Playoff Standings @ 2023 NASCAR Cup Series

Game is the name of the change. Will Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs look the same as they did before the Roval, or will the standings change?
It’s KEN with a call: In my opinion, Martin Truex will have problems at Charlotte and be eliminated from the playoffs, while Tyler Reddick’s success on a road course makes him a near-certainty to advance to the Round of 8.

RYAN’S RANTINGS: I find it hard to imagine that we won’t have a shakeup somewhere, what with the return of stage breaks and all the strategy that goes into road-course racing.

RYAN’S RAMBLE: With stage breaks back and all of the strategy that goes into road-course racing, I doubt we won’t see a shakeup somewhere.

Here’s a quick glance at the playoff situation following the fifth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Talladega Superspeedway has completed the middle race of the Round of 12, leaving just the Charlotte Motor Speedway road track next Sunday before the championship-eligible field is reduced to eight.

WINNER

Ryan Blaney won an exciting and ultimately crucial race at Talladega on Sunday, defeating Kevin Harvick by 0.012 seconds to go to the Round of 8. Blaney, who won Stage 1 earlier in the game, now has an extra six playoff points heading into the next round of the playoffs thanks to his heroics in Alabama.

1. William Byron – 3,135* (-)
2. Ryan Blaney – 3,078* (-)
3. Denny Hamlin – 3,107 (+50)
4. Christopher Bell – 3,079 (+22)
5. Chris Buescher – 3,076 (+19)
6. Martin Truex Jr. – 3,074 (+17)
7. Kyle Larson – 3,072 (+15)
8. Brad Keselowski – 3,059 (+2)
______________________________ Elimination Line
9. Tyler Reddick – 3,057 (-2)
10. Ross Chastain – 3,050 (-9)
11. Bubba Wallace – 3,050 (-9)
12. Kyle Busch – 3,033 (-26)
*Got entry in Round of 8

NASCAR Cup Series Outstanding Schedule

PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12

Bank of America ROVAL 400
Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, Concord, North Carolina
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)
2022 winner: Christopher Bell

PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 8

South Point 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, Oct. 15, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
2022 winner: Joey Logano

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Homestead-Miami
Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
2022 winner: Kyle Larson

Xfinity 500
Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m. ET (NBC)
2022 winner: Christopher Bell

CHAMPIONSHIP 4

NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona
Sunday, Nov. 5, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)
2022 winner: Joey Logano