As NASCAR begins another title Chase, a look at the contenders and pretenders in the 16-man field

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The NASCAR Cup Series standings have been reset. Denny Hamlin, the regular-season champion, now trails Ryan Blaney by just 25 points as the series begins its playoff chase. The 10-race Chase for the championship kicks off at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, with the top 16 drivers battling for the Bill France Cup in mid-November.

NASCAR made a change to its championship structure in January, moving away from knockout rounds after every third race and returning to the original 10-race cumulative points battle format from 2004. This should increase the number of possible outcomes heading into the final race. Here's a closer look at the drivers — the contenders and the pretenders — and their chances as the Chase begins:

1. Denny Hamlin: The Joe Gibbs Racing driver leads the field with a series-high 880 laps and has claimed four victories this season, including consecutive wins at Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Pocono Raceway. Hamlin secured the regular-season title at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on August 23. While he is the betting favorite (plus-100), he is also the sentimental favorite due to his rollercoaster year, which included falling short of his first Cup title and the tragic death of his father in a December house fire.

"You're going to have to find that little bit of extra notch that is required at this point in the year," Hamlin said. "With the reset, it's even more important, but you got to be better."