Hamlin Wins, But Who Takes Top Spot in Post-Vegas Power Rankings?

Denny Hamlin took an emotionally-charged victory in Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a win which marked the milestone 60th of the veteran racer's career, and will return him to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, where he'll attempt to claim his first Bill France Cup.

It was a big day for Hamlin, but it was also a great race for several other drivers.

Race Results: South Point 400 at Las Vegas

A slump-busting eighth-place finish was enough to boost Kyle Busch up eight spots in the standings this week, the most of any driver on the list this week. Hamlin was up four spots after the win, which came after a subpar outing at the Charlotte Roval.

But it wasn't enough for him to take the to spot this week, as that spot was reserved for one of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, who has been clicking off great finishes in bunches lately.

1. Christopher Bell

Close again, but no cigar for Christopher Bell. For the third straight year in the Fall event at Las Vegas, Bell has finished in the top-three. The No. 20 is on a strong path right now, with three straight third-place finishes and four top-threes in the last five races. Can Bell return to the Championship 4 for the third time in the last four years? (Previously: 1st)

2. Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson hasn't won a race since May, but man, he was damn close to doing so on Sunday at Las Vegas. He led a race-high 129 laps in a runner-up finish. That's back-to-back second-place runs for Larson, and four consecutive top-10s. A win is coming, and soon. (Previously: 3rd)

3. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin is Championship 4-bound after a victory Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Being the first driver to lock into the final round of the postseason has been an advantage in the past, so I’ve got to ask the question: Is this Denny Hamlin’s year? (Previously: 7th)

4. Chase Briscoe

In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe was so close to putting himself through to the Championship 4, finishing fourth at Las Vegas after leading the race late. Is Briscoe an underdog? Maybe not, but I don’t think anybody had the Mitchell, Indiana-native being this deep into title contention come October. (Previously: 4th)

5. Tyler Reddick

The highest of the non-playoff drivers in Sunday’s running order, Tyler Reddick crossed the line fifth in Las Vegas. Falling out of championship contention makes it a little too easy to ignore that Reddick has pieced together three straight top-10 finishes. (Previously: 8th)

6. Chase Elliott

A pit road penalty for an uncontrolled tire initially derailed Chase Elliott's day, as it put him a lap down in Stage 2. After Elliott got the lap back, he received damage that hampered his racecar in a multi-car melee on Lap 245. Elliott finished 18th, which snapped a three-race top-10 finishing streak. (Previously: 2nd)

7. William Byron

The rough luck of the week award has to go to William Byron. The driver won Stage 1, and led 55 laps on the day. He had the lead late, but got loose, which allowed Kyle Larson to pass him. A few laps later, Ty Dillon slowed unexpectedly in front of him, and Byron plowed through Dillon's No. 10 car, which ended both of their days. (Previously: 6th)

8. Chris Buescher

Another week, another decent run for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 RFK Racing team. This week, they came home with a 12th-place result. (Previously: 9th)

9. Joey Logano

On one hand, Joey Logano put himself in a position to win and scored a sixth-place finish on a day that troubled several of his fellow playoff contenders. However, he left Las Vegas no closer to the cutline than when he showed up, still facing an uphill battle in the Round of 8. (Previously: 12th)

10. Ryan Preece

A pit road penalty put Ryan Preece a lap down. But what's that they say about a driver with a really fast car? Oh, that's right, you can't keep them down. Preece got his lap back in the final Stage, and he would claw back to finish ninth. (Previously: 14th)

11. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney’s round of 8 is off to a sour start, crashing after just 70 laps and finishing last in the 38-car field at Las Vegas. If there’s any consolation, Blaney has proven he is capable of winning at both Talladega and Martinsville, so his championship hopes remain alive. (Previously: 5th)

12. Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell finished 16th on Sunday, not overly attractive but continuing a trend of gritty, top-20 finishes for the veteran. McDowell rallied from a pit commitment penalty to salvage a decent showing. (Previously: 10th)

13. Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski had a first-hand view of Ryan Preece's miraculous drive to finish ninth, as the bossman registered a finishing position of 10th, one spot behind Preece. RFK Racing has collectively been really good the last few weeks. (Previously: 16th)

14. Alex Bowman

It's been a tale of two seasons for Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. They're either really good, or really out to lunch. At Las Vegas, they were really good, and were rewarded with a seventh-place finish, just the second top-10 finish in Bowman's last eight starts. (Previously: 18th)

15. Bubba Wallace

A roller-coaster end to the season continues for Bubba Wallace, who finished 22nd in Las Vegas. He ran in the top 10 early in the race, but a speeding penalty and an ill-handling car quickly put him on the back foot. (Previously: 11th)

16. Shane van Gisbergen

I didn’t expect Shane Van Gisbergen to be the strongest driver from Trackhouse Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but running as high as eighth appeared to be the case for the No. 88 Jockey New Zealand Chevrolet. (Previously: 13th)

17. Ross Chastain

It’s a good thing Ross Chastain isn’t in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs anymore, because this weekend at Las Vegas was a disaster for the No. 1 Chevrolet. After starting in the rear, Chastain never touched the top-15, finishing 23rd. (Previously: 15th)

18. Todd Gilliland

Things seem to be coming back together for Todd Gilliland and Front Row Motorsports to end the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, with Gilliland collecting yet another solid finish for the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in 21st. (Previously: 19th)

19. Erik Jones

What a sneaky 15th-place run for Erik Jones. I don't think the television broadcast showed or mentioned him once at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver keeps finding a way to churn out nice results. (Previously: 22nd)

20. Kyle Busch

In his 12 races before Sunday's event at Las Vegas, Kyle Busch had just one top-10 finish. He finally had a really good race, where the cautions and circumstances played into his hands perfectly. The end result? An eighth-place finish. A much-needed good run. (Previously: 28th)

21. Ty Gibbs

Add Sunday’s South Point 400 to the list of races which Ty Gibbs looked to have a shot at collecting his first career win, but couldn’t close out the deal. He wasn’t the best car on Sunday, but the No. 54 was a top-five car before a late wreck. (Previously: 17th)

22. AJ Allmendinger

It wasn’t a top-10 like last week at the Roval, but A.J. Allmendinger finished 19th on Sunday in Las Vegas. Considering he was collected in the final caution of the day, staying on the lead lap and finishing in the top 20 ended up being a bit of a reprieve. (Previously 21st)

23. Noah Gragson

Extra, extra, read all about it: Noah Gragson scored his best finish since the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend at Las Vegas, finishing a solid 13th-place. Sunday was a much-needed run for this group as they look to finish their first season together strong. (Previously: 25th)

24. Daniel Suarez

Nothing flashy, but definitely a step in the right direction for the No. 99 team this weekend, finishing inside the top-20 as the two sides prepare to part ways at season’s end. (Previously: 24th)

25. Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar’s involvement in the big, late-race crash was so negligible you might not have even noticed he was in it. However, the damage from it relegated him to a 32nd-place finish after leading laps and earning points in Stage Two. (Previously: 20th)

26. Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish, coming home 11th after qualifying 31st for the South Point 400. It is his best finish since a top-five result at Richmond, and snapped back-to-back races of finishing in the 30s. (Previously: 32nd)

27. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ricky Stenhouse and HYAK Motorsports took advantage of the late-race wreck that took out several cars at Las Vegas, only to find themselves sitting inside the top-15 in the late portions of Sunday’s event. Solid run for the No. 47. (Previously: 34th)

28. Josh Berry

The site of his first NASCAR Cup Series win was not as kind this time around for Josh Berry. The Tennessee driver finished 26th, one lap down, and didn’t make much noise at any point during the weekend. (Previously: 23rd)

29. Zane Smith

Considering the year that Zane Smith has had, including flipping upside down at Kansas just two weeks ago, he’s probably not opposed to flying under the radar this weekend, bringing the No. 38 home a respectable P24. (Previously: 26th)

30. Austin Dillon

You know, had it not been for a multi-car pileup on Lap 245, Austin Dillon was on his way to a potential top-10 run. Instead, his decent day was dashed, and he was credited with a 25th-place finish after picking up major damage. (Previously: 31st)

31. Justin Haley

Justin Haley finished one lap down in 27th on Sunday. After a top-15 finish in the spring at Las Vegas, he would have certainly hoped for more going into the day. (Previously: 27th)

32. Riley Herbst

Riley Herbst doesn’t always finish in the top 20 … but when he does, it’s usually in 17th (or at Las Vegas). Sunday’s race was the fifth time he had finished specifically in the 17th position this season. He finished 19th at Vegas in the spring. (Previously: 35th)

33. John Hunter Nemechek

It's shocking to see Nemechek this far down on the list. It wasn't long ago that he was frequently hovering in the top-10 to top-15 of these rankings. Boy, how the potentially mighty have fallen. (Previously: 29th)

34. Cole Custer

Haas Factory Team had been showing some speed in recent weeks, but Sunday just wasn’t it for the No. 41 Ford Mustang, finishing 28th. (Previously: 30th)

35. Ty Dillon

Ty Dillon’s day came to a violent end with a little more than 30 laps to go, as William Byron collided with him as Dillon made his way to pit road. Dillon finished 37th as a result of the incident. (Previously: 33rd)

36. Cody Ware

Harnessing the power of Arby's Steak Nuggets didn't help Cody Ware on Sunday, as he piled in on the multi-car melee, which ruined the days of so many on Lap 245. Ware finished 35th. (Previously: 36th)