NASCAR Power Rankings After Ryan Blaney’s Win At Daytona

Ryan Blaney came from seemingly out of nowhere to win Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona and, in doing so, made a notable jump in our latest set of power rankings.

Blaney’s win also solidified the field for the upcoming playoffs, locking up spots for both Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman, while narrowly denying hopefuls such as Daniel Suarez, Cole Custer, and Justin Haley.

While 16 drivers will now vie for a championship, only 10 crack the latest edition of our esteemed rankings.

NASCAR Power Rankings Ahead Of 2025 Playoffs

Saturday’s Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona was a difficult one for a number of members of our power rankings, with several getting involved in early incidents that brought an end to their hopes of winning.

Others, however, used the opportunity to make a splash ahead of the start of the playoffs and send a message to the rest of the field.

10) Ross Chastain

Chastain’s 15th-place finish isn’t exactly eye-catching on the surface, but he had a strong night at the famed track. Not only did he lead three times for a combined seven laps, but Chastain also won the second stage of the race, claiming an all-important playoff point.

The Trackhouse Racing star badly needed some momentum entering the playoffs after a recent slump, and he found it at a track that hasn’t always been kind to him.

Chastain now heads into next week’s race at Darlington, a place where he has run strongly, with a ton of confidence.

Last Week: UR NASCAR Playoff Standings: 11th, 1 point above cutline

9) Shane Van Gisbergen

Like his teammate Chastain, Shane Van Gisbergen had a strong run at Daytona without the finish to show for it. The rookie from New Zealand led three times for six laps and ran up front for most of the second stage before finishing in 16th.

While that result isn’t exactly thrilling, it’s a big win for a driver who is still learning how to race on ovals and, in particular, restrictor plate tracks.

Van Gisbergen now enters the opening round of the playoffs with a healthy buffer to the cut line and hopes to advance to the second round, where the Charlotte Roval awaits the road course ace.

Last Week: 9th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 6th, 16 points above the cut line

8) Bubba Wallace

Wallace showed speed early in Saturday night’s race, picking his way forward from his 22nd starting spot to take the lead just 25 laps into the race. However, one misstep ended his night after a wreck on lap 27.

He went to finish 37th, which sees him take a step down in the power rankings. But for the sixth straight week, Wallace and his team showed up with enough speed in the race car to run at the front end of the pack and contend for a win.

If he continues to do so for the rest of the season, he’s a serious threat to make a deep playoff run.

Last Week: 7th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 9th, 2 points above the cut line

7) Chase Elliott

Elliott’s night proved to be a mixed bag on Saturday. He didn’t seem to have the speed of teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron, the former of whom won the opening stage. But he kept his nose clean and brought home a 10th-place finish.

The problem, however, was that the finish wasn’t good enough to prevent Larson and Ryan Blaney from passing him in the regular-season standings and earning additional bonus points entering the playoffs.

After a strong showing in the middle of summer, Elliott and the No. 9 team have tapered off in recent weeks, which is a concerning trend as we enter the most important part of the season.

Last Week: 8th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 7th, 7 points above the cut line

6) Chase Briscoe

Briscoe finished in the top 10 in both stages on Saturday night and led three times for a combined six laps, but he found himself in the wrong lane late in the race, leading to a disappointing 23rd-place finish.

Still, like Wallace, he and his team have shown fantastic speed on a weekly basis of late, and Briscoe’s confidence is seemingly at an all-time high.

He now heads to Darlington to start the playoffs, the same track he won at a year ago to clinch his spot in the 2024 postseason.

Last Week: 6th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 8th, 4 points above the cut line

5) Christopher Bell

Bell, like Briscoe, finished inside the top 10 in both stages on Saturday night and led multiple times. But also like Briscoe, he found himself in the wrong spot late in the race and slid to a 13th-place finish.

Unlike Briscoe, Bell and his No. 20 team have been inconsistent of late, either due to a lack of speed or driver error. He’ll hope to right the ship heading into the playoffs.

Bell qualified for the championship race at Phoenix in two of the last three seasons, so he’s clearly capable. But if he wants to do so in 2025, he’ll have to get things headed in the right direction.

Last Week: 5th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 5th, 17 points above the cut line

4) Denny Hamlin

For months, Denny Hamlin held a stranglehold on the top spot in our power rankings. He solidified that with a win at Dover on July 20, then came from the back of the pack to finish third at Indianapolis a week later.

However, the month since has been brutal on Hamlin. He has just one top 10, a 10th-place finish last week at Richmond, to go along with finishes of 24th, 25th, and 24th again.

Hamlin got caught up in the early wreck involving Wallace on Saturday night and never recovered, limping his car home the rest of the way. The reset on points entering the playoffs helps him steady the ship, but it’s an ominous sign for the future Hall of Famer, who still does not have a championship on his resume.

Last Week: 2nd NASCAR Playoff Standings: 3rd, 23 points above the cut line

3) Kyle Larson

Superspeedways have not always been kind to Kyle Larson in his career, but that wasn’t the case Saturday night at Daytona.

Larson was strong from start to finish, claiming victory in the opening stage before coming home in sixth. At one point late, it looked as if Larson might win the race, before getting caught in the middle of a three-wide melee and fading.

The Hendrick Motorsports star now enters the playoffs as the top seed, tied with teammate William Byron, and in a strong position to make a push toward a second Cup Series championship.

Last Week: 4th NASCAR Playoff Standings: 1st, 26 points above cut line

2) William Byron

Byron locked up the top spot in the regular season standings a week ago, as well as the 15 bonus points that came with it. So he entered Saturday’s race at Daytona with nothing to lose.

Perhaps that’s what led crew chief Rudy Fugle to push the limits on his car setup, ultimately going over the limit and getting himself kicked out of the event, as well as Byron sent to the back of the pack to start the race.

Byron rebounded well, taking the lead at one point for five laps and finishing fifth in the second stage. But when the rubber hit the road late in the race, he lost ground and came home with a disappointing 19th-place finish.

Last Week: 1st NASCAR Playoff Standings: 2nd, 26 points above the cut line

1) Ryan Blaney

While the victory Saturday night in Daytona certainly helped Blaney’s case for this rankings, nobody in the series has been better for the last 1.5 months than Blaney and his 12 team.

You have to go all the way back to Sonoma on July 13 to find the last time Blaney finished outside the top 10 in a race. He has six top-10s, three top-fives, and now a win in that span, and he moved all the way up to second in the regular season points race, earning 10 bonus points in the process

Blaney, the 2023 series champion, now enters the playoffs on an absolute heater and as the best chance for Team Penske to bring home a fourth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Last Week: 3rd NASCAR Playoff Standings: 4th, 20 points above the cut line.