Kyle Larson BBQs the field in Kansas

This week, the NASCAR Power Rankings are pretty easy to come up with, at least the top spot is left up to no doubt. Spoiler: Kyle Larson just spanked the Cup Series field at Kansas, and it is going to be reflected in today’s rankings.

For the rest of the top-10, there is a bit of movement after this week at Kansas. A few drivers showed up with speed but couldn’t capitalize on it. Then there were others who showed up with clunkers and fought to a decent finish.

It is All-Star Race Weekend this week! Before we move on to North Wilkesboro, let’s get into all of the changes and set our NASCAR Power Rankings.

1. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (-)

221 of 267 laps. Need I say more? Kyle Larson has two race wins, six stage wins, three most laps led, and a fastest lap in the last four races. He has been on another level with an average finish of 2.0 in those four races.

No better time for the top driver in the NASCAR Power Rankings to be entering the month of May. Larson takes on the Indy 500 this month and appears to be in top form behind the wheel.

2. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+1)

Another quiet top-five performance for Ryan Blaney. That is his fourth top-five in the last five races. His DNF at Talladega is the only outlier in that time.

Blaney has finished P5, P5, P37, P3, P3 in the last five races. It feels like that first win of the season is right around the corner. Why not a second Coca-Cola 600 ring?

3. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (+1)

Another driver who would love to add a second Coke 600 win to his name in a couple of weeks, Christopher Bell was tracking Kyle Larson down on that last lap. Had it gone one more time around, Bell likely wins.

This is another strong run for Bell. He has been really solid, but would like to lead more laps in the upcoming races. When will he add that fourth win of the season? Larson has tied him for most wins in 2025 so far.

4. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (-2)

Back-to-back disappointing performances for William Byron. He lost the points lead and has looked very average the last two weeks.

We have seen these summer slumps from Byron before. Is this the start of his 2025 edition? Or will we see him bounce back after the All-Star Race? Keep an eye on the 24 team.

5. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-)

What am I supposed to do with these next two drivers? Truthfully, I am not sure. Denny Hamlin had great speed, but then the clutch went out on his car. When he came in to pit, he stalled and couldn’t refire the car.

Hamlin now has back-to-back DNFs for the first time since 2013. He had a streak of 424 starts in a row without recording DNFs in two races in a row. Only Kevin Harvick (643) and Dale Earnhardt (475) have had longer streaks.

6. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (-)

Again, what am I to do with Chase Elliott? He stays put in the NASCAR Power Rankings because, frankly, his team blew maybe their one chance at a win this season.

I don’t mean to be too harsh, but we have seen Elliott struggle to find winning speed. He had that in clean air on Sunday. Then his pit crew set him back with a botched stop, and his car couldn’t move up through the field again. When will it change?

7. Joey Logano – Team Penske (+3)

For a moment there, late in the race, Joey Logano found himself up front. NASCAR fans everywhere were getting flashbacks to many of his recent wins and good runs. Logano appears to pop up out of nowhere late in these races.

While things didn’t exactly work out for Joey, he recorded another top-10 finish. That is more than I can say for the rest of our NASCAR Power Rankings drivers.

8. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing (-)

These last few spots in the NASCAR Power Rankings are on the edge. I am not sure what is happening with 23XI and Trackhouse, but things are not up to par this season.

Tyler Reddick was not a factor on Sunday. Whatsoever. Something is not clicking with this team, four straight finishes of P14 or worse, and I’m not sure what is going to fix it.

9. Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing (-2)

Ross Chastain wants to have faster Chevys on Saturdays and Sundays. His fellow ECR Engines driver, AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing, echoed those feelings and took them to another level on Sunday.

ECR teams are not keeping up with the field. That is obvious. This week, not even Ross could will that dog of an engine to a top-10 finish.

10. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing (-1)

Mistakes led to getting wrecked out of the race. Bubba Wallace lost track position and he paid for it when his 23XI Racing teammate, Corey Heim, caused a wreck that took him to the garage.

Wallace has been riding a cushion of stage points lately. However, he was not able to pick up stage points on Sunday and has fallen in the standings, as well as the NASCAR Power Rankings.