NASCAR Power Rankings: Where All 36 Cup Drivers Stand After Bristol

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - APRIL 13: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. | Sean Gardner/Getty Images

• Denny Hamlin tops the rankings: He came up short of a third consecutive win this weekend, but a runner-up finish keeps the positive momentum going, and it was enough to hold off the rest of the field in this week's rankings.

• Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar Vault through the rankings: On the strength of finishes of third and 11th, Gibbs and Hocevar leaped up nine spots in the rankings following the Food City 500 at Bristol, most of any drivers on the list.

As we head into the only offweek for the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team heads into the break with some massive momentum after a dominant thumping in Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. While Larson has had big-time highlights this season, he's also had some major rough spots.

Meanwhile, drivers like William Byron and Denny Hamlin continue to churn out solid result after solid result.

Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI's Toby Christie, Joseph Srigley, and Zach Evans, here's where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into a week of nothingness ahead of the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in a couple of weeks.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

1. DENNY HAMLIN

Denny Hamlin’s quest for three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victories was dashed by the dominance of Kyle Larson. However, the No. 11 had to settle for second place, which all things considered isn’t that bad of a run. (Previously: 1)

-Joseph Srigley

2. WILLIAM BYRON

William Byron started from the 26th position, and ran outside of the top-10 for the majority of Sunday's Food City 500. However, the driver and his crew chief Rudy Fugle never gave up, and by the time the checkered flag flew, Byron was sixth. (Previously: 2)

-Toby Christie

3. KYLE LARSON

411 laps led for Kyle Larson in the Food City 500, and had Ryan Blaney not stayed out long during a green flag pit sequence to lead 48 laps, Larson would have likely led more than 450 laps on Sunday. Dominant performance, and it ended in a win in honor of the fallen Jon Edwards. (Previously: 6)

-TC

4. CHRISTOPHER BELL

Sunday at Bristol was nothing flashy for Christopher Bell, bringing home a solid eighth-place finish after having no issues on-track throughout the entire 500-lap contest. The No. 20, even on its off days, still can manage a top-10 result. (Previously: 3)

-JS

5. RYAN BLANEY

Gambling for a late-race caution didn’t quite pan out for Blaney, but it didn’t ruin his day either. He came home fifth, securing back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time this season. Blaney has led laps in three of the last four races after leading 48 laps during the Food City 500. (Previously: 7)

-Zach Evans

6. CHASE ELLIOTT

Chase Elliott spent less than a third of the Food City 500 inside of the top-15, so, I guess it should be considered a win that the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet finished 15th, but with how his teammates performed on Sunday, it doesn't feel like a positive that he was 15th. (Previously: 4)

-TC

7. ROSS CHASTAIN

After a 35th-place qualifying run, Ross Chastain not only managed to stay on the lead-lap throughout the entirety of Sunday’s Food City 500 but also managed to finish inside the top-10. The Alva, Florida-native has quietly been on a great streak, with four top-sevens in the last five races, and only two finishes worse than 12th. (Previously: 11)

-JS

8. TYLER REDDICK

Reddick may have had one of the highlights of the race with an impressive save early in the race. Reddick finished 18th at the end of the day, ending a run of three straight top-15 finishes. (Previously: 5)

-ZE

9. CHASE BRISCOE

It’s been nine races for Chase Briscoe with Joe Gibbs Racing, and things are finally starting to click, with another top-five result at Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s the No. 19 team’s third fourth-place result of the year. (Previously: 16)

-JS

10. JOEY LOGANO

The weekend started on an adventurous note for Logano, bouncing off the wall during his qualifying run. It didn’t get much better from there, as he finished three laps down in 24th place. Much has been made of Logano’s lack of top-10 finishes, but this was his worst finish since Circuit of The Americas. (Previously: 8)

-ZE

11. TY GIBBS

Things are looking up for Ty Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing, after a top-five finish at Bristol Motor Speedway – a track where the youngster has found success in the past. It’ll be important to keep this momentum up heading into the Spring if they want to rebound enough to get in the post-season. (Previously: 20)

-JS

12. BUBBA WALLACE

Bubba Wallace finished 19th in the Food City 500, two laps down. They were among the teams that stayed out as long as possible on the final green-flag cycle in hopes of catching the caution, but the strategy did not play out in their favor. (Previously: 10)

-ZE

13. AJ ALLMENDINGER

A.J. Allmendinger has three top-10 finishes in his last five races after a ninth-place run at Bristol. The veteran now sits 16th in points, continuing the turnaround after a slow start to the season. (Previously: 18)

-ZE

14. CHRIS BUESCHER

In last year's Food City 500, Chris Buescher finished seventh, and in his two races on the non-dirt Bristol prior to that, he had a win and a fourth-place finish. Needless to say, a 25th-place result on Sunday was quite disappointing for Buescher, and it was an out-of-character run for the No. 17 RFK Racing team. (Previously: 9)

-TC

15. KYLE BUSCH

A 14th-place finish isn't necessarily sexy for Kyle Busch, who a few weeks ago looked destined to be heading to victory lane soon. But considering he had an average running position of 18.55 on Sunday, I'd say Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team maxed out their finish on a rough day at Bristol. (Previously: 13)

-TC

16. RYAN PREECE

Remember when the spin on a Ryan Preece top-20 finish was a positive note? That shows how far the driver has come with his new No. 60 RFK Racing team. After three top-10 finishes, and four top-15s in a four-race stretch earlier this season, a 20th-place run like Sunday at Bristol is nothing but a disappointment. And that, is actually a good thing. (Previously: 12)

-TC

17. AUSTIN CINDRIC

Austin Cindric finished 17th on Sunday at Bristol, two laps astray of Kyle Larson. He’ll enter the off weekend 22nd in the championship standings. (Previously: 17)

-ZE

18. ALEX BOWMAN

I swear, it feels like Alex Bowman is cursed. Whoever is tinkering with the No. 48 voodoo doll from the Jimmie Johnson era can put the thing down. Bowman had a great car at Bristol, but a rare blown Hendrick motor ruined a would-be good day after he recorded his second pole of the season. (Previously: 14)

-TC

19. JOSH BERRY

Berry hung around just outside the top 10 for most of the day, ultimately finishing in the 12th position. He may have hoped for more at a short track, but it snaps the slide of poor finishes from Martinsville and Darlington and gets the Wood Brothers Racing team back on track. (Previously: 23)

-ZE

20. ZANE SMITH

Zane Smith had himself a quiet day in Bristol, and despite the presence of the Lucky Dog, didn’t find himself much luck, finishing 27th, three laps down. (Previously: 15)

-JS

21. AUSTIN DILLON

You know, it had started to feel like Ty Dillon had been stealing all of the spotlight in the Dillon household this year. Austin Dillon rose up, and snatched his first top-10 finish of the season at Bristol, and perhaps he'll start to build some momentum. (Previously: 27)

-TC

22. JUSTIN HALEY

Justin Haley flexed his muscle throughout the day at Bristol, finishing third in the first stage and sixth in the second stage. Haley finished 13th, falling out of the top 10 in the final stage but still scoring a solid finish. (Previously: 29)

-ZE

23. CARSON HOCEVAR

Sunday’s race at Bristol was a huge bounce-back for Carson Hocevar. An issue on the “money” stop prevented a shot at a top-five finish, but Hocevar still salvaged an 11th-place effort, his best finish since Atlanta. This was a sorely needed run for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team. (Previously: 32)

-ZE

24. RICKY STENHOUSE JR.

Sunday appeared to be a promising afternoon for Ricky Stenhouse after starting on the outside of the front row. But, after sliding back during the long runs, the No. 47 quickly faded out of the picture to finish a disappointing 22nd. (Previously: 25)

-JS

25. DANIEL SUAREZ

Suarez had a difficult afternoon at Bristol, finishing six laps off the pace in 33rd. After a strong start to the year, it appears that the No. 99 team is struggling for raw pace as the series heads into the warmer months. (Previously: 19)

-JS

26. MICHAEL MCDOWELL

In a year where Michael McDowell has managed to make the most out of bad situations time and time again, there was nothing he could do to stop the bleeding on Sunday. With very few opportunities to work on his Chevrolet, McDowell soldiered to a 30th-place finish, his worst result of the year. (Previously: 22)

-ZE

27. JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

I don't want to blame the Backstreet Boys, but ever since they were featured on John Hunter Nemechek's car (five races ago), the driver of the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB hasn't recorded a top-15 finish. JHN had three top-15s in the opening four races. He needs to find those kinds of runs again. (Previously: 26)

-TC

28. TODD GILLILAND

A couple of good weeks for Todd Gilliland has come to an end, after a disappointing afternoon at Bristol. Gilliland lacked speed throughout the weekend, which was compounded by a fuel pressure issue in the final stage. (Previously: 21)

-JS

29. TY DILLON

Ty Dillon suffered his worst finish of the season with a 32nd-place result at Bristol, finishing six laps down. Dillon falls to 29th in the championship standings after the disappointing effort at Bristol. (Previously: 24)

-ZE

30. NOAH GRAGSON

Sunday at Bristol wasn’t a notable afternoon for Front Row Motorsports, with Gragson being the team’s highest finisher, coming up 23rd, two laps down. The No. 4 team is looking for some momentum and will need to put together some good finishes if they want to fight for a spot in the Playoffs. (Previously: 30)

-JS

31. BRAD KESELOWSKI

It has been a miserable start to 2025 for Brad Keselowski, but we're starting to see glimpses of hope that he and crew chief Jeremy Bullins are turning things around. They had solid speed in Darlington before a loose wheel derailed their day, and they snagged their first top-20 (16th) finish since Las Vegas this week at Bristol. (Previously: 31)

-TC

32. ERIK JONES

You think JHN has had a rough turn of finishes lately? His teammate Erik Jones is still looking for his first top-10 finish of the season. After a 26th-place run at Bristol, the driver of the No. 43 car is still looking... (Previously: 28)

-TC

33. COLE CUSTER

Another week, another struggle for Cole Custer and Haas Factory Team. The No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse finished 29th, five laps down, and has yet to secure the team’s first top-20 result of the season. (Previously: 33)

-JS

34. RILEY HERBST

After four top-20s in the first five races of the season, including the memorable three-straight 17th-place results to open the season, Herbst’s 28th at Bristol was his best finish since Las Vegas. It has been a stretch to forget for the rookie, but he still finished ahead of Rookie of the Year contender Shane Van Gisbergen. (Previously: 36)

-ZE

35. SHANE VAN GISBERGEN

Hopes that a top-20 finish at Darlington Raceway would bring some momentum for Shane Van Gisbergen were short-lived, after a difficult afternoon at Bristol. The New Zealander struggled for speed then crashed into Cody Ware while running outside the top-30. (Previously: 34)

-JS

36. CODY WARE

After a week out of the basement in our Power Rankings, Cody Ware turned in a 36th-place finish in an effort, where he clocked in seven laps off the pace. However, Talladega awaits after the offweek, which presents a chance for Ware to climb the rankings. (Previously: 35)

-TC