NASCAR Power Rankings After Shane Van Gisbergen’s Win In Mexico City

For the first time in 67 years, the NASCAR Cup Series took a points paying race outside of the United States on Sunday. Here are the top 10 drivers in our latest power rankings after Shane Van Gisbergen’s historic win at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

 

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City introduced a new player to the playoff field in the form of Shane Van Gisbergen. But how did it shake up our weekly power rankings?

 

10) Chase Briscoe

First-year Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe makes his first appearance in the top 10, replacing Carson Hocevar after finishing seventh in Mexico City.

Briscoe had shown qualifying speed in recent weeks but hadn’t converted that to strong finishes. This week, he struggled in qualifying but ran a consistent race to come home with a top-10 finish and solidify his spot inside the playoff cut line.

Last Week: UR NASCAR Playoff Standings: 14th

9) Bubba Wallace

While it may not look like much on paper, a 12th-place finish for Bubba Wallace in Mexico City constitutes an extremely strong day for a driver who admits he struggles on road courses.

Wallace also finished eighth in the first stage, adding to his points tally and continuing a really solid run of results after a brief dip in May.

Last Week: 9th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 13th

8) Tyler Reddick

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Wallace is his teammate, Tyler Reddick. Reddick remains in eighth place due to his strong start to the season.

But the typically strong road course racer was largely anonymous o Sunday, scoring zero stage points and finishing in 20th. Reddick now has just three top-10 finishes in his last 10 races and is sliding down the standings.

Last Week: 8th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 12th

7) Ross Chastain

Chastain slides from No. 5 to No. 7 in our power rankings, but the next three drivers on our list could’ve well been in any order.

After finishing third in the opening stage of the race, Chastain largely meandered in and around the back end of the top 10 the rest of the way, finishing in 16th to finish a solid, if unspectacular, first trip to Mexico City.

Last Week: 5th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 10th

6) Chase Elliott

Last week, we criticized Elliott for his lack of race-winning pace on most weeks. While Elliott didn’t get the win this time around, he was probably the second-fastest driver on track down the stretch and the seven-time winner on road courses showed he’s still got it.

Elliott brought home a strong third-place finish, giving him confidence as he hunts down his first victory of the season.

Last Week: 7th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 11th

5) Ryan Blaney

Blaney’s 16th-place finish doesn’t tell the whole story of his day in Mexico City. The 2023 series champion flipped both of the first two stages, finishing second and fourth, respectively.

That meant he loaded up on stage points and left the day with a 39-point haul, fifth-best of any driver. Perhaps more important, he and his Penske teammates showed speed on a road course for the first time in a long time.

Last Week: 6th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 5th

4) Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson’s chances on winning on Sunday ended early through no fault of his own when he was taken out by an out-of-control Kyle Busch.

Larson did return to the race and actually set the fastest lap on lap No. 34, taking home an extra point. But he still finished in 36th position, 32 laps down.

Last Week: 3rd NASCAR Playoff Standings: 1st

3) Christopher Bell

After a run of wayward results following his victory in the All-Star Race, Bell steadied the ship on Sunday with an impressive second-place finish despite starting all the way back in 31st.

He also finished second in the second stage and racked up 44 points on the day, putting in a much-needed strong performance and reminding everyone why he’s a championship threat.

Last Week: 4th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 3rd

2) William Byron

Byron didn’t spend a ton of time at the front of the pack on Sunday, and he was probably the fourth fastest of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers.

But he still managed to finish in the top 10 yet again and extended his lead in the regular season points standings over Larson to 67 points in the process.

Last Week: 2nd NASCAR Playoff Standings: 4th

1) Denny Hamlin

We wrestled with this one throughout the week. Hamlin didn’t race at all on Sunday and lost serious ground to his competitors in the regular-season standings. But he had good reason.

Hamlin and his fiancee Jordan welcomed their third child into the world during the week, and the Joe Gibbs Racer remained home to be with his family rather than racing.

Had Larson or Byron won or even put in a strong performance, they may well have jumped to No. 1 this week. But with both struggling, Hamlin hangs on to the top spot.

Last Week: 1st NASCAR Playoff Standings: 2nd