NASCAR Power Rankings: Where All 36 Cup Drivers Stand After Michigan
- Pending Daddy to the Lead: With his third win of the 2025 season, Denny Hamlin vaulted into the top spot of the Power Rankings this week, supplanting William Byron. Hamlin was fast and ultimately had enough fuel to make it to the finish after making the race-winning pass with four laps to go.
- Lucky Sevens: Ty Gibbs (finished 3rd) and Josh Berry (12th) both climbed seven spots in this week's rankings, the most of any of the other drivers.
RACE RESULTS: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan
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 the Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
1. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin isn’t just winning on track; he’s winning at life, too. Hamlin is now the winningest driver at JGR, the 10th driver to win after making their 700th start, the owner of a multi-car organization at NASCAR’s top level, and is expecting his third child any day now. (Previously: 3rd)
2. William Byron
A 28th-place result isn't what he deserved, but after winning Stage 2, collecting 19 Stage Points, and leading a race-high 98 laps, Byron minimized the effect of a bad finish, and only drops to second in our power rankings this week. (Previously: 1st)
3. Ross Chastain
It’s not as flashy as the Coca-Cola 600, but Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team were able to put together a solid result at Michigan International Speedway, bringing home a sixth-place finish, falling just short of chasing down Kyle Larson for a top-five. (Previously: 5th)
4. Kyle Larson
With around 60 laps to go, Kyle Larson reported voltage issues. The fact that he finished the race on the lead lap, and never had to swap out a battery was impressive. The fact that he finished fifth was even more impressive. Finally, Larson regains some momentum. (Previously: 7th)
5. Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell is leaving Michigan International Speedway without a top-10 finish once again, continuing his streak of finishing outside the top-10 at the racetrack. It was a pretty quiet afternoon for Bell, who didn’t make much noise at the front of the field. (Previously: 3rd)
6. Chris Buescher
What a day for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 RFK Racing team. Ultimately, they were frustrated as they finished runner-up, but a Stage Win, and chasing down Denny Hamlin in the closing laps was an impressive sight to see. (Previously: 12th)
7. Ryan Blaney
Ryan Blaney finished 32nd, a day “highlighted” by his spin while attempting to pit just past the halfway mark. Blaney also earned stage points during the first stage, but it's still a disappointing result. (Previously: 4th)
8. Chase Elliott
Another week, another 15th-place finish for Chase Elliott. It's not bad, but it's not particularly great, either. (Previously: 8th)
9. Kyle Busch
Something has awoken Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team. The driver qualified second, made next to no mistakes throughout the race, and came home a solid eighth. Not bad at all. (Previously: 13th)
10. Tyler Reddick
No matter where Reddick finishes, he keeps his points position afloat by methodically logging stage points. He finished a respectable 13th at Michigan, and even finished fourth in stage two despite starting at the rear of the field. (Previously: 10th)
11. Joey Logano
Car 22 finished in position 22 at Michigan, Logano’s worst finish since his disqualification at Talladega in April. It’s not a huge speedbump for Logano, who has really found his stride of late during what started out as a roller-coaster year. (Previously: 6th)
12. Bubba Wallace
While cars dropped out late in the race running out of fuel, Bubba Wallace kept up the pace and kept picking up spots. Wallace ultimately finished fifth, giving him back-to-back top 10 finishes. (Previously: 15th)
13. Erik Jones
Erik Jones keeps his newfound momentum rolling with an 11th-place finish. Jones has now clawed from 29th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings to 21st over the last three races. (Previously: 18th)
14. Carson Hocevar
A first-time NASCAR Cup Series win at his home track was so close, Carson Hocevar could taste it. We’re not sure if he could have made it to the finish on fuel, but he never got the chance - a flat tire dropped him to 29th, one lap down. (Previously: 11th)
15. Josh Berry
Josh Berry finished 12th after hanging around the top 10 for most of the day at Michigan in his Cale Yarborough throwback. It was a big bounce-back after a tough showing at Nashville. (Previously: 22nd)
16. Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 team have figured out qualifying pretty well, with three straight poles, but the problems are coming from the race, where the points are earned. After a slow stop on Sunday, Briscoe was shuffled to the back, where he was caught up in a wreck. Ultimately, the Mitchell, Indiana-native could only come back to finish 23rd. (Previously: 9th)
17. Ryan Preece
Another hard-fought top-10 result for Ryan Preece and the No. 60 RFK Racing team. With a ninth-place finish at Michigan, Preece heads into Mexico City as the last guy inside the Playoffs cutline, with a zero point advantage over Kyle Busch. (Previously: 19th)
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Last weekend’s tangle with Carson Hocevar really hurt Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the fight to make the Playoffs, but the HYAK Motorsports team quickly returned to form with another top-20 result at Michigan International Speedway. (Previously: 14th)
19. AJ Allmendinger
AJ Allmendinger will certainly be one of the drivers looking forward to next weekend’s trip to Mexico City. He’ll be one of the few drivers in the field with experience there … even if that experience was in an open-wheel car 20 years ago. (Previously: 20th)
20. Zane Smith
After a seventh-place finish on Sunday, Zane Smith is now 2-for-2 in top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway – and with two different organizations, as well. Smith and the No. 38 team have seemingly found their stride entering the Summer. (Previously: 23rd)
21. Austin Cindric
Like Carson Hocevar, Austin Cindric also suffered a cut tire in the closing laps. Cindric finished 31st, but took home second-place points in stage two after a gamble to stay out for track position on the last restart of the stage. (Previously: 16th)
22. Brad Keselowski
With a 10th-place finish at Michigan, Brad Keselowski now has two top-10 finishes over his last three starts. The driver had none through the opening 12 races of the season. Perhaps he's on the comeback trail? (Previously: 18th)
23. Shane van Gisbergen
After a tough start to the season on the ovals, Shane Van Gisbergen appears to be blending in more and more as the season progresses, now riding a streak of five consecutive top-25s, which also includes a trio of top-20s, and a top-15 in the Coca-Cola 600. (Previously: 29th)
24. Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez did not unload quick… at all. The No. 99 spent much of the opening stage running outside the top-30, but kept working on it with crew chief Matt Swiderski to get his Jockey Infinite Cool Underwear Chevrolet. (Previously: 28th)
25. Alex Bowman
Wrong place at the wrong time, it's the story of Alex Bowman's season. Fortunately, Alex Bowman was able to walk away from a vicious head-on impact at Michigan. Unfortunately, he has back-to-back 36th-place finishes, and he has seven finishes of 27th or worse over his last nine starts. (Previously: 17th)
26. Ty Gibbs
Ty Gibbs was in the conversation for the victory in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway, battling for the lead in the closing laps of the race. However, the No. 54 team assured they would make it on fuel, leaving him to collect a third-place. Gibbs is still searching for that elusive first victory. (Previously: 33rd)
27. Austin Dillon
Another top-20 finish doesn't kill Austin Dillon's season, but the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet needs to start cranking out some top-15s, or top-10s. He showed out with three consecutive top-10s earlier this year, he's capable of it. (Previously: 25th)
28. Michael McDowell
Hey, stop us if you’ve heard this one - Michael McDowell ran out of fuel late in the race. That put the Spire Motorsports teammates of Hocevar and McDowell 29th and 30th in the final rundown. (Previously: 21st)
29. John Hunter Nemechek
John Hunter Nemechek and the bad, horrible, no good day at Michigan International Speedway. After two spins, Nemechek's day ended in the Turn 4 wall on Lap 73. (Previously: 24th)
30. Ty Dillon
Ty Dillon had a moment that will undoubtedly be talked about for days and weeks to come on social media at Michigan. Sadly, it happened on pit road and came at the expense of one squirrel. Dillon finished 24th. (Previously: 32nd)
31. Todd Gilliland
A flat left-rear tire ultimately destroyed any chance of Todd Gilliland making his signature move, which usually involves recovering from whatever chaos the day holds to collect a top-20 result. Gilliland spent some time in the top-20 this afternoon, but it ended up being all for not. (Previously: 27th)
32. Noah Gragson
Noah Gragson never fully recovered from an early on-track incident with John Hunter Nemechek, hovering around the 25th-to-30th position throughout the remainder of the event, before settling on the 27th spot. (Previously: 30th)
33. Justin Haley
A dreadful stretch of racing saw a slight uptick on Sunday, as Justin Haley finished 21st at Michigan, his best finish since 15th at Texas. It was that kind of May for Haley, who certainly hopes to continue the turnaround next week in Mexico City. (Previously: 35th)
34. Riley Herbst
Riley Herbst finished 25th at Michigan, losing some ground to Shane Van Gisbergen in the Rookie of the Year battle. He’ll look to crack into the top 20 next week in Mexico City. (Previously: 34th)
35. Cole Custer
After a top-20 result last weekend at Nashville, Cole Custer and Haas Factory Team were looking to gain some momentum in the middle portion of the season… Though after an accident on Lap 66, Custer was forced to retire from the event with extensive damage, dropping him to 35th in series point standings. (Previously: 31st)
36. Cody Ware
A 26th-place finish isn't a bad result for Ware and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team. They avoid calamity for another week and are looking to keep trending forward. (Previously: 36th)
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.
Zach Evans is the Managing Editor of RacingAmerica.com, with nearly a decade of experience in motorsports. He has been with Racing America since 2017.