NASCAR standings 2019: Updated points for Cup Series playoffs after the Gander RV 400

Ameer Tyree

NASCAR standings 2019: Updated points for Cup Series playoffs after the Gander RV 400 image

Denny Hamlin came out on top in the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.

The 38-year-old claimed his third win of the season, edging out Erik Jones and Martin Truex Jr., who finished in second and third place, respectively.

Hamlin now has five career wins at Pocono Raceway after he avoided a wreck involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell — which sent the race to overtime.

Hamlin jumped to fourth in the points standings and is tied for the second-most wins this season, alongside Brad Keselowski.

NASCAR points standings 2019

Below are the new standings following the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway. Winners are in bold and guaranteed a playoff spot.

Rank Driver Wins Points
No. 1 Joey Logano 2 824
No. 2 Kyle Busch 4 818
No. 3 Kevin Harvick 1 739
No. 4 Denny Hamlin 3 722
No. 5 Martin Truex Jr.  4 701
No. 6 Brad Keselowski 3 695
No. 7 Kurt Busch 1 650
No. 8 Chase Elliott 1 616
No. 9 Aric Almirola 0 614
No. 10 Ryan Blaney  0 599
No. 11 Alex Bowman 1 596
No. 12 William Byron 0 582
No. 13 Erik Jones 0 559
No. 14 Kyle Larson 0 557
No. 15 Clint Bowyer   0 532
No. 16 Ryan Newman 0 532
No. 17 Jimmie Johnson  0 520
No. 18 Daniel Suarez 0 501
No. 19 Paul Menard 0 464
No. 20 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  0 444
No. 21 Chris Buescher 0 439
No. 22 Austin Dillon 0 404
No. 23 Ty Dillon 0 350
No. 24 Matt DiBenedetto  0 349
No. 25 Daniel Hemric 0 339
No. 26 Ryan Preece 0 268
No. 27 Michael McDowell 0 266
No. 28 Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. 0 262
No. 29 Corey Lajoie 0 247
No. 30 David Ragan 0 220
No. 31 Matt Tifft 0 218
No. 32 Reed Sorenson 0 66
No. 33 Quin Houff 0 58
No. 34 J.J. Yeley 0 29
No. 35 Jamie McMurray 0 19
No. 36 Andy Seuss 0 9
No. 37 Austin Theriault  0 5
No. 38 Stanton Barrett 0 2
No. 39 Casey Mears 0 1

Who’s on the Cup Series playoff bubble? 

Jimmie Johnson finished in 15th on Sunday and sits 17th in the points race, just behind Clint Bowyer and Ryan Newman. 

Bowyer finished in 11th, which keeps him in the hunt. He's tied with Newman with 532 points for the 15th-16th spot.

How are NASCAR driver points awarded per race?

Each finishing spot in the field earns driver points with the maximum being 40 for a win. These points accrue over the season as do owner points.

Drivers can also earn points based off of their finishes in the first two stages of the race. The driver who finishes first earns 10 points, the one who finishes in second earns nine and so on and so forth. Points earned in those stages are then added to the points earned at the finish of a race.

The points are added up over all of the races and there is a reset after the regular-season finale in the 26th race. Drivers who have earned wins or finish in the top 16 of the Cup Series standings then move on to the playoffs.

Drivers accumulate playoff points earning five bonus points for a win and one for a stage win. Those points are added to a driver's total at the start of the playoffs.

For a more in-depth look at how scoring works, click here.

 

Ameer Tyree