NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Briscoe Is Very Much On The Rise

While he still has a long way to go if he wants to be crowned NASCAR Cup Series champion this season, Chase Briscoe had an impressive outing at Las Vegas, which resulted in his second win of the season. That has vaulted him forward in the standings, and when paired with a top-five finish at Kansas, Briscoe is heating up in the weekly Power Rankings as well.

However, it's going to take some special performances to supplant Kyle Larson from the top spot in the rankings. The championship point leader continues to show no signs of weakness, as he has a 2.2 average finish in the Chase.

For another week, Larson is the overwhelmingly obvious choice at the top of the rankings, but where do the rest of the drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series rank after last weekend's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

Here are the Racing America On SI NASCAR Power Rankings after Las Vegas:

1. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 1)

In the opening Stage, Kyle Larson's car was out-to-lunch. Cliff Daniels called for an extended 26-second pitstop, which corrected the issues, but put Larson a lap down. They got the lap back, and Larson charged back to a second-place finish. He even crashed coming to the finish line, and still finished 2nd. It's all going right for Larson right now.

2. Austin Cindric (5)

Austin Cindric followed up a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway with a fourth-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. All of a sudden, he looks like he could be the most dangerous Penske car. Unfortunately, he's likely mired too far back in the Chase Grid for it to matter. Still, it's an incredible string of races that Cindric has put together.

3. Joey Logano (4)

While Joey Logano isn't humming at the same pace he was in the opening few races of the Chase, a consistent 10th-place finish keeps Logano in position to possibly nab a fourth Bill France Cup.

4. Denny Hamlin (2)

Denny Hamlin just can't get any momentum going. This week, he scored the pole, and led the South Point 400 before an early caution caused him to lose track position due to strategy. At the end of Stage 1, Hamlin would spin out and after that moment, he would never regain relevancy the rest of the race. Hamlin finished 16th, and while he's still second in points, he looks far removed from a championship favorite right now.

5. Chase Briscoe (10)

Chase Briscoe has been in the conversation for the win in two consecutive races, and after missing out on the win at Kansas Speedway last week, he pulled through in a big way Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Briscoe, who was a Championship 4 contender under the previous championship format last season, is looking to work himself back into striking distance for the title.

6. William Byron (9)

Alright, I have to admit it. When William Byron came into the Chase, he had very little momentum on his side, and in the opening race of the championship fight, he blew an engine at Darlington Raceway. At that moment, I reserved myself to believe Byron would likely finish last in the Chase Grid. However, after a sixth-place finish at Vegas, Byron has four straight top-10 finishes, and now sits 12th in the standings. Impressive turnaround.

7. Bubba Wallace (8)

Bubba Wallace was hopeful that he could go on a generational run in the Chase, and possibly score his first Cup Series championship. While, I don't think his Chase can be considered generational, yet, he has quietly been consistent. His eighth-place finish at Las Vegas is his third consecutive top-10, and fourth top-10 in five Chase races.

8. Tyler Reddick (14)

It's been a miserable second half of the 2026 season for Tyler Reddick. And it's so confusing because of how dominant he and the No. 45 23XI Racing team were over the opening 15 or so races this year. Reddick started the race at Las Vegas off a bit, but came back strong to finish third.

9. Ryan Blaney (11)

After disappointing back-to-back DNFs at Gateway and Bristol, Ryan Blaney has stormed back with back-to-back fifth-place finishes. Maybe his championship hopes aren't dead just yet./

10. Christopher Bell (3)

Christopher Bell, who won the opening race of the Chase at Darlington, was in a position to score a major points day on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, the power steering system in his car had other plans, and Bell was left hanging on as he finished 23rd. Bell is going to need to snag a win quickly to get back into the fight for the championship.

Best of the Rest

11. Chase Elliott (12)
12. Ty Gibbs (6)
13. Carson Hocevar (13)
14. Ryan Preece (7)
15. Alex Bowman (17)
16. Daniel Suarez (18)
17. Chris Buescher (22)
18. AJ Allmendinger (25)
19. Josh Berry (16)
20. Shane van Gisbergen (27)
21. Austin Dillon (24)
22. Brad Keselowski (15)
23. Michael McDowell (21)
24. Ross Chastain (19)
25. Todd Gilliland (20)
26. Riley Herbst (30)
27. Noah Gragson (33)
28. Austin Hill (31)
29. Erik Jones (26)
30. Cole Custer (29)
31. John Hunter Nemechek (23)
32. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (34)
33. Connor Zilisch (28)
34. Zane Smith (32)
35. Ty Dillon (35)
36. Cody Ware (36)

Add us as a preferred source on Google