NASCAR Power Rankings After Corey Heim’s Stunning Victory At The Brickyard 400

One month ago, Corey Heim stunned the NASCAR world when he won his first career Cup Series race before he even enters the series full-time for 23XI Racing in 2027.

As it turns out, perhaps nobody should have been surprised. Because Heim proceeded to go out and do the same thing on Sunday in the famed Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, picking up his second win in just 15 career Cup Series starts.

That Heim is succeeding at the highest level is no surprise to fans who have watched him dominate the Truck Series in recent seasons. However, nobody could have expected that he would have this much success this quickly.

When Heim won his last race, we stated that he was ineligible for our NASCAR Power Rankings because he’s not running a full-time schedule. We’re sticking by that policy. But with two wins and three top-10 finishes in his last three starts, he’s made it a far more difficult discussion.

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings: Week 22

While Heim’s win didn’t move him into our latest rankings, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of movement following the Brickyard.

In fact, two of the sport’s biggest stars are rapidly plummeting down the rankings, while a rising star continues his ascent.

Meanwhile, the race to secure the top seed entering the Chase for the Championship appears almost over, although the race for the second seed continues to get tighter and tighter with each passing week.

10) Kyle Larson

If this isn’t rock bottom for Kyle Larson’s 2026 season, then we’re afraid to see what comes next.

Larson looked set to assume the lead during the first pit cycle race midway through stage one when a cut right rear tire sent him spinning into the wall and ended his day, leading to a 39th-place finish.

Larson now has finishes of 34th, 34th, 15th, and 39th in his last four races, and has fallen from the fight for third-place in the point standings to clinging on to a spot in the top 10.

Some of Larson’s troubles have been self-inflicted. Some have not. But he’s now well over a year without a victory in the Cup Series, and things are trending in the wrong direction as the Chase for the Championship nears.

Last Week: 7th NASCAR Point Standings: 8th (-269)

9) Chris Buescher

Last week, Buescher saw a similar drop to Larson, going from seventh all the way down to 10th in our power rankings after a race weekend where he was never in the discussion for a strong finish.

This week, it’s Buescher’s steadiness that sees him move back up a spot, even if he didn’t exactly light up the timing sheets.

The RFK Racing star qualified in 15th before finishing the opening stage in ninth and bringing his car home in a solid 11th position. Sure, that’s nothing to write home about. But when you look at the recent results for Larson and the driver next on our list, you begin to understand how consistency can work in Buescher’s favor.

Last Week: 9th NASCAR Point Standings: 9th (-273)

8) Chase Elliott

You have to go all the way back to May 31 at Nashville Superspeedway to find the last time that Chase Elliott finished a Cup Series race in the top 10.

At that point, he, like Larson, was challenging Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs for third place in the point standings.

Since then, Elliott’s performance has taken a significant dip, with an average finish of 17.2 in the six races between Nashville and Indy.

Then, things took a turn for the worse. After qualifying back in 27th, Elliott struggled to move forward on Sunday before getting caught up in a wreck with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. that significantly damaged his car.

Ultimately, Elliott finished 41 laps off the pace in 37th, and in turn, dropped significantly in both the rankings and point standings.

Last Week: 5th NASCAR Point Standings: 6th (-251)

7) Christopher Bell

Make it six second-place finishes for Christopher Bell, who has somehow yet to find his way to victory lane during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

But it’s impossible to ignore the impressive run that Bell has put together of late for Joe Gibbs Racing.

He now has four top-five finishes in the last five races, including three runner-up finishes. In that time, Bell has climbed from outside of our power rankings entirely up to seventh, and he’s now 10th in the Cup Series point standings when at one point he looked in danger of missing the Chase cutoff.

Bell is also just 14 points behind seventh place in the point standings, and if he can continue his hot streak, he’ll be a driver to watch down the stretch this season.

Last Week: 9th NASCAR Point Standings: 10th (-277)

6) Carson Hocevar

It’s stunning to say, but with each passing week, it becomes harder to ignore that Spire Motorsports is the best Chevrolet-powered team in the Cup Series this season, surpassing powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

Leading the way for Spire is the enigmatic Carson Hocevar, who sat on the pole for Sunday’s race and then proceeded to lead the first 31 laps of the race.

Ultimately, Hocevar found himself on the wrong side of a strategy play and finished fourth in the opening stage, sixth in stage two, and ninth in the race. But his 40 points earned on the day were the third-most of any driver and see him move up the power rankings and point standings.

Last Week: 8th NASCAR Point Standings: 5th (-248)

5) Chase Briscoe

With the dominance that Toyota has shown throughout the 2026 Cup Series season, it’s no surprise to see that Chase Briscoe is having success.

What is surprising, however, is just how far Briscoe has come since a brutal start to the season that saw him finish 36th or worse in three of the first four races.

Like his teammate Bell, Briscoe now has four top-five finishes in the last five races and appears to be hitting his stride at the right point of the season. He’s up into seventh in the point standings and not far behind Elliott and Hocevar for sixth and fifth, respectively, and he looks like a championship threat for the second year running.

Last Week: 6th NASCAR Point Standings: 7th (-263)

4) Ty Gibbs

Ty Gibbs had the dominant car for much of the race on Sunday, leading 46 laps, winning the opening stage, and finishing third in stage two.

Unfortunately for Gibbs, a long final stop on pit road saw him mired back in traffic, and he was unable to claw his way forward to contend for the victory, eventually finishing down in 12th.

However, his 18 stage points on the day helped him make a big dent into Ryan Blaney’s lead for third-place in the point standings, and Gibbs will be encouraged by the speed his team showed throughout the weekend.

Last Week: 4th NASCAR Point Standings: 4th (-135)

3) Ryan Blaney

One week after climbing up to second in the power rankings over Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney drops back to third after a disappointing run in Indianapolis.

Blaney’s qualified in 13th position, which was actually among the top-running Fords in the field. However, he struggled to move forward throughout the race, and after getting shuffled back on a late restart, spun out after contact with John Hunter Nemecheck.

Perhaps it’s just a one-week blip for the Team Penske star before heading to Iowa Speedway, where he’s finished firth and fourth in the last two races.

But the lack of speed is certainly a concern as the Chase nears.

Last Week: 2nd NASCAR Point Standings: 3rd (-120)

2) Tyler Reddick

Reddick is the beneficiary of Blaney’s difficult day, both in the power rankings and point standings, but he won’t be happy with what was a generally mediocre day, especially considering his teammate, Heim, picked up the victory.

The former points leader and five-time winner this season qualified in third position and ran solidly inside the top five early in the race.

But he lost track position on the first cycle of pit stops and never regained it, finishing 10th in the opening stage and missing out on points in stage two. Ultimately, Reddick finished in 10th, which isn’t the worst result, but isn’t what he needs to cut into Denny Hamlin’s points lead.

Last Week: 3rd NASCAR Point Standings: 2nd (-84)

1) Denny Hamlin

Hamlin will feel as if he let one slip on Sunday after giving away the lead on a late-race restart and falling back to fifth. But it’s another strong run for the series points leader, who is still looking for his first Brickyard 400 victory.

Ultimately, Hamlin padded his points lead over Reddick and looks like the overwhelming favorite as the Chase nears.

However, the late-race execution that plagued him on Sunday has been the hallmark of some of his late-season failures in the past, and it’s easy to wonder if they could well be popping up again at the worst possible time.

Last Week: 1st NASCAR Point Standings: 1st