NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Answered The Bell At Darlington

The NASCAR Cup Series Chase is officially here, and Christopher Bell took a distinct mental advantage with his first win of the season in Sunday night's Cook Out Southern 500. Bell, who had so many close calls with Victory Lane this season, finally pulled through, and now the question is: can he become the favorite for the championship?

That remains to be seen, but there were several drivers, in addition to Bell, who drastically improved their championship aspirations in South Carolina, while a few endured some wounds; some self-inflicted, some at the hands of others.

The end result? A lot of movement in this week's Racing America On SI NASCAR Power Rankings.

1. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 2)

Prior to last Sunday at Darlington, Christopher Bell had seven runner-up finishes, and no wins through 26 races. So far, in the Chase, he has one win in just one start. Perhaps Bell is at his best when the championship bell is ringing?

2. Josh Berry (4)

A few weeks ago, I don't think I had it on my bingo card that a non-Chaser would be second in the Power Rankings a week into the Chase. But what Josh Berry has done with his career on the line over the last six races is nothing short of remarkable. After a 7th-place finish at Darlington, he now has six straight top-10 finishes. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB may wanna make that call already.

3. Ryan Blaney (6)

Ryan Blaney got bit by the weather, which led to a 24th-place starting spot at Darlington, one of his not- so-great tracks. The Team Penske driver didn't let that faze him, as he rallied through the field and came home with a fourth-place finish to start his Chase bid.

4. Ty Gibbs (9)

It is very clear that the Ty Gibbs we're seeing this year is the Ty Gibbs we expected to see through his first three NASCAR Cup Series seasons. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota is firing on all cylinders, and a runner-up finish at Darlington should only allow him to continue building momentum and confidence.

5. Denny Hamlin (1)

On what could have been a miserable night at Darlington, Denny Hamlin, who suffered toe link damage in an incident with Michael McDowell late in the race, was able to get enough repairs to get back on the lead lap and finish 18th. It doesn't sound like much, but thanks to his Stage Points earned, Hamlin was able to walk out of the night still the point leader, and he earned the seventh-most points of anyone in the race. Not bad, but he can't have much more bad luck.

6. Chase Briscoe (8)

For a moment, it looked like Chase Briscoe was about to score his third consecutive Southern 500 win. Unfortunately, a late-race caution for rain allowed the field to come back to pit road one more time, and in the rush to get back to the front, Briscoe slapped the wall and faded to a 6th-place finish. Still, a good start to the Chase.

7. Ryan Preece (3)

Ryan Preece had never finished inside the top-10 at Darlington in his career prior to Sunday night's 10th-place finish. The underdog pick to win the championship impressively battled back from misfortune on pit road and losing a lap to snag the solid finish. Preece believes he can contend for the title, and until we see him falter, I guess we have to believe too.

8. Tyler Reddick (12)

You can feel the momentum slowly shifting back into Tyler Reddick's favor after a summer slump saw him lose his grasp on the regular-season championship. But a third-place finish at Darlington continues the comeback trail for Reddick, who once looked unbeatable earlier this season.

9. Joey Logano (5)

Sure, a ninth-place finish isn't much to write home about, but Logano continues to find his way toward the front even on nights when he suffers from adversity. This No. 22 Team Penske team found some special sauce mid-season, and they are completely different from what they were at the beginning of the season.

10. Bubba Wallace (13)

Bubba Wallace was very consistent early in the season, but then mistakes and bad luck began to compound for the driver of the No. 23 Toyota heading into the Chase. However, he started the Chase off with a great run at Darlington. He earned 15 Stage Points and came home with an eighth-place result. All of a sudden, it looks like Wallace is a contender. We'll see.

Best of the Rest

11. Austin Cindric (7)
12. Kyle Larson (24)
13. Daniel Suarez (11)
14. Brad Keselowski (10)
15. Alex Bowman (18)
16. Chase Elliott (19)
17. Michael McDowell (17)
18. Carson Hocevar (25)
19. Chris Buescher (16)
20. Todd Gilliland (20)
21. Shane van Gisbergen (14)
22. William Byron (15)
23. Erik Jones (34)
24. Ross Chastain (22)
25. Zane Smith (26)
26. John Hunter Nemechek (30)
27. AJ Allmendinger (32)
28. Noah Gragson (21)
29. Austin Hill (29)
30. Austin Dillon (27)
31. Cole Custer (23)
32. Riley Herbst (NR)
33. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (28)
34. Ty Dillon (31)
35. Connor Zilisch (33)
36. Cody Ware (35)

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