2025 NASCAR Power Rankings, Week 16: Mexico City

After a thrilling trip to the rolling Irish Hills in Brooklyn, Michigan, Denny Hamlin came out on top after outdueling William Byron in the FireKeepers Casino 400.

As a result, our power rankings suffered some major shake-ups as some of last week’s top-10 drivers suffered issues while some of the contenders that surged ahead in the Great Lake State.

Without any further ado, let’s see which driver takes the top spot in this week’s rankings!

1. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 3)

Last Four Races: 36th, 16th, 3rd, 1st

Tanner: Somehow, Denny Hamlin beat everyone else’s favorite driver yet again, this time rolling the dice on fuel than his opponent William Byron. The win is Hamlin’s third of the season and seems to indicate the 11 team isn’t looking to slow down any time soon, even as Hamlin reached his twilight. 

Some off-the-track headlines keep getting mentioned more than his performance, so Hamlin gets a much-needed vacation this week because his fiancee gave birth to the couple’s third child.

2. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 2)

Last Four Races: 1st, 37th, 8th, 5th

Jey: Kyle Larson managed to finish right where he started in Michigan: fifth place. The effort wasn’t free of struggle though as a speeding penalty cost Larson the opportunity to earn any stage points in the second stage. 

However, he was able to rebound quite well, although it seems that the long-run pace that has been Larson’s bread and butter has been nonexistent since the World 600. Larson and Cliff Daniels will head to Mexico looking for speed and to keep the wheels on this time unlike their misadventures at COTA earlier this year.

3. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 1)

Last Four Races: 2nd, 8th, 10th, 16th

Tanner: Since winning three in a row in the season’s first month, Christopher Bell and Adam Stevens haven’t put it all together again to go back to victory lane. It isn’t for a lack of strong finishes, including a pair of runner-up finishes at Martinsville and Kansas.

Even still, the 20 team hardly has a true off-day like they did this past Sunday in Michigan, so it’s unreasonable to cast them aside since their hot start has somewhat cooled. One of the best raw talents in the field, Bell will likely compete for a top-5 on Sunday in Mexico, if not the victory.

4. William Byron (Last Week: 5)

Last Four Races: 24th, 2nd, 5th, 28th

Jey: William Byron came up just two laps short of making it on fuel to the end of Sunday’s race in Michigan. Rudy Fugle’s strategy to chase a car that was never going to make it on fuel instead of trying to stretch their fuel to the end of this race ended up being their undoing.

After costing them a surefire top-5 finish, Fugle will look to rebound and give Byron another shot to win Mexico like he had back in March where he finished on the second step of the podium in COTA.

5. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 4)

Last Four Races: 3rd, 38th, 1st, 32nd

Tanner: Hot off a win in Nashville, Blaney entered the Michigan race weekend with the wind in his sails, but whether it was a bad breeze or a blown tire, the 12 car whipped into the turn 4 wall in stage 2 last weekend, putting them five laps off the pace and ruining their promising day.

At the very least, the 2023 champions kept themselves from notching a sixth DNF. Heading into a brand-new challenge in the Mexico City road course, Blaney will likely be hunting for stage wins and a low top-10 when the green flag drops on Sunday.

6. Ross Chastain (Last Week: 6)

Last Four Races: 18th, 1st, 11th, 6th

Jey: Ross Chastain carried the flag for Trackhouse Racing at Michigan, bringing home a sixth-place finish and scoring points in the second stage. This race became absorbed into the countless events where Chastain and crew chief Phil Sturgeon grind out a great result after starting in the middle of the field.

Chastain remains a force to be reckoned with — assuming this team can figure out how to unload on Saturdays as well as they race on Sundays. Ross and the 1 team head to Mexico expecting to have more success than the 12th-place finish the team managed back in Austin the last time we turned right back.

7. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 9)

Last Four Races: 33rd, 35th, 6th, 4th

Tanner: A redemption run in Nashville pulled Wallace out of a significant skid in the month of May. Even better, one of his best tracks sat dead-ahead, and he made the most out of it, climbing from his ninth-place spot on the grid to finish fourth.

The 23 crew bring speed to the race track practically every week, so it’s nice to see a team match the results to that pace. While he isn’t likely to be one of the first drivers you think of to contend at Mexico, Bubba’s improvement on the road courses is notable, making him a dark horse for the win.

8. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 7)

Last Four Races: 15th, 6th, 15th, 15th

Jey: Chase Elliott flashed some pace at Michigan, managing to drive to the lead on lap 57 and lead some laps. The end result was another dose of the same old, same old for this team though, fading off late and finishing outside the top-10 once again.

The mid-race pace was a nice improvement, but this team needs to put a race together inside the top-5 if they intend to go anywhere but home in the playoffs. Good news for Elliott though, he finished fourth in the only road course thus far this year. Elliott will look to recapture that level of performance in Mexico this week.

9. Chris Buescher (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Last Four Races: 8th, 22nd, 14th, 2nd

Tanner: For the first time this season, Chris Buescher and crew chief Scott Graves brought race-winning speed to the track and maintained it throughout the weekend, collecting his first stage win of 2025 and closing in on Denny Hamlin as the checkered flag fell.

A second-place finish must be disappointing to a man without a sticker for winning like Buescher, but it’s difficult to hang your head after running where you’re capable of for the first time this season. One of the best road course racers in the NextGen era, Buescher just might snag RFK Racing’s first victory of the season in Mexico.

10. Carson Hocevar (Last Week: Honorable Mention)

Last Four Races: 26th, 34th, 2nd, 29th

Jey: To deny Hocevar a place on the power rankings after the way his season has gone so far and especially the pace he’s shown in the last month would be an atrocity. Despite being in just his sophomore season, Hocevar and his team look to be on the verge of winning.

If Carson does, he’s liable to throw a wrench into the playoffs as a whole. If they can carry this momentum, he may just drive into the playoffs on points even if he doesn’t win. Hocevar looks to follow up his 13th-place finish at COTA with another strong showing in Mexico this week.

Honorable Mentions: Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, AJ Allmendinger

(Top Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)