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

Briscoe Gets It Done: After a recent stretch of strong qualifying runs, followed by lackluster race results, Chase Briscoe stretched his fuel tank in the closing laps of Sunday's race at Pocono to take his third career win, and first win since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. With the win, Briscoe moved up two spots in the rankings and has closed in on some stiff competition.

Them's the Brakes: Four drivers (Riley Herbst, Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Tyler Reddick) suffered from right front brake rotor issues in Sunday's race. Due to the poor finishes that were attached to the brake issues, the four drivers dropped a combined 15 spots in the rankings this week. The one most affected was McDowell, who dropped seven spots.

RACE RESULTS: The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono

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 this weekend's race at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

1. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin didn’t miss a beat, although he didn’t compete at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, finishing second to his teammate Chase Briscoe at one of his best racetracks. In his last three races, Hamlin has started and finished inside the top-three. (Previously: 4th)

2. Chase Elliott

Back-to-back top five finishes for the first time this season for Chase Elliott. Now, this is what we've expected to see from the ultra-consistent driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. One more week of this, and who knows... he could take the top spot in the rankings. (Previously: 3rd)

3. Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher is like a shark circling a puddle of blood in the ocean right now. The blood that Buescher has been sniffing in recent weeks is his first win of the season, and it feels like a certainty that one is coming sooner rather than later. (Previously: 6th)

4. Christopher Bell

Another so-so afternoon for Christopher Bell, but at the same time another afternoon where crash damage hasn’t stopped the No. 20 from recording a solid top-20 result. Bell is hoping for success in the series’ return to Atlanta, where he won in the Spring. (Previously: 1st)

5. William Byron

It was a truly valiant effort for William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team as they rebounded from damage sustained in qualifying to work their way into the conversation for the win at Pocono. However, things didn't pan out, and Byron was mired deep in the field late and finished 27th. (Previously: 2nd)

6. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney persevered to a third-place finish despite his cool suit failing just 15 laps into the race. That made for a long, hot day, but not enough to keep Blaney off the podium. (Previously: 7th)

7. Chase Briscoe

The weight has been lifted from Chase Briscoe’s shoulders, after saving a massive amount of fuel to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway. The victory locks the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE and Briscoe into the post-season. (Previously: 9th)

8. Kyle Larson

At times, it wasn't pretty. But Kyle Larson got a much needed seventh-place finish a week after he was wiped out early in the event at Mexico City. (Previously: 8th)

9. Ryan Preece

Another week, another impressive Ryan Preece performance. The driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford came home in eighth, and he continues to showcase the speed and ability capable of making it into the Playoff field. (Previously: 12th)

10. Ross Chastain

There’s not much to say about Ross Chastain’s afternoon at Pocono other than it was a pretty quiet one. Obviously, the finish isn’t what the team wanted, but staying out of the headlines isn’t always a bad thing. (Previously: 5th)

11. Erik Jones

Erik Jones has been on one lately. His 13th-place finish on Sunday at Pocono continues a recent string of consistent finishes. Over his last seven starts, Jones has five finishes inside of the top-15, and just one finish outside of the top-20. He's sliced his way from 30th in the championship standings to 18th over that span. (Previously: 14th)

12. Joey Logano

Logano finished 16th to snap a trend of finishes outside the top-20, but didn’t exactly get back on track. He did pick up some stage points and led five laps during the first half of the race to salvage some points on the day. (Previously: 13th)

13. Tyler Reddick

After brake issues for both of his teammates, Tyler Reddick spent time in the garage addressing that to prevent any further issues on that front. Reddick ultimately finished 32nd after crossing the line third at the end of Stage One. (Previously: 10th)

14. Josh Berry

Josh Berry finished second in Stage Two and brought home the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford in the 12th spot. Oddly enough, that is his third 12th-place finish in the last five races. (Previously: 19th)

15. Bubba Wallace

About a dozen laps after teammate Riley Herbst hit the wall with a flat tire, Bubba Wallace’s day also ended after a right-front issue put him in the fence in turn two. Wallace had put together three straight solid finishes, so the DNF at Pocono was certainly disappointing. (Previously: 11th)

16. Alex Bowman

A drama-free 10th-place run is just what the doctor ordered for Alex Bowman, who estimated going into Sunday's race that he is operating at about 85-90% health following his hard hit at Michigan. (Previously: 20th)

17. Austin Cindric

On a day where the storylines were streategy decisions and mistakes made on and off the track, Cindric kept his head down and fought to a 10th place finish. It’s Cindric’s first top-10 since his win at Talladega. (Previously: 18th)

18. John Hunter Nemechek

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt was a man that everyone knew the name of. If John Hunter Nemechek keeps putting up performances like his sixth-place result on Sunday, he may rival ole John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt as the most recognizable John there is. (Previously: 24th)

19. AJ Allmendinger

AJ Allmendinger finished 21st, a solid recovery from a weekend that started with issues during his qualifying lap. While they’ll have some chagrin with the result, the June stretch has been a big turnaround for the team after some disappointing results in May. (Previously: 17th)

20. Brad Keselowski

After recording no top-10 finishes through the opening 12 races of the season, Brad Keselowski has now chiseled in three top-10s over his last five starts. He finished ninth at Pocono, but had it not been for a couple of pit road blunders, he very well could have been in the conversation for a race win. (Previously: 25th)

21. Ty Gibbs

It’s definitely a step in the right direction from the early-season performances for Ty Gibbs, but a 14th-place result, when your teammates finish first and second, isn’t ideal. At this point, Gibbs will have to secure his first career victory in order to make the post-season. (Previously: 22nd)

22. Michael McDowell

Michael McDowell was another driver who suffered a brake issue at Pocono, going behind the wall 75 laps into the race. It’s a tough break for the No. 71 team coming off a top-five finish at Mexico City. (Previously: 15th)

23. Carson Hocevar

Carson Hocevar had plenty of pace throughout the day, but fell to 18th in the final run of the race. If there’s any consolation, he arguably had the save of the year after nearly spinning exiting turn three. (Previously: 23rd)

24. Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch spinning was the catalyst of the biggest incident (in terms of cars involved) in Sunday's race. Fortunately, Busch was able to rebound to finish a respectable 20th. (Previously: 21st)

25. Shane van Gisbergen

After a victory last weekend in Mexico City, Shane Van Gisbergen returned to the harsh reality of learning how to race on ovals in Pocono. Although things were going solidly at times, running inside the top-20, a late spin put him a lap down and left him to finish outside the top-30. (Previously: 16th)

26. Daniel Suarez

Much like his teammate Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez had a quiet afternoon at Pocono Raceway, but the No. 99 was able to score a top-15 result. This week showed some major improvement for the team, especially when it comes to their speed on Saturday. (Previously: 27th)

27. Cole Custer

An eighth-place finish at Mexico City was looking like it would get backed up pretty early, after Cole Custer qualified inside the top-five, and spent a lot of the first-half of the race running there. However, the No. 41 got shuffled back in the scrambling of multiple strategies, but still scored a respectable P22. (Previously: 30th)

28. Zane Smith

No major issues for Zane Smith on Sunday, finishing 25th. The No. 38 didn’t have the speed that they have become accustomed to as of late, but no doubt, with a superspeedway up next, Smith (the polesitter at Talladega) has to be excited. (Previously: 28th)

29. Justin Haley

Justin Haley recovered from a flat tire to finish 19th at Pocono, his first top 20 finish since a 15th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway. (Previously: 32nd)

30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Since being wrecked by Carson Hocevar at Nashville Superspeedway, the season has seemed to fall apart for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and HYAK Motorsports, as the No. 47 recorded a 30th-place result at Pocono and dopped three spots to 24th in points. (Previously: 26th)

31. Austin Dillon

A 24th-place finish for Austin Dillon in Sunday's race at Pocono isn't bad. But it isn't particularly great either. Dillon and the No. 3 team are still trying to get their legs underneath them this year. (Previously: 31st)

32. Noah Gragson

Nothing terribly exciting to write home about for Noah Gragson, finishing a respectable 23rd-place finish. In a season that has involved lots of adversity, the Las Vegas, Nevada-native is likely happy to have an uneventful afternoon. (Previously: 34th)

33. Todd Gilliland

It wasn’t a super exciting day for Front Row Motorsports across the board, with all three drivers finishing from 23rd to 28th. Gilliland was the lowest of the three drivers after sustaining crash damage. (Previously: 29th)

34. Ty Dillon

After the disappointment in Mexico City, Ty Dillon was collected in the multi-car incident just past halfway and finished 33rd on Sunday at Pocono. The No. 10 team will be eager to turn things around at EchoPark Speedway. (Previously: 33rd)

35. Cody Ware

It looked like it was shaping up to be a rough weekend for Cody Ware and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team after Ware backed his car into the Turn 3 wall in practice. However, Ware kept the car clean on Sunday, ran in the top-25 for a small chunk of the race, and finished top-30 for the eighth time this season. (Previously: 36th)

36. Riley Herbst

Brake issues put Riley Herbst in the wall shortly after the start of the second stage, throwing a wrench into his day at Pocono. Herbst finished 37th in the final rundown. (Previously: 35th)