Happy World 600 week, everyone!
After a glorious week from ranking the best of the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series, Jey and Tanner meet the Cup Series’ longest race with their biggest project to date: a full 36-driver power rankings.
That’s right: this dynamic duo is no longer tethering themselves to just the 10 best drivers this week. They’re tackling every team and their performances through the first dozen races of the season.
Even crazier than the length of this project, there have been several changes at the top of our rankings while some surprising names constitute the bottom half and will look to turn their seasons around.
Without any further ado, let’s take a look at our new No. 1 driver!
1. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 2)
Last Four Races: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 1st
Tanner: Our new No. 1 driver on the list, Kyle Larson made quite the case when Jey and I began deliberating this list. His eight top-5s lead the series while his three wins at Homestead, Bristol, and Kansas are tied for the series-lead with our previous No. 1 driver. On top of all of this, he’s running the Indy 500 for McLaren too.
The 2021 series champion cements himself as one of the sport’s all-time greats week-in and week-out, recently tying Dale Jarrett in career wins. The two low points of his NASCAR season came at Austin where he lost a wheel after a pit stop and at Darlington where he wrecked himself on lap 4 and with four laps to go.
2. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 1)
Last Four Races: 8th, 35th, 9th, 2nd
Tanner: Christopher Bell and the 20 team have taken their omission from the 2024 Championship Race personally, winning three races in a row before the first month of the season concluded. Tough breaks at Daytona and Talladega prevented Bell’s squad from being even more formidable.
When this team is hot, they’re blazing the trail for the rest of the field, notching a top-5 in half of the races run. When they’ve been cold, they struggle for pace at tracks they’ve won at or contended at in the past. A get-right effort at Kansas where they nearly won inspires confidence that the 20 car is headed back in the right direction.
3. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 3)
Last Four Races: 2nd, 21st, 38th, 36th
Jey: Denny Hamlin is having a great season overall, with two wins while missing out on wins at Daytona and Phoenix. At 44 years old to boot, Denny has had two really rotten weeks leading into the All-Star Race through no fault of his own; Denny blew a engine in fiery fashion at Texas and had a clutch go out at Kansas.
Despite these poor showings, the 11 team consistently brings one of the fastest cars to the track every week, pulling in five top-5s. Denny lands at third on our list, but if he can get a car that can stay together, there’s no doubt in our minds that he could compete for that oh-so-coveted championship in Phoenix.
4. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 5)
Last Four Races: 5th, 37th, 3rd, 3rd
Tanner: In a recent interview with Kelly Crandall, Ryan Blaney said, “Honestly, I’m pretty elated that we’re fifth in points with the year that we’ve had, as far as four DNFs.” The 12 team’s hard luck comes under the microscope more often than not, but this season hasn’t been a waste just because they haven’t won.
His late spin in Atlanta gave the 2023 Cup champion a chance to show his mettle, surging back up to fourth. A would-be win at Darlington got ripped away by a car nearly 200 laps down wrecking in the final laps. Blaney’s four top-5s in the last five races paint the portrait of a team ready to win soon, and a lot.
5. William Byron (Last Week: 4)
Last Four Races: 6th, 3rd, 13th, 24th
Jey: William Byron started the year much like the last few years: red hot. Over the last few weeks, it seems that the dents in the 24 car’s armor are starting to show; one could argue they fell off as far back as Darlington. The whole #24 AXALTA team dominated the first 243 laps; however, the 24 team never sniffed the lead again the moment they lost control of the race.
This performance issue extended to Texas where — despite others issues — they couldn’t sniff the top-10 and Kansas where an early tire failure caused damage and put them a lap down for the day. even though Fugle squandered a few chances to get back on the lead lap. Byron still sits at fifth in our rankings, but he’s on high-alert for a summer skid into obscurity.
6. Alex Bowman (Last Week: 6)
Last Four Races: 37th, 7th, 35th, 5th
Jey: Alex Bowman started off 2025 incredibly well. Since his runner-up at Homestead, the 48 team suffered from mechanical issues that ended in DNFs that have sunk them in the standings as of late, but when everything comes together, they remain a fixture in the top-10, recording seven of them through 12 races.
In their third season together, Bowman and crew chief Blake Harris look to build on their success from year two. Bowman sits in sixth in our power rankings. Like a few other guys near the top of this list, the Ally Racing team just need a better stroke of luck, and they’ll be competing for wins and perhaps, a championship.
7. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 7)
Last Four Races: 15th, 5th, 16th, 15th
Jey: Chase Elliott currently rests at fourth in points, but he doesn’t feel like a true contender for the title. Why is that you ask? Something goes wrong for the 9 group seemingly every week. Whether it’s speeding on pit road, a bad strategy call, a pit crew miscue, or something out of their control, it feels like they cannot catch a break.
It finally looked to be coming together at Kansas. Elliott passed teammate Kyle Larson on pit road and took control of the race before an untimely pit penalty undid their great day. Despite their faults, they run insanely well, and if they can clear up these weekly errors, they are poised to make a deep playoff run. That said, they need to get more stage points and run where they’re capable of all day, or they’ll exit early from the playoffs.
8. Austin Cindric (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 17th, 1st, 25th, 11th
Jey: Austin Cindric is quietly having the best year of his Cup Series career to put it plainly. The 2 team bring race-winning pace to several events, even taking home the gold at Talladega. If not for a self-inflicted 50-point penalty for a right-hook at COTA, Cindric would be top-10 in points and above the defending champion that just so happens to be his senior teammate.
The team came into the year firing on all cylinders and raised themselves to a new standard. Given Cindric’s history of improving as the season progresses, he very well could make a run at a title this postseason. With the recent controversy involving his father and the IndyCar side of Penske, he truly could not have picked a better time to “arrive” as a possible perennial contender.
9. Chris Buescher (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 25th, 34th, 18th, 8th
Tanner: Chris Buescher’s 2025 looks strangely similar to his 2024 campaign through a dozen events, though crashes at Talladega and Atlanta have held him back more season. Compared to this time last season, Buescher’s counting stats are essentially the same: no wins, one less top-5, and six top-10s.
The Prosper, Texas native pushes his equipment to their limit without skipping over it and crashing, but he and crew chief Scott Graves desperately need to find speed off of the truck to get more stage points and contend for wins. The 60-point penalty under appeal certainly won’t aid their title aspirations.
10. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 8)
Last Four Races: 19th, 8th, 33rd, 33rd
Jey: Bubba Wallace walked into 2025 like a brand-new driver and man. The 23 crew now produces more pace out of the box than ever, and no matter what adversity gets thrown their way, Bubba stands tall, smiles, and goes to see his wife and child where in years past would get down on himself and drag the team down slightly.
Becoming a dad paid immediate dividends for Wallace both on and off the track. The 23 team slipped a little in recent weeks, but it has more to do with misfortunes such as an arbitrary equipment interference penalty at Kansas. This team should rebound and will look to do so starting with 600 miles this weekend in Charlotte.
11. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 9)
Last Four Races: 18th, 14th, 21st, 17th
Tanner: Last year’s regular-season champion continues to have a season that confounds onlookers. Reddick’s performance give me cause to pause as this Championship Four entrant owns four top-10s through 12 races. Even still, they sit sixth in points with the seventh-most stage points at 76.
A big factor at play for the 45 team is that they’re finishing races and not letting bad days devolve into terrible days. Their worst finish remains a 24th at Vegas where they lost out on pit strategy and 21st at Texas where Reddick spun himself on a late restart. I suspect they’ll win at Nashville or Mexico to turn the season around.
12. Ross Chastain (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 7th, 20th, 2nd, 18th
Jey: Ross Chastain is absolutely carrying his Trackhouse Chevy above and beyond what it should be capable of doing, which is remarkable. On the other side of the coin, Ross is still doing Ross things. His block late at Talladega was egregious and isn’t gonna end as well as it did for him that time the next time he tries it.
That said Chastain, and crew chief Phil Surgen carve out great results, surgical in their approach to chisel out speed on Sunday after unloading slow on Saturdays, most notably in their runner-up result at Texas. If they find a way to unload better, the field should watch out because Ross — for better or worse — makes the moves he feels are necessary to give his team the best opportunity to smash another watermelon.
13. Josh Berry (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 12th, 26th, 32nd, 6th
Jey: Many onlookers already categorize Josh Berry’s 2025 season as great even if his results and points position don’t show it. With a win at Las Vegas, Berry solidified himself as the correct choice to take the legendary No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, which also marked the 101st victory for the team.
Berry’s no fluke as the 21 flashed speed at other tracks like Texas where the track cost him the lead and a great car. His pace has been right there with the best of his Penske partners, even if the results don’t show it. The 21 team appears poised to contend for more wins as they gain more chemistry with their “old young gun”.
14. Joey Logano (Last Week: 10)
Last Four Races: 24th, 39th, 1st, 9th
Jey: Joey Logano came into 2025 after winning his third championship in seven seasons and promptly delivered one of the slowest starts of his career, not collecting his first top-10 until Martinsville. Joey still showed pace, though his results don’t reflect the 22 team’s pace. Logano’s DQ at Talladega mired him deeper in the standings. Fortune favors the bold as Logano solidified his playoff spot with a win at Texas the next week.
The Texas win is potentially more impressive when you consider he did not have the best car but won anyway, a story that fits a few of his recent triumphs. It remains to be seen whether Joey and the 22 team can sustain the results necessary to defend their title at Phoenix.
15. Chase Briscoe (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 4th, 15th, 27th, 4th
Jey: Chase Briscoe moved to Joe Gibbs Racing for 2025 to take over for a retiring Martin Truex Jr. After a slow start where he missed out on the top-15 three times in the first five races, the 19 team found their rhythm and turned their season around. Briscoe climbed to 12th in the points and notched four top-5s since Vegas.
Should the pace they’ve found carry into the summer months, we suspect Briscoe will continue to climb up the standings. Briscoe looks to justify his signing. If opportunity knocks, I absolutely see him going for a bold move if it means putting his Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry into victory lane.
16. Ryan Preece (Last Week: Honorable Mention)
Last Four Races: 20th, 38th, 29th, 7th
Jey: Ryan Preece came into the year racing for a team that didn’t exist six months ago, so what he’s done in the 60 car has been impressive to put it lightly. Despite a runner-up at Talladega ripped away via DQ, Preece sits inside the playoffs and flashed pace at a number of tracks with four top-10s and a third-place run at Las Vegas.
Preece should not be taken lightly as we head into the summer because he is capable of contending at Richmond and Loudon. This 60 team can win if a few things break their way. For someone that’s been so close to the top of the pylon twice, it feels like a matter of when — not if — they find a win.
17. Carson Hocevar (Last Week: Honorable Mention)
Last Four Races: 11th, 6th, 24th, 26th
Tanner: While his results don’t paint the most glowing portrait for a strong 2025 campaign, Hocevar can’t be accused of slipping into a sophomore slump. Some folks will see that the 22-year-old Spire Motorsports driver only has two top-10s through 12 weeks and scoff at this placement.
Hocevar’s on-track conduct often turns heads (and makes you scratch it), but the Michigander shows wicked pace in a car that isn’t used to contending for the pole and for wins. His 50 stage points puts him at 12th in the series, and I suspect Spire and Hocevar will push forward as the season wears on into the summer.
18. John Hunter Nemechek (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 21st, 30th, 8th, 10th
Tanner: The death of Legacy Motor Club was greatly exaggerated, and they currently employ a driver that’s pulled them into playoff contention. Strangely, it’s Nemechek leading the way for the team after a 2024 season full of pace issues and unique disasters.
Even stranger, Nemechek has finished all 12 races after leading the series in crashes last season. Team owner Jimmie Johnson received a fair amount of flak for his never-ending hiring cycle last season, but it seems to be paying off as the 42 crew have brought the Club four top-10s, including two in a row at Texas and Kansas.
19. Kyle Busch (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 14th, 27th, 20th, 21st
Jey: Kyle Busch enters a contract year coming off of the first winless year of his full-time Cup career. His effort never waned, but this year has resembled 2024 for the 8 team. Their best chance to win came at COTA where he passed Shane van Gisbergen on pace and led the most laps before being passed by Christopher Bell late.
Busch showed up quick in Texas as well but lost out to the treacherous bump in turns 3 & 4. Despite these struggles, Busch sits just seven points out of the playoffs as the series heads to Charlotte. If RCR finds more pace, Kyle won’t be forced to carry RCR on his back and will return to the postseason and victory lane.
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 22nd, 12th, 6th, 19th
Tanner: To this point in the 2025 season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been running at the finish of all 12 events. This opening stretch includes a fifth-place result in Atlanta and a sixth at Texas that surprised many onlookers, especially considering the reorganization of the race team now known as Hyak Motorsports.
Outside of Bristol and Phoenix, the 2023 Daytona 500 winner ended the race on the lead lap, completing all but three laps all season. If Stenhouse can just keep completing all of the laps, there exists a very real chance that the 47 team could wind up in the postseason on points as they currently sit 14th.
21. AJ Allmendinger (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 9th, 24th, 36th, 38th
Jey: AJ Allmendinger returned to full-time NASCAR Cup racing in 2025, and it’s been a roller-coaster ride. They climbed all the way up the grid at places like Vegas, Homestead, and Bristol, but they’ve also cratered from a crash at Daytona to a bad set of Goodyears at COTA. Allmendinger was in the playoff discussion and looking to carry momentum into the throngs of the season.
Unfortunately, two straight engine failures tanked the 16 team to 25th in points, erasing their momentum. Allmendinger stands out as a driver looking to use the Coca-Cola 600 as a springboard to get their mojo back to claw their way into the playoff picture.
22. Daniel Suárez (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 33rd, 9th, 10th, 34th
Tanner: Back-to-back crashes in Atlanta and COTA have overshadowed a solid but inconsistent campaign for the No. 99 team. A final stage wreck at Phoenix ripped a top-10 away from them. Vegas saw Suárez nearly walk into the desert sunset with a much-needed victory in Sin City, but a loose car made him settle for second.
Since then, the flagship Trackhouse machine visited a number of tracks that they traditionally run poorly, which has put a dent into their performance and points standings. A pair of top-10s at Talladega and Texas display a driver that can compete for wins if given a fast, comfortable car, a common Trackhouse struggle.
23. Zane Smith (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 27th, 19th, 17th, 16th
Tanner: Front Row Motorsports welcomed Zane Smith back with open arms after he was whisked away by Trackhouse Motorsports for a year before that pitched him aside. Much like teammate Todd Gilliland, Smith’s first dozen starts of 2025 yielded eight top-20 finishes and a pole at Talladega.
A crash at Daytona, a missed setup at Bristol and Las Vegas, and an inexplicably poor performance at Austin where he won twice in the Truck Series paints a portrait of a team that’s learning but haven’t put the pieces together just yet. I’d expect them to surge in the regular-season’s second half.
24. Michael McDowell (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 30th, 11th, 26th, 23rd
Jey: When McDowell moved to Spire in the offseason, questions swirled about whether he and crew chief Travis Peterson would be able to carry over the results they achieved at FRM. So far, he’s been the most consistent of the Spire cars and could’ve won at Texas if he blocked Joey Logano’s lane in the final laps.
McDowell lives in the 11-15th range with five top-15 finishes so far. The reinvented 71 squad brings speed on Saturdays too, notching a pole at Vegas. However, his crash at Texas and a few other issues places him lower than he really should be in the points. If the team maintains their speed, McDowell should be higher in both the points and power rankings next time around.
25. Erik Jones (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 26th, 18th, 5th, 32nd
Jey: Erik Jones’ stats page is quite deceptive. Legacy Motor Club is in their second year with Toyota and basically built out their notebooks from the start of 2024. It’s been a struggle to find pace, but 2025 kicked off way better as Jones has shown pace at places like Darlington and Homestead and while surviving the cataclysm that is Texas to bring home his first top-5 finish of the year.
That said, Jones does sit 29th in points and 38 points behind teammate John Hunter Nemechek, but this can be attributed to issues at Talladega and Martinsville, the latter placing him in dead last. Jones should be able to bounce back after the All-Star Race and hopes to make a push towards the playoff cutline with his teammate as he tries to guide the legendary No. 43 back to victory lane.
26. Todd Gilliland (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 35th, 16th, 11th, 12th
Tanner: In 12 races, Todd Gilliland collected eight finishes of 17th or better, even though he has only accrued 19 stage points in that same stretch. The fourth-year racer now sits as the most-tenured racer at Front Row Motorsports and seems to be handling the role well as he’s tied for 22nd in points with teammate Zane Smith.
Those four other omitted races at Bristol, Las Vegas, Homestead, and Daytona show a team craving speed that they just don’t have at the intermediates, getting crashed at Daytona, and not guessing the temperature right in Bristol. I suspect Gilliland will rise to a playoff contender by the time Daytona comes back around in August.
27. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 3rd, 17th, 23rd, 28th
Tanner: When a driver hops aboard a Joe Gibbs Racing car, the media, the industry, and the fan base at-large hold a certain set of performance expectations, and right or wrong, Ty Gibbs has struggled to rise up and meet those expectations.
The 2022 Xfinity Series champion lost solid efforts in Atlanta and Phoenix due to accidents out of his control, but even then, the No. 54 Camry starves for pace. Great runs at Darlington and Bristol gave Gibbs fans optimism going into Easter break, but three subpar performances afterward have soured that optimism.
28. Austin Dillon (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 10th, 10th, 7th, 22nd
Tanner: Against all odds, Austin Dillon scrounged up three straight top-10s from Bristol, Talladega, and Texas, all adding up to his best start since the 2022 season. It’s important to remember that RCR developed the NextGen car, so Dillon and his team had a major developmental and informational advantage on the field.
As time has eased on, RCR’s notebook failed to hold up as they coughed up Kyle Busch’s illustrious 19-year win streak last season and only showed race-winning pace once at Richmond where the 3 car crossed the line first. Dillon completes the laps and mostly stays out of trouble, but he lacks competitive pace through 12 events.
29. Ty Dillon (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 32nd, 23rd, 12th, 35th
Tanner: While Ty Dillon has no top-10s to speak of through 12 weeks, the 33-year-old racer keeps finding ways to improve the performance of the No. 10 Kaulig Chevy. At this point last season, the second Kaulig entry rotated drivers and had an average finish of 24.4 while Dillon currently averages a finish of 22.3.
To this point last season, the second Kaulig car put up just three top-20 finishes while Dillon racked up five runs inside the top-20. His speeding penalty at Phoenix where he had track position and a fresh set of option tires could’ve gotten his team into the postseason, so it’s not out of the realm to say this team could win.
30. Justin Haley (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 13th, 25th, 15th, 31st
Jey: Justin Haley’s 2025 got off on the wrong foot and hasn’t stopped tripping since. Hendrick Motorsports called up his pit crew. Spire fired his car chief that now holds the same role on Ty Gibbs’ car. His Hall of Fame-caliber crew chief Rodney Childers received his walking papers after just nine races.
All that said, Haley only scored one top-10 this year at Homestead. When both of his teammates qualify up front and compete for great finishes, Haley’s totals fail to measure up, regardless of circumstances. Haley sits 28th in points 45 points back of the cutline and needs an uptick in performance before the gap to the cutline and a possible playoff berth becomes insurmountable.
31. Shane van Gisbergen (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 38th, 29th, 22nd, 20th
Tanner: The New Zealander popularly initialized as “SVG” has seen better days in his illustrious career. When Trackhouse Racing acquired a third charter last season, people expected the team to take a leap forward by adding the three-time Supercars champion to their full-time Cup roster. The results? Not great, so far.
Poor restarts all day in Austin saw the 35-year-old rookie cough up a chance at an early-season victory, but since then, the 88 team (last year’s No. 71 team from Spire) has struggled. That said, he pulled off lead-lap finishes at driver’s tracks like Darlington, Texas, and Kansas that should give SVG’s fans some optimism.
32. Brad Keselowski (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 16th, 36th, 28th, 37th
Tanner: Brad Keselowski finds himself in the midst of his worst season to date. The 2012 Cup Series champion’s tumultuous 12 races include five DNFs — all from crash damage — with all of his last three races ending in the garage area.
The 6 team struggles for speed week-in, and week-out, which is puzzling considering his performance over the past two seasons. It hasn’t been all doom and gloom for the flagship RFK Racing machine, though. Despite the wreck at Kansas, they climbed to second after starting shotgun on the field prior to that tire failure.
33. Noah Gragson (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 23rd, 4th, 34th, 14th
Jey: Noah Gragson’s first year at FRM hasn’t gone to plan. Despite some standout performances such as his eighth-place run at COTA and a fourth at Talladega, his other results fall short of stellar.
Noah is on a team with fellow youngsters Todd Gilliand and Zane Smith, but even with that in mind, Gragson sits nearly a full race in points behind both of them. Whether he’s caught up in other people’s mistakes or his own, Gragson needs to right the ship quickly, or his seat runs the risk of getting warm.
34. Riley Herbst (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 28th, 22nd, 14th, 27th
Tanner: A trio of 17th-place results to start the season and a 14th-place run at Texas stand as Herbst’s only highlights to this point, but outside of getting caught up in an accident at Phoenix, Herbst has done well to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble.
The new 23XI entry sits outside the top-30 in points and hasn’t shown much pace all season. However, the No. 71 Spire Motorsports team slowly but surely made gains throughout 2024 as a new third, full-time team, so the No. 35 23XI Racing crew will look to mimic that turnaround as the regular season continues.
35. Cole Custer (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 29th, 13th, 19th, 25th
Tanner: Cole Custer took a run on the final lap of the Daytona 500, coming within a mile of achieving stock car immortality by being enshrined as a winner of the Great American Race. Instead, he miscalculated on a block of Chase Briscoe, triggered a massive accident, and ended the night in 21st.
Even worse, it took the 2023 Xfinity Series champion until Talladega to beat the Daytona result, crashing out in Atlanta and at Phoenix. Outside of a 13th at Talladega and a 19th at Texas, Custer’s biggest accomplishment this season remains finishing on the lead lap at Darlington. A tough year thus far for Haas Factory Team.
36. Cody Ware (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Last Four Races: 36th, 31st, 30th, 30th
Jey: Cody Ware lacks quality experience in a race car, and it shows with his last-place points standing. It isn’t for a lack of trying as the 51 team have had some bright spots in a year of darkness. They consistently improve their pace throughout the race and that may pay off for the 51 when they go back to tracks a second time.
Rick Ware Racing’s competition director Tommy Baldwin stated that they’re “growing as a team,” and followed that by saying, “28th place result is a good day for us right now.” By their metrics, they have three good days to their name right now, the best being 24th at Phoenix. Ware will look to improve as the year goes on, and with his dad owning the team, it seems he will have the leash to do so, even if the performance isn’t up to snuff.
(Top Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)
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