The battle at the top of the points standings is a tight one between Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson, who are separated by one point heading into Michigan.
With nine drivers locked into the playoffs with wins, the field is getting smaller for drivers to make their way in via points.
Check out the top 30 in the standings heading into Michigan.
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1
Martin Truex Jr., 584 points (18 playoff points)
Truex has a firm grasp on this whole stage racing this. He’s won eight stages and two races so far this season.
2
Kyle Larson, 583 (8 playoff points)
Larson lost the points lead a few weeks ago but closed the gap to one point this weekend. He scored his first Cup Series win at Michigan last season.
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3
Kevin Harvick, 480 (3 playoff points)
Harvick’s been on the verge of scoring a win for about two months now. Even without a win, he’s in a good position at the midway point of the regular season.
4
Kyle Busch, 463 (4 playoff points)
Busch has made headlines for a lot of reasons other than winning so far this season. His performance has him so close to making it happen and when he does, he could run off a couple.
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5
Brad Keselowski, 454 (12 playoff points)
With two wins, Keselowski sits in a comfortable position as far as the postseason is concerned. After two rough finishes, he’s back on track after a top five at Pocono.
6
Chase Elliott, 438 (2 playoff points)
Elliott didn’t have much go right for him in the month of May, finishing 24th or worse in four straight races. He’s bounced back in June with two top-10 finishes. He finished second in both Michigan races last year.
© Nigel Kinrade LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
7
Jimmie Johnson, 421 (15 playoff points)
The seven-time Cup Series champion already has three wins in 2017. Outside of those wins, he hasn’t had a dominant car. Those playoff points will come in handy once the postseason begins.
© Matthew T. Thacker LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Matthew T. Thacker
8
Jamie McMurray, 418
McMurray’s run of consistency came to an end at Pocono as he got caught up in a crash after running through fluids from Johnson’s car. He slips three spots in the standings because of his poor finish.
© Brett Moist LAT Photo USA www.latphoto.co.uk Brett Moist
9
Denny Hamlin, 386 (2 playoff points)
Hamlin’s results have improved in the past seven races as he’s averaged near a top 10. That’s a big jump from a shaky start to the 2017 season. Expect him to contend for a win in the coming weeks.
10
Clint Bowyer, 369
Along with McMurray, Bowyer is the only driver currently in a playoff spot that doesn’t have any playoff points yet.
11
Joey Logano, 362 (1 playoff point)
The bad luck streak continues for Logano after having his win at Richmond encumbered and nullified as far as the playoffs are concerned. He’s currently on the bubble.
12
Ryan Blaney, 360 (8 playoff points)
A big momentum boost for Blaney after a couple rough races. There’s nothing like the first time and Blaney wouldn’t surprise anyone if he added No. 2 in the coming weeks.
© Lesley Ann Miller LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Lesley Ann Miller
13
Matt Kenseth, 359 (1 playoff point)
Kenseth’s on the outside looking in at the playoffs right now and a couple more unexpected winners could have him in trouble of making the postseason.
14
Kurt Busch, 331 (5 playoff points)
It’s been a nice recovery in recent weeks after Busch struggled following his Daytona 500 win.
15
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 325 (5 playoff points)
Stenhouse looks to have a car that can hang around the top 10 to 15 each week. Having a win in check is a great boost for the entire Roush Fenway Racing organization.
© Nigel Kinrade LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
16
Ryan Newman, 322 (5 playoff points)
Newman’s win at Phoenix was a bit of a surprise but the veteran driver has performed well in spurts this season.
17
Erik Jones, 322
The leading Rookie of the Year candidate posted a career-best third-place finish at Pocono and might not be too far away from his first Cup Series win.
18
Trevor Bayne, 303
Bayne’s performance has dipped a bit in recent weeks and he’ll likely need a win at this point to make the playoffs.
19
Daniel Suarez, 300
Suarez hasn’t finished outside of the top 20 in the past eight races. That type of drive is going to make him a consistent contender as he gets more comfortable behind the wheel of a Cup Series ride.
20
Austin Dillon, 287 (5 playoff points)
Dillon’s Coca-Cola 600 victory was an impressive one and locked a second RCR car into the playoffs. He’s finished 13th in back-to-back races since his victory.
, LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Russell LaBounty
21
Kasey Kahne, 274
Kahne’s steadily dropped down the standings after a strong start to the season. He’s been involved in an accident in three straight weeks and will need his luck to change if he wants to make the playoffs again.
22
Ty Dillon, 247
Dillon nearly stole one at Dover and then followed up with a solid 18th-place finish at Pocono. He’s posted nine top-20 finishes, which is a vast improvement to where the No. 13 team was at this point last season.
23
Dale Earnhardt Jr., 229
The farewell tour continues to be a bumpy path for Dale Jr. He lost an engine after a missed shift at Pocono. He’s been solid at Michigan in recent years, though.
24
Paul Menard, 218
Menard continues to rack up decent finishes. He posted another top-20 finish on Sunday at Pocono.
25
Chris Buescher, 204
Buescher’s slowly getting better as the season progresses. After a slow start, he’s been in the top 20 in five of the past six weeks.
© Nigel Kinrade LAT Images www.latphoto.co.uk Nigel Kinrade
26
Aric Almirola, 188
If Almirola can return sooner than later from his back injury, he has a chance to pull off a win at a track like Daytona and make his way back into the playoffs. He’s 27 points above the cutoff line to stay playoff eligible.
27
Michael McDowell, 186
McDowell’s posted a handful of solid performances for the small, single-car team in 2017. He finished 13th at Kansas and has been top 20 in three of four weeks.
28
AJ Allmendinger, 183
Allmendinger started off the year strong but a penalty really knocked him back in the standings. He hasn’t been able to recover since.
29
David Ragan, 177
Ragan posted three top-20 finishes in a row at Bristol, Richmond, and Talladega but hasn’t had much more to be excited about outside of that stretch.
30
Danica Patrick, 175
A disappointing year for Patrick continues but she’s improved slightly with a 10th-place finish at Dover and a 16th-place result this weekend at Pocono.
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