The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season has officially reached the halfway point.
After 18 races, there have been a few drivers who have stood out and put themselves in position to make The Chase. Meanwhile, it has been a struggle for some other drivers, who have not had the results they hoped for.
Here, we will take a look at three overachievers and three disappointments through the first half of the 2026 season.
Daniel Suarez, overachiever
Entering this season, there were a lot of questions about how Daniel Suarez would perform in his first season with Spire Motorsports.
Since getting behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet, the 34-year-old has put the Cup Series field on notice. Suarez won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 last month and has shown speed on a consistent basis.
After 18 races, Suarez sits ninth in the points standings with five top 10s and two top fives. The Mexican-born driver has a 95-point advantage over The Chase cut line with eight races to go.
Joey Logano, disappointment
It has not been the season the three-time Cup Series champion has wanted.
Joey Logano finds himself 20th in the points standings and is 31 points behind The Chase cutoff. The driver of the No. 22 has mustered two top fives and five top 10s, but has suffered three DNFs.
Logano won three championships under the previous playoff format. Yet, in the first year of The Chase reintroduction, the Team Penske driver’s chances at a fourth championship look bleak after the first half of the season.
Carson Hocevar, overachiever
Like his Spire Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar has turned heads in his third season of full-time Cup Series racing.
Through 18 races, the driver of the No. 77 sits eighth in the points standings with a 120-point gap over The Chase cutoff. Hocevar captured his first career Cup Series win at Talladega last April.
In addition, Hocevar has posted seven top-10 finishes and four top-five finishes. If things continue to stay the same through the next eight races, Hocevar is in prime position to make The Chase.
Connor Zilisch, disappointment
After a stellar season in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series one year ago that saw him win 11 races, there were a lot of expectations for Connor Zilisch in his rookie campaign.
In his first season behind the wheel of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing car, it has been a season of struggle for Zilisch. The rookie driver notched his first career top-10 finish in the Cup Series this past Sunday at Sonoma.
Aside from that, strong results have been tough to come by. Zilisch finds himself 34th in the points standings after 18 races. He has posted an average finish of 27.1 and has suffered six DNFs.
While NASCAR fans expect great things from the 19-year-old in the future, it has not come to fruition so far.
Ty Gibbs, overachiever
The 2025 Cup Series season was one of disappointment for Ty Gibbs. The driver of the No. 54 was the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver who failed to make the playoffs, finishing 19th in the points standings.
This season, Gibbs has made a turnaround. The 23-year-old scored his first career Cup Series win at Bristol in April and has rattled off a number of strong finishes.
At the halfway point, Gibbs sits fourth in the points standings with a 200-point advantage over The Chase cutoff. He has earned 11 top 10s and seven top fives along with the victory at Bristol.
From a non-playoff driver one year ago, Gibbs has put his name in the conversation to gun for a championship in 2026.
Ross Chastain, disappointment
Amid his fifth season behind the wheel of the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Ross Chastain has not been able to catch a break.
Chastain, who finished runner-up in the 2022 championship, sits 22nd in the Cup Series points standings with eight races until The Chase. The Florida native has registered an average finish of 19.9 with four top 10s and one top five.
Chastain is 45 points outside of The Chase after 18 races. If things continue to go downhill for the 33-year-old, he could be missing out on The Chase for the second time in the last three years.
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