Chase Elliott is back.
The 2020 Cup champion snapped a 42-race winless streak on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, surviving two overtime restarts and a track record-tying 16 cautions.
Elliott’s 19th career victory puts him back into the playoffs after missing it last year for the first time since joining the series.
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So, how does the field stack up heading into the upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. William Byron
Last week: 1
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Byron finished third in Texas, his fourth straight top-10 finish. But the talk afterward is about his wreck with Ross Chastain on the final lap. Byron appeared to be at fault in the accident, where he drove into Chastain’s rear bumper and turned him. While Byron didn’t want any problems with Chastain after the race, you don’t want to be on his bad side moving forward.
2. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 2
A potential win slipped through Hamlin’s fingers in the closing laps when he lost the lead to Elliott. Then, while battling for the top spot, he got out of shape and spun into the wall. Hamlin eventually crossed the line 30th – a disappointing result but another obvious sign that the No. 11 car can win at any track type.
3. Kyle Larson
Last week: 3
It looked like Larson was going to run away with the win on Sunday. He led a race-high 77 laps and won Stage 1 before one of his wheels fell off while he was on the track. Larson was given a two-lap penalty and finished 21st, his worst result in nearly two months.
4. Chase Elliott
Last week: 7
In five of the first six races this season, Elliott finished outside the top-10. But now, after winning in Texas, he’s scored three straight top-fives. Sunday’s drive was the most aggressive Elliott has been in recent memory – and the two-time Talladega winner could continue his success this weekend in Alabama.
5. Martin Truex Jr.
Last week: 4
No stage points, a 14th-place finish and plenty of frustration on the radio. Texas wasn’t ideal for Truex, who is still looking for his first win of the season. He’s suddenly riding a 25-race winless streak dating back to last summer. Truex has never won at a drafting track, so Talladega isn’t where he expects the drought to end.
6. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 5
Blaney had a solid run going before crashing in the final stage. He scored 11 stage points and led 17 laps but finished 33rd following the wreck. That makes four finishes outside the top-10 in the last five weeks for the defending champion. If there was ever a track for Blaney to turn it around though, it’s Talladega – where he has three career wins.
7. Ross Chastain
Last week: 8
Chastain was less than a mile away from a second-place finish, which would’ve been his best run of the season. Instead, the last-lap collision with Byron subjected him to a 32nd-place result – his worst run of 2024. The 2022 Talladega winner needs a quick turnaround this weekend.
8. Christopher Bell
Last week: 6
Consistency continues to be Bell’s biggest problem. Despite winning in Phoenix last month, the Oklahoma native is 10th in the standings – worst among all Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. He finished 17th in Texas after spinning during Stage 2.
9. Ty Gibbs
Last week: 9
The youngest Joe Gibbs Racing driver had pit road issues early and recovered to finish 13th. Gibbs, who started the season with five top-10s in six races, has now gone three straight weeks outside the top-10. The reigning Rookie of the Year is still sixth in the points standings.
10. Tyler Reddick
Last week: First four out
Reddick had Sunday’s race won… until he didn’t. First it was a slow pit stop by the crew, then it was a bad restart by the driver. Reddick still finished fourth, but he had the car to run even better. He led 37 laps and jumped to eighth in the points standings after his fourth straight top-10.
First four out: Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski
