Analysis: Clock ticking on stacked Chase bubble with wild-card tracks on deck

The first four months of the 2026 Cup Series season have seemingly created a wide gap between the true contenders for the championship in the return of The Chase format and those that are just competing for a spot in the 16-driver field.Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are blitzing the field as we enter the summer stretch of tracks, while the likes of Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs are racing consistently enough to be potential competitors that can knock off Reddick and Hamli