Nascar Cup play -off match after 12 shows shows who have work to do

The NASCAR CUP All-Star race takes place just before the halfway of the usual season-14 races until the play-offs start to start this weekend’s event a good point to determine what happened this year.

Kyle Larson leads the points, scored the most play -offs and led most laps in the 12 races before Sunday night’s exhibition event in North Wilde Wilkesboro, but is it enough?

Maybe not. Dominance early in a season is not always rewarded with a cup title. Consider:

Larson took the lead of teammate William Byron after winning last weekend’s race on Kansas Speedway, the third win of the season for Larson.

No driver who led the cup points after 12 races has been that season since Martin Truex Jr. Won in 2017.

Larson scored a best 23 play-offs (15 points via his three wins and eight points via his eighth tape victories).

No driver with the most play -off points after 12 races has won the cup title that season since Kyle Busch in 2019.

Look at the other end of the play -off photo. Seven drivers claimed play -off matches, which remain nine places.

Managers who made it to points in the next Genera (since 2022) had an average of 349.3 points after 12 races. Chase Elliott (378), Ryan Blaney (362) and Tyler Reddick (357) are the only drivers above the point through 12 races this year.

Of the six drivers who have made the play -offs on points since 2022, three of them were in the top five in points after 12 races (Martin Truex Jr. was second in 2024, Kevin Harvick was fifth in 2023 and Blaney was third in 2022). Elliott is fourth in the season standings and Blaney is fifth before the All-Star race.

Only one of the six drivers who made the play -offs on points since 2022 was out of the top -10 after 12 races.

Bubba Wallace was 18th in points after 12 races. He was on average 21.0 points per race in the first 12 races. His actions then picked up. He was an average of 26.2 points per race in the last 14 races of the ordinary season that year to earn the final play -off match.

Of those outside the top -10 in the points and winless this year are: Ross Chastain (11th in the standings), Chris Buescher (12th), Chase Briscoe (13th), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (15th), Ryan Preece (16th), Kyle Busch (18th), John Hunter Nemechek (19th) and Carson Hcevar (20th).

Also consider the schedule as you look forward. Six of the remaining 14 races in the ordinary season are held on a roadway or a drawer. The road courses are Mexico City (June 15), Chicago Street Race (July 6), Sonoma (July 13) and Watkins Glen (August 10). The essay tracks are Atlanta (June 28) and the final season final in Daytona (August 23).

Here is a look at the play -off game to 12 of 26 races in the usual season (those highlighted in yellow are at a play -off via win):