Chase standings update: Bell and Briscoe have arrived

Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe were the biggest winners coming out of Phoenix Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series championship fight.

Bell is the closest any driver has been to leader Kyle Larson in weeks. The exception, of course, is the first week that Larson had the point lead when he overtook Denny Hamlin by one point after Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 19). Regardless, the bigger point is that the competition finally saw the gap shrink and gave them a bit of hope with three races to go.

As for Briscoe, he’s had the most impressive run of any Chase driver over the last three weeks. Briscoe has cut 99 points off the lead by winning two of the three races and finishing eighth in another. Put simply: Briscoe was 123 points behind after Kansas Speedway (Sept. 27), and now he’s 24 points behind. Until the last three weeks, he lost points after each Chase race.

So now Bell and Briscoe are the closest drivers to Larson.

Where has Denny Hamlin, the other driver besides Larson who has been the center of attention for the last month, gone? Hamlin dropped from second to fourth in the points, but shaved 18 points off the gap after Larson’s first stumble of the Chase (a blown tire).

Seven drivers are back within one race of Larson’s lead. Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and race winner Tyler Reddick also gained points on him on Sunday.

Here are the Chase standings after the seventh race:

1. Kyle Larson

2. Christopher Bell – 5

3. Chase Briscoe – 24

4. Denny Hamlin – 31

5. Ryan Blaney – 40

6. Joey Logano – 44

7. Tyler Reddick – 56

8. Austin Cindric – 130

9. Ty Gibbs – 132

10. Chase Elliott – 149

11. Carson Hocevar – 158

12. Bubba Wallace – 162

13. Daniel Suarez – 188

14. William Byron – 190

15. Chris Buescher – 204

16. Ryan Preece – 211

Talladega Superspeedway, the season's final drafting race, is next. Chase Briscoe is the defending race winner.