NASCAR Power Rankings: Logano Surging After Second Win of Season

The Chase for the NASCAR Cup is swiftly approaching. After last Saturday night's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, there are just two races remaining for drivers to work their way into the top-16 of the championship standings. While the who's hot and who's not has been pretty cut and dry for the majority of the 2026 season, there are all of a sudden some new contenders who have emerged over the last few races.

The most notable is Joey Logano, who took his second win in his last four starts this past weekend.

This has led to possibly a few surprises inside of the top-10 of the NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings heading into this weekend's event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. However, the rankings will likely b a good guide as to who you can expect to contend as New Hampshire is a similar style track that has been featured on the schedule recently.

1. Joey Logano

With two wins over his last five starts, Joey Logano all of a sudden looks like a formidable championship contender, after looking like an absolute pretender for the majority of the season. The No. 22 team is getting hot, and possibly at the exact right time as "The Chase" is near. Logano has a 5.6 average finish over the last five races and has, without a doubt, hit his stride heading into another flat track -- New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

2. Denny Hamlin

It's been nine races since Denny Hamlin reached victory lane, but that's not a reason for panic. Hamlin has continued to churn out excellent results, which have kept him firmly atop the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season standings. And even with two less wins, Hamlin has the same average finish as Logano (5.6) over the last five races.

3. Christopher Bell

Despite seven runner-up finishes, Christopher Bell has yet to break through for his first win of the 2026 season. That could all change this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Bell has been one of the best drivers throughout his NASCAR National Series career. Bell has two Cup Series wins, four O'Reilly Auto Parts Series wins and one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at the facility in 12 combined starts.

4. Ty Gibbs

A mental lapse on pit road at Richmond Raceway snuffed out the recent momentum that Ty Gibbs has been building. Still, he was able to leave Virginia with a top-15 finish, and he will now head to New Hampshire looking to snag another top-five finish.

5. Chase Briscoe

After a slow start to the season, Chase Briscoe has become one of the most quietly consistent drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series this season. After a runner-up finish at Richmond, Briscoe now has four consecutive finishes of sixth or better.

6. Ryan Blaney

For a bulk of the season, Ryan Blaney has looked like the best Team Penske driver, and his No. 12 Team Penske group has looked like the organization's best team. However, in recent weeks, Blaney has begun to take a backseat to Logano, who leads the rankings this week. Can Blaney reassert his alpha status at Team Penske this weekend?

7. William Byron

Not sure I would have blindly ranked William Byron inside of the top-10 of the power rankings, because to be honest, it's felt that the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has been very meh lately. However, after a ninth-place run at Richmond, that makes back-to-back top-10 finishes for the driver, and he has a respectable 13.4 average finish over the last five races.

8. Shane van Gisbergen

Remember when everyone thought NASCAR eliminating "win and you're in" from the championship format would ruin any shot Shane van Gisbergen had of making "The Chase"? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and so do I. Well, surprisingly, SVG has picked up oval racing faster than anyone expected, and after a 14th-place result at Richmond, he's looking like a safer bet to make the Chase by the week.

9. Austin Cindric

With his back against the wall as the final driver inside of the top-16 of the NASCAR Cup Series Chase standings, Austin Cindric picked a fine time for an emphatic performance. His third-place run at Richmond will likely catapult him into the postseason, and, who knows, maybe it'll boost his confidence enough for the Team Penske driver to go on a run.

10. Josh Berry

Better late than never, but Josh Berry has come to life in recent weeks. The driver, who is seeking a ride next season, is showcasing why he belongs in the NASCAR National Series ranks. After an eighth-place run at Richmond Raceway, Berry heads into New Hampshire, where he finished runner-up a season ago, with three consecutive top-10 finishes. Watch out for Berry, who will have extra motivation to score a win this weekend.

Best of the Rest

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

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