4. Denny Hamlin | +48 |
| 5. Christopher Bell | +44 |
| 6. William Byron | +40 |
| 7. Chase Briscoe | +21 |
| 8. Joey Logano | +13 |
| --------------- | ------ |
| 9. Ross Chastain | -13 |
| 10. Bubba Wallace | -26 |
| 11. Tyler Reddick | -29 |
| 12. Austin Cindric | -48 |