Four biggest storylines to follow as NASCAR returns from Olympic break

After nearly three weeks without NASCAR racing, the stars of the Cup Series will be back in action on Sunday night at the Richmond Raceway for the Cook Out 400.

From the playoff battle to the regular-season championship battle, storylines are plentiful for the final 14 races of the season. Here are the four biggest:

1. Chastain, Wallace or the field?

Thanks to a charge from Bubba Wallace and a collapse by Ross Chastain, these two drivers find themselves at the crossroads of respective seasons. Chastain has a seven-point advantage over Wallace for the final playoff spot, but with four races remaining before the postseason field is decided, it's anyone's fight.

Don't rule out a surprise winner from below the cut line, either, especially with the unpredictable Daytona International Speedway race (Coke Zero Sugar 400) looming on Aug. 24.

2. 15 points separate the top three in points

Points leader Kyle Larson has little margin for error over the next four races to keep Chase Elliott (-10) and Tyler Reddick (-15) at bay. The battle for the regular-season championship is shaping up to become the most intriguing since the inception of the regular-season championship in 2017.

With Larson, Elliott and Reddick clearly being the cream of the crop in the Cup Series, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the battle for the regular-season crown — and the 15 playoff points that come with it — come down to the final laps of the regular-season finale at Darlington on Sept. 1 (Cook Out Southern 500).

3. Who claims title of winningest driver this year?

Larson's four wins lead the Cup Series, but Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and William Byron are right behind him with three. Ryan Blaney (two wins) seems to be heating up, and with 14 races remaining in the season, it's anyone's guess as to who will win the most races this year. Of course, the championship is the big prize, but a lot of pride is on the line for those competing to win the most races in 2024.

4. Which driver could make a Cinderella playoff run?

NASCAR hasn't reached March Madness levels of Cinderella postseason runs, but since the inception of the Next Gen car in 2022, the level of chaos in the latter rounds has eclipsed the previous eight seasons combined. Chase Briscoe was just a few laps away from sneaking into the Championship Four in 2022 while Chris Buescher's late-summer surge in 2023 propelled him to the Round of 8 a season ago.

If you're looking for a driver who could make an unexpected championship run this season, try two-time champion Joey Logano. He may not be the biggest underdog in the field, but amid one of the worst seasons of his career, Logano remains confident he can turn up the wick in the playoffs.