BROOKLYN, Mich. – NASCAR has just two races remaining in the regular season and a pair of competitions are on the line.

Tyler Reddick earned his second win of the season Monday at Michigan International Speedway, giving him the points lead in a closely contested, four-driver race for the regular-season championship.

Reddick is 10 points ahead of Chase Elliott while Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are within striking distance.

Reddick moved past Larson into the top spot in the Cup standings, and his win opened another spot in the playoffs because he was one of 12 drivers who already earned an automatic bid with a victory.

That leaves four spots available in the 16-car playoffs with races left at Daytona on Saturday night and Sept. 1 at Darlington.

Five drivers have a shot to get in without a win, but at least one will be left out.

“It’s really tight on speed on the race track, tight on points,” Reddick said. “That’s what this Next Gen era has really done, brought us closer together from the front of the field to the back.”

Martin Truex Jr. is No. 13 in the playoff standings with a 77-point cushion over the cutline, but no lead in the format can be considered safe.