Denny Hamlin Leads NASCAR Cup Standings by 84 Points With 4 Races Left

Q: As Ford chases its historic 750th win, which desperate driver below the cutline will risk everything to steal a playoff berth?

Ryan Preece looks like the Ford driver most likely to gamble hardest for a playoff spot. With four races left, Preece is the first man below the cutline in 17th, 38 points behind Austin Cindric. Among the Ford drivers chasing in that range, he has the smallest deficit and the clearest mathematical path. Brad Keselowski is also close at minus-50, but Preece’s gap is narrower and his recent pace has kept him in the thick of the fight. There is also extra pressure on Preece because his season has already been shaped by lost points. Earlier in the year, NASCAR docked him 25 points after the Texas incident with Ty Gibbs, a penalty that materially damaged his playoff position. In a points-only Chase format, that penalty matters even more, and it leaves him with little room for caution over the final month. Ford’s wider storyline adds to the urgency. The manufacturer has been chasing, and in some reporting already reached, its landmark 750th Cup win through Ryan Blaney. But for the bubble battle, Preece is the Ford driver with the most to gain and the most reason to force the issue. Joey Logano and Austin Cindric remain near the line, and Keselowski is still alive, yet Preece is the one in the most desperate spot where a single aggressive move could change everything. If one driver below the cutline is likely to risk everything to steal his way in on points, it is Preece.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 26

Indianapolis left Denny Hamlin atop the Cup standings at 886 points after the 22nd regular-season race, 84 ahead of Tyler Reddick and 120 clear of Ryan Blaney.
Four races remain before the Chase field is set, with Hamlin, Reddick and Blaney already clinched and Ty Gibbs sitting fourth at 751 points.
The cutline tightened around Austin Cindric in 16th on 518 points, while Ryan Preece is the first driver out at minus-38, followed by Erik Jones at minus-44 and Brad Keselowski at minus-50.
NASCAR now heads into an off week before an August stretch of four races decides the final Chase spots.