NASCAR Cup playoff standings ahead of Martinsville elimination race

Denny Hamlin is locked into the Championship 4 after a big win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and now his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe has done the same with a big win at Talladega Superspeedway, taking the lead on the final lap.

The battle around the final two transfer spots will be wild. Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have a large margin over the elimination zone, but there is just one point between them.

A win by Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, or Chase Elliott at Martinsville will automatically eliminate whoever the unfortunate driver in fourth is at the checkered flag. All four of these drivers currently in the elimination zone have won at Martinsville before, and some very recently. 

Larson and Byron were running 1-2 at the start of the final overtime restart, but Larson ran out of fuel and Byron spun in a nightmarish final lap for Hendrick Motorsports. 

Here's a look at the full standings ahead of the Round of 8 cutoff race:

Kyle Larson, crew chief explain running out of fuel in battle for Talladega win

Chase Elliott out early in major NASCAR Cup crash at Talladega

Disaster for Hendrick and victory for Chase Briscoe in Talladega NASCAR Cup thriller

NASCAR Cup playoff standings after Talladega

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.