Kyle Larson is still the definitive Chase favorite, halfway through the 10-race postseason, even after Chase Briscoe managed to hold him off Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson *could* have put a massive gap between himself and the rest of the field with a win, but Briscoe just wouldn’t let him have it. Now, as we roll into the Charlotte oval race this weekend, everyone’s gotta be wondering if anyone can actually catch him.
The Challengers Closing In (Or Trying To)
Look, while Larson’s still the man, some guys are absolutely making noise. Cindric, for example, gained 12 points on Larson at Vegas! Dude had a strong opening stage and finished fourth, racking up back-to-back top 10s on those 1.5-mile tracks. He’s ninth in the standings, and you know he’s smiling about that. The big question for Charlotte though: his best finish there is only 20th. Can he step it up?
Wallace also showed serious progress, finishing eighth at Vegas and gaining three points on Larson. He was even dicing it up for the lead late in the race, which is huge! The guy’s got four top 10s in the five Chase races already. Charlotte’s a tough one for him, though, with only one career top five on that oval. Reddick clawed back from an early battery issue at Vegas to finish third, gaining five points on Larson and breaking a three-race streak outside the top 10. He’s finished top five in three of the last four Next Gen races at Charlotte, even grabbing the pole and a fourth in the 600 back in May. Blaney’s another one who gained, picking up 11 points on Larson with a fifth-place finish and top fives in both stages. He’s got three top fives in The Chase, but two finishes outside the top 30 are a major red flag. Yeah, he won the 600 in 2023, but that’s his *only* top five in the Next Gen era there.
Who’s On The Outside Looking In?
Then you’ve got the guys who really need to find another gear. Gibbs had a rough day at Vegas, an early speeding penalty torpedoing his race to a 17th-place finish and a loss of 16 points to Larson. And talk about Charlotte struggles: zero top fives in four Next Gen starts on that oval? Yikes. Logano lost four points to Larson with a 10th at Vegas, and that 20th last week at Kansas is still a gut punch. His best Next Gen finish at Charlotte was eighth in the 600 in May, so he’s gotta dig deep.
On the “verge” list, there’s a few who are really searching. Chris Buescher still hasn’t cracked the top 10 in The Chase after a 13th at Vegas. William Byron’s got four straight top 10s, including a sixth at Vegas, but the source says it’s “too little, too late” for him. Chase Elliott was seventh at Vegas but still needs his first Chase top five. Carson Hocevar’s 12th at Vegas with two stage points wasn’t enough to kickstart a comeback. Ryan Preece? A 28th at Vegas means he’s probably just looking to build some momentum for 2027. Daniel Suárez finished 14th for the third week in a row and is still hunting his first Chase top 10. Charlotte *could* be his spot, though, since he won the 600 there in May. Fingers crossed, right?
The Charlotte oval race this weekend is going to be absolutely critical. Larson is still the guy everyone has to beat, but Cindric, Wallace, Reddick, and Blaney are all showing flashes. Can anyone truly challenge Larson’s dominant run, or will he just keep pulling away? We’ll find out Sunday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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