Martin Truex Jr. picked up two stage wins and a victory to continue his dominance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.
Martin Truex Jr.’s season has been built on pure dominance. On Saturday night, Truex Jr. showed why he is on a different plane than the rest of the drivers of NASCAR this season. His spot on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings is reflected by his performance.
Once again, Truex Jr. was after stage wins in addition to the victory. A track that Kyle Busch typically dominates most years, Truex Jr. didn’t let him have his moment or a chance at his first win on Saturday.
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Perhaps the strongest show of strength was the laps before overtime struck, when he had a built a double-digit lead over the closest driver. In the end, Truex Jr. continues to pick up important points that will help keep him in the chase into the deepest stages barring disaster.
Kyle Larson had another strong run and he’s been the one driver that’s almost refused to let the No. 78 keep the headlines to himself. Larson has more points overall by a margin, but Truex Jr. has one more win and is tied with Jimmie Johnson with three overall on the year. Here are the complete NASCAR Cup Series standings after the Quaker State 400.
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 689 | ||||
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 517 | ||||
| 3 | Kyle Larson | 702 | ||||
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 536 | ||||
| 5 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 418 | ||||
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | 585 | ||||
| 7 | Joey Logano | 471 | ||||
| 8 | Ryan Blaney | 462 | ||||
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 415 | ||||
| 10 | Ryan Newman | 414 | ||||
| 11 | Austin Dillon | 341 | ||||
| 12 | Kyle Busch | 591 | ||||
| 13 | Chase Elliott | 558 | ||||
| 14 | Jamie McMurray | 534 | ||||
| 15 | Denny Hamlin | 531 | ||||
| 16 | Clint Bowyer | 493 | ||||
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | 465 | ||||
| 18 | Erik Jones | 417 | ||||
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | 373 | ||||
| 20 | Trevor Bayne | 352 | ||||
| 21 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 332 | ||||
| 22 | Kasey Kahne | 329 | ||||
| 23 | Paul Menard | 309 | ||||
| 24 | Ty Dillon | 301 | ||||
| 25 | Michael McDowell | 275 | ||||
| 26 | Chris Buescher | 271 | ||||
| 27 | AJ Allmendinger | 259 | ||||
| 28 | David Ragan | 242 | ||||
| 29 | Danica Patrick | 230 | ||||
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | 196 | ||||
| 31 | Landon Cassill | 189 | ||||
| 32 | Cole Whitt | 187 | ||||
| 33 | Aric Almirola | 188 | ||||
| 34 | Corey LaJoie | 124 | ||||
| 35 | Reed Sorenson | 88 | ||||
| 36 | Gray Gaulding | 84 | ||||
| 37 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | 74 | ||||
| 38 | Michael Waltrip | 29 | ||||
| 39 | Derrike Cope | 26 | ||||
| 40 | Billy Johnson | 15 | ||||
| 41 | Boris Said | 8 | ||||
| 42 | Alon Day | 5 | ||||
| 43 | Kevin O’Connell | 4 | ||||
| 44 | Cody Ware | 4 | ||||
| 45 | Tommy Regan | 3 | ||||
| 46 | D.J. Kennington | 2 |
The top of the standings is looking strong, while the bottom is looking like a fight to just get in. There is a great chance some very good drivers will be left out this year. Buckle up, this summer of racing is only just beginning.