The field for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship will be set after the final race in the Round of 8 of the playoffs at the NASCAR Martinsville race on Oct. 26 (1 p.m. CT, NBC).
The field will be cut from eight to four in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway heading toward the NASCAR Cup championship race at Phoenix on Nov. 2.
Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have already locked up two of the final four spots. Hamlin got in by winning at Las Vegas on Oct. 12 and Briscoe joined Hamlin by winning at Talladega on Oct. 19.
Hamlin and Briscoe are seeking their first NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The other drivers in the top eight include Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott.
No. 1 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Denny Hamlin
The pressure is off Hamlin, but don’t be surprised if he is in the mix for his second win in three weeks at Martinsville. He traditionally runs well at Martinsville, where he has six career wins.
One of those wins came in the spring Martinsville race on March 30. He was fifth in the Martinsville playoff race in 2024. Hamlin dedicated his last two wins to his ill father and would like nothing more than to dedicate his first championship to him.
No. 2 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Kyle Larson
Larson, the 2021 Cup champion, is above the cut line. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had four straight top-10 finishes in the playoffs, including back-to-back runner-ups, and was in contention again at Talladega before running out of gas late.
The mishap will make Larson and his team even more determined to run well at Martinsville where he was fifth in March, third in the fall of 2024, and second in the spring of 2024.
No. 3 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Christopher Bell
Bell is also above the cut line and finished second to Hamlin at Martinsville in the spring. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also won there in 2022.
Bell has the chance to be among the Championship Four drivers for the third time in four years. Bell has been consistent through the 2025 playoffs finishing in the top 10 in seven of the eight races. He won at Bristol and was third three straight weeks at Kansas, the Charlotte Roval and Las Vegas.
No. 4 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Chase Briscoe
Briscoe won the first and last races in the 2025 playoffs at Darlington on Aug. 31 and Talladega on Oct. 19. The Talladega win was especially significant with it being Briscoe’s first on a superspeedway.
Briscoe has never won at Martinsville, but finished fourth there in 2023.
No. 5 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Ryan Blaney
Considering the misfortune Blaney has endured in the 2025 regular season and the playoffs, he has to be happy to still be in contention for the championship.
Blaney had seven DNFs in the regular season and one in the playoffs. That’s put the Team Penske driver in a must-win situation at Martinsville. The good news is that Blaney has won there in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
No. 6 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Chase Elliott
Elliott got caught up in a wreck at Talladega, finished in 40th place, and is now 62 points below the cut line. He will have to win to advance to the Championship Four and keep alive his hopes of winning his second championship.
After winning the championship in 2020, Elliott returned to the Championship Four in 2021 and 2022.
No. 7 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for Joey Logano
Logano hasn’t won at Martinsville since 2018 and he will need to win there to keep alive the chance to repeat as the NASCAR Cup Series champion and win his third title in four years.
After being in the top 5 three straight weeks in the playoffs, the Team Penske driver has been outside the top 15 in three of the last four.
No. 8 NASCAR Cup playoff chances for William Byron
After running with the lead pack at Talladega, Byron had contact with Carson Hocevar late and dropped back to 25th place. It left the Hendrick Motorsports driver as a longshot for advancing at Martinsville and winning his first championship.
NASCAR playoff picture after Talladega race
After 2 of 3 races in the Round of 8
1. Denny Hamlin (locked into Championship 4 via Las Vegas win)
2. Chase Briscoe (locked into Championship 4 via Talladega win)
3. Christopher Bell +37 ahead of 5th
4. Kyle Larson +36
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5. William Byron -36 behind 4th
6. Joey Logano -38
7. Ryan Blaney -47
8. Chase Elliott -63
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
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