NASCAR Power Rankings: Where All 36 Cup Drivers Rank After Richmond

Virginia is for Austin Dillon: Austin Dillon came to life and, for the second consecutive season, he collected the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. This time, it actually counted towad the driver securing a Playoff berth as there was no controversey involved. With the clean, emphatic win, Dillon climbed 11 spots in this week's rankings, more than any other driver.

Going Down?: Chase Elliott was ultra-consistent through the opening 23 races of the 2025 season as he had not finished outside the top-20 in any race. After Richmond, the 25th race of the season, he has back-to-back finishes of 26th-or-worse, including Saturday night's last-place finish. Elliott dropped seven slots in the rankings this week, the most of any driver.

RACE RESULTS: Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway

Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI's Toby Christie and Zach Evans, here's where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend's event at Daytona International Speedway.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

1. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney notched his fifth consecutive top-10 finish on Saturday, crossing the line third at Richmond. Still, Blaney couldn’t help but share his disappointment and even confusion after losing pace and a chance to compete for the win in the final stage. (Previously: 2nd)

2. Alex Bowman

While he ended the race miffed at lapped traffic for impeding his chance at catching race winner Austin Dillon, and he'll now have to sweat it out for an entire week to see if he makes the Playoffs, a runner-up finish at Richmond was the fourth top-10 finish for Bowman in his last five races. He's heating up, and while Daytona is always scary, his worst finish in his last six starts there is 16th. (Previously: 4th)

3. William Byron

After a miserable stretch of races in early Summer, it looked like Byron's once sure-fire regular-season championship hopes were done. Then, he had everything he needed to have happen take place at Watkins Glen and Daytona. As Byron finished 12th in the Cook Out 400, Chase Elliott, his main competition for the regular-season title finished last, which allowed Byron to secure the title a week early. (Previously: 2nd)

4. Chase Briscoe

Briscoe was one of the key components of a Lap 198 12-car melee, but the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was able to limit the damage, and finished the race in a respectable 13th. (Previously: 1st)

5. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin had a fast car on Saturday night at Richmond. And it's a good thing for him that he did. After two ultra-slow pit stops, and a pit road speeding penalty, it would have been impossible for Hamlin to finish anywhere decent with a subpar car. Instead, he came home 10th. (Previously: 8th)

6. Christopher Bell

A commitment cone violation with just over 100 laps to go sank any hopes Christopher Bell had at a solid showing on Saturday night at Richmond. The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota was able to salvage a 21st-place finish, a lap off the pace. (Previously: 7th)

7. Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace had a shot to contend for the win, leading 123 laps and winning Stage Two. However, a runaway tire following a pit stop took him out of contention. Instead, Wallace finished 28th, two laps down, snapping a four-race top-10 streak. (Previously: 4th)

8. Joey Logano

Nothing was easy this weekend for Joey Logano. He started with a practice crash on Friday, preventing him from qualifying. After starting 38th, Logano suffered a flat tire in the race, but still charged to a fourth-place finish at Richmond. It was an uphill battle all the way, but it marked Logano’s first top-five finish since Nashville. (Previously: 13th)

9. Kyle Larson

After Saturday night's race, Kyle Larson said he expected to end the Cook Out 400 several laps down going into the race. Needless to say, he was pretty happy with his sixth-place finish. It wasn't insane, but it was a step in the right direction for the driver, who has seen his finishes go cold since the end of May. (Previously: 14th)

10. Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric completed the set for all three Team Penske Fords in the top five, finishing in fifth position. It was Cindric’s first top-10 finish since his win at Talladega, just as the Cup Series prepares for another superspeedway event next Saturday at Daytona. (Previously: 15th)

11. Ryan Preece

The good news? He got his second career pole, and led 60 laps in the Cook Out 400. The bad news? He and crew chief Derrick Finley got out-strategied by the field, and had brake issues down the stretch. Preece would finish a disappointing 35th, and now his Playoff hopes rest on a win at Daytona, a place where he has fliped wildly multiple times. (Previously: 5th)

12. Brad Keselowski

Another solid performance for Brad Keselowski as he and crew chief Jeremy Bullins continue to gel. Had they been this quick through the opening 12 races of the season, and had the luck to finish races like they've had recently, he would be in the Playoffs by way of points. (Previously: 12th)

13. Chris Buescher

Disastrous night all around for Buescher, who never really looked in contention for much of anything on Saturday. The driver finish 30th, and with a driver below the cutline winning the race, Buescher's path to the Playoffs is quite cloudy. (Previously: 10th)

14. Tyler Reddick

Saturday was effectively a worst-case scenario for Tyler Reddick. He led 41 laps and won the first stage, but then lost his shot at the win when he was collected in an incident after contact between Daniel Suarez and Ty Gibbs. What could have been a playoff clincher instead was a 34th-place finish, with a new first-time winner to boot. (Previously: 11th)

15. Austin Dillon

Say what you want about Austin Dillon, but the guy has a few races each year where he and his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team are absolutely locked in. They were certainly that on Saturday night, and they surprised everyone by winning -- controversey free -- at Richmond. (Previously: 26th)

16. Chase Elliott

Yikes. That's all that can be said. Three races ago, Chase Elliott was the regular season point leader. After back-to-back finishes of 26th-or-worse, his bid to collect 15 free Playoff Points is over, and he now sits 68 points below William Byron, who wrapped up the regular season title. (Previously: 9th)

17. Ross Chastain

I don't know if he can get any type of credit for starting the Lap 198 fiasco, but Chastain is seemingly always in the thick of wild situations on the track. After being one of the 12 cars involved in the big crash, he came back to finish 19th. (Previously: 16th)

18. Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar was in the mix for a strong finish, but issues during back-to-back pit stops hampered those efforts. Hocevar still battled to a 15th-place finish, but it’s likely not what the young gun hoped for after leading 10 laps and earning stage points in Stage Two. (Previously: 18th)

19. Shane van Gisbergen

You know, aside from angering Alex Bowman in the closing laps... this was quite the showing for Shane van Gisbergen, who still has a lot to learn on ovals. But a 14th-place finish shows that perhaps he is trending in the right direction on tracks with only left turns. (Previously: 19th)

20. Kyle Busch

After his car was "killed" in the 12-car crash at the midway point of the race, Busch stuck with it and was able to walk out of Richmond with a 16th-place finish. But his teammate scored a decisive win, which only puts the performance of the No. 8 team further under the microscope. (Previously: 17th)

21. Daniel Suarez

Fighting for his racing future, Daniel Suarez has all of a sudden come to life as he's scored back-to-back seventh-place finishes. Could he be a darkhorse pick to pull through at Daytona this weekend? (Previously: 25th)

22. Josh Berry

It’s never a surprise to see Josh Berry step up his game at the short tracks, especially Richmond. Berry finished eighth on Saturday at the site of his first career NASCAR Cup Series top-five finish back in 2023. (Previously: 27th)

23. Ty Gibbs

Every week that Ty Gibbs notches another career NASCAR Cup Series start without a race win is a disappointment, but considering he had a brake fire and felt he had an engine blowing up on Saturday night and he still finished 18th, is pretty impressive. (Previously: 20th)

24. AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger had a strong start to the night, but a pit road penalty for vehicle interference to end the first stage derailed the evening. Allmendinger eventually finished 22nd, one lap down, and will turn to Daytona to keep his Playoff hopes alive. (Previously: 21st)

25. Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell and the No. 71 team tried an alternate strategy to start the final stage, taking two tires to get track position and lead six laps under caution. It didn’t quite pan out as he hoped, but it didn’t really hurt him in the long run either, as McDowell finished 17th. (Previously: 24th)

26. Zane Smith

It's been a quietly decent season for Zane Smith and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team. Smith finished 11th in Saturday night's Cook Out 400, and was just shy of matching his career best fourth top-10 of the season. (Previously: 29th)

27. Erik Jones

Erik Jones was one of the many drivers, who saw his race impacted by the Lap 198 big one. The driver of the No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota would limp home to a 26th-place finish, two laps off the pace. (Previously: 22nd)

28. Ty Dillon

It probably wasn’t the night Ty Dillon hoped for, but a 20th-place finish at least helps to turn the tide after dismal showings at Iowa and Watkins Glen. Dillon led laps in the Daytona 500 earlier this year, as well as the spring Talladega race, which has to be a boost of confidence entering the regular season finale. (Previously: 31st)

29. John Hunter Nemechek

John Hunter Nemechek's weekend in Richmond started off with high hopes as he was second-fastest to Kyle Busch in NASCAR Cup Series practice. However, the driver stubbed his toe in qualifying, and never mounted anything that resembled a top-10 contending run. Nemechek ended the night 36th. (Previously: 23rd)

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

A 23rd-place finish isn't much to write home about for Stenhouse and the No. 47 HYAK Motorsports team, but it feels like they've kinda started working themselves back to normal speed-wise since the feud with Carson Hocevar has simmered down. (Previously: 32nd)

31. Todd Gilliland

It feels weird to celebrate a top-25 run, but that almost feels like where we are with Todd Gilliland in what has become a lost 2025 season. There's one way to turn it all around though, Austin Dillon did it in Richmond... Perhaps Gilliland can do something similar at Daytona? (Previously: 30th)

32. Cole Custer

Hey, a respectable 24th-place finish will help Custer carry a little bit of confidence into this weekend's regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway. Custer was in position to possibly win the Daytona 500 in February, but made a wrong move on the last lap, which caused a crash. (Previously: 35th)

33. Justin Haley

Caught up in a multi-car incident in turn three just before the halfway mark of the race, Justin Haley finished 37th out of 38 starters on Saturday night. Haley hopes to turn his fortunes around at the site of his lone NASCAR Cup Series win next week at Daytona. (Previously: 28th)

34. Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson finished in the 27th position at Richmond Raceway on Saturday evening as a tumble weed blew past. (Previously: 34th)

35. Riley Herbst

Riley Herbst finished 31st, two laps down. Nothing really went his way Saturday night, and he got pinballed around on a restart or two, but suffice to say, he also didn’t have the same speed as his 23XI teammates. (Previously: 33rd)

36. Cody Ware

Cody Ware spun near the mid-way point of Saturday's race at Richmond, but rebounded for a 32nd-place finish. Like Cole Custer, Ware was in the lead pack on the final lap of the Daytona 500. He'll look for a better outcome this time around. (Previously: 36th)