NASCAR Power Rankings: Larson Slices And Dices With First Win

In what was a disastrous race for a large portion of the NASCAR Cup Series Chase field, Kyle Larson was able to finally snap a longstanding losing streak of 51 races in the Enjoy Illinois 300 at Gateway. With Larson, the defending series champion, finally reaching victory lane, the question becomes: is he quietly turning into the new favorite to win the championship?

With eight races remaining, there's still a lot of racing left to go, but with Bristol Motor Speedway coming up this weekend, chances are Larson will continue the newfound momentum for another week. For some of the drivers, who have stumbled over the opening two races of the Chase, it's time to wake up or expect to be left behind in the Chase Grid.

Here are the Racing America On SI NASCAR Power Rankings, which are a full breakdown of who is hot, and who is not after Gateway.

1. Joey Logano (Last Week: 9)

A win at Gateway would have really bolstered Joey Logano's hopes at securing a fourth NASCAR Cup Series championship, but a solid weekend still put him in a much better spot to accomplish the goal. Logano took a decisive pole, led a race-high 96 laps, won Stage 1, had the fastest lap of the race, and finished third. Not a bad outing at all.

2. Kyle Larson (12)

Welcome back to relevancy, Kyle Larson. After 51 races away from victory lane, the Hendrick Motorsports driver broke through at WWT Raceway, and he did so on a week that a slew of championship contenders fell by the wayside. Massive weekend for Larson and his No. 5 team.

3. Denny Hamlin (5)

Considering how rough the opening two weeks of the Chase have been for Denny Hamlin, it's a miracle that he's still the point leader. However, if he has another lackluster performance this weekend at Bristol, he'll likely be supplanted. Time for the championship favorite to wake up, and quickly,

4. Christopher Bell (1)

Christopher Bell was hoping to keep up the momentum from his first win of the season two weeks ago at Darlington Raceway. Unfortunately, he was caught up in a late-race crash and finished a disappointing 19th. Still, he's in a great position to chase a championship.

5. Ty Gibbs (4)

Ty Gibbs lost his cool early in the race and sent Erik Jones spinning. Then, later in the race, Gibbs was involved in more calamity. In the end, he salvaged an 18th-place result, but he'll need to be better than that if he wants to be a threat for the championship at Homestead.

6. Alex Bowman (15)

It was an emotional week for Alex Bowman, as the driver suffered through the passing of his beloved dog, Finn. In the end, Finn helped power Bowman to his best finish of the season, an impressive second-place finish, and the tears were flowing in the post-race interviews.

7. Ryan Preece (7)

At times, it looked like Ryan Preece might come away from Gateway with another top-10 finish. However, it wasn't meant to be, and the RFK Racing driver settled for a 17th-place finish on Sunday. He now sits 14th in the Chase Grid, 113 points behind Hamlin, the point leader.

8. Josh Berry (2)

You knew the impressive top-10 finishing streak for Josh Berry couldn't continue forever. But I think we all expected it to make it to one more race, as the Team Penske-affiliated cars were really fast at Gateway. Unfortunately, lady luck didn't allow that to happen, and Berry finished 28th after suffering damage in the race.

9. Austin Cindric (11)

Austin Cindric has had a knack for being completely invisible during full races and then coming away with a 10th-to-15th-place finish. He did it again on Sunday at Gateway with a 10th-place result. If he can start nabbing some top-fives, he might be able to work himself into championship contention if others continue to find trouble.

10. Carson Hocevar (18)

All that talk about payback, and Carson Hocevar stepping over the line. On Sunday at Gateway, Hocevar played the race smartly, and he was rewarded with a solid eighth-place finish. Hocevar, who is popular with fans and unpopular amongst drivers, sits ninth in the championship standings.

Best of the Rest

11. Ryan Blaney (3)
12. Bubba Wallace (10)
13. Tyler Reddick (8)
14. Brad Keselowski (14)
15. Chase Briscoe (6)
16. William Byron (22)
17. Michael McDowell (17)
18. Daniel Suarez (13)
19. Ross Chastain (24)
20. Chase Elliott (16)
21. Todd Gilliland (20)
22. Erik Jones (23)
23. Chris Buescher (19)
24. John Hunter Nemechek (26)
25. Austin Dillon (30)
26. AJ Allmendinger (27)
27. Shane van Gisbergen (21)
28. Cole Custer (31)
29. Connor Zilisch (35)
30. Zane Smith (25)
31. Austin Hill (29)
32. Noah Gragson (28)
33. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (33)
34. Cody Ware (36)
35. Ty Dillon (34)
36. Riley Herbst (32)

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