Week 8 NASCAR power rankings: Larson rises to No. 1

Sunday’s Prepare dinner dinner Out 400 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway observed Hendrick Motorsports finish 1-2-3 inside the race that served as a result of the fortieth anniversary of the workforce’s first win.

William Byron took the checkered flag, nonetheless as a result of the Cup Sequence heads to Fort Worth, Texas for Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, it’s one in all his teammates who sits atop the power rankings.

1. Kyle Larson (Last week: 2)

Larson obtained the pole at Martinsville, led 86 laps, accomplished runner-up and reclaimed the elements lead by 14 markers over Martin Truex Jr. That’s enough to return him to the doorway of the power rankings, and he’ll have an ideal chance to stay there after the next race, too. Throughout the ultimate NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway, he led 99 laps and appeared en path to a dominant win sooner than crashing late.

2. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 4)

Hamlin didn’t sweep the early season short-track swing, nonetheless he led 66 laps and was a contender late Sunday sooner than he fell to eleventh on the last word restart. He has had success at Texas beforehand, sweeping every races there in 2010 and likewise worthwhile inside the spring of 2019, however it’s been an up-and-down observe for him all by his career.

3. William Byron (Last week: 6)

Byron’s season of feast or famine continues. He adopted up an uneventful run at Richmond collectively together with his third win of the season in solely eight races. On a day when passing proved powerful, he maneuvered by way of the sector after starting 18th. It was one of many very important spectacular drives of his career. Now he’ll head to Texas, the place he obtained ultimate fall.

4. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 1)

Truex took somewhat little bit of a tumble inside the rankings after a disappointing 18th-place finish, as he was unable to rebound from his “may’ve, would’ve, must’ve” Richmond heartbreaker. Nonetheless, this was the first time he has been a non-factor in weeks, and one can rely on him to get correct once more to working up entrance.

5. Chase Elliott (Last week: 8)

Sunday was possibly the closest to a win since 2022 for Elliott, who fought for the lead on the last word restart and accomplished third. He’s slowly regaining his pre-injury sort, and if he can carry that momentum over to Texas — a observe the place he’s led fewer than 100 laps in his career and under no circumstances accomplished increased than fourth — it may very well be time to formally declare him once more.

6. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 7)

Reddick earned a quiet seventh-place effort in Martinsville no matter being outshone by his teammate, Bubba Wallace, all by the afternoon. Now that this stretch of fast tracks is out of the way in which wherein, rely on him to be a significant take into consideration Texas — he obtained there in 2022, and he was most interesting inside the “not Kyle Larson” class at Las Vegas, the one totally different intermediate for the Cup Sequence this season.

7. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 12)

Blaney accomplished a powerful fifth at Martinsville and had one among many quickest automobiles by the tip of the race. His finish strikes him once more up just some slots, and he’ll have a possibility to maneuver up far more at Texas, the place he has come close to worthwhile quite a few events.

8. Joey Logano (Last week: 10)

That’s now back-to-back good weeks for Logano, who accomplished sixth in Martinsville after primary 84 laps on pit method. He has entered the playoff picture with a switch as a lot as 14th in elements. Logano nonetheless has a lot to point out on the intermediates, though, so Texas is usually a nice verify for him and his No. 22 bunch.

9. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 5)

Gibbs had a surprisingly invisible race in Martinsville, the place one may’ve reasonably anticipated him to battle for the win given his earlier short-track tempo in 2024. In its place, he was a middling nineteenth. For a second-year driver who’s barely 21, it’s understandable for him to have an off week once in a while.

10. Christopher Bell (Last week: 3)

Martinsville was disastrous for Bell, who was outside the very best 20 even sooner than having to pit beneath inexperienced for a flat tire and falling quite a few laps down. He accomplished thirty fifth. For the entire tempo he’s confirmed at events this season, the execution has often been lacking, and that’s the reason he’s proper right down to eleventh in elements, lowest of the Joe Gibbs Racing squad.

11. Bubba Wallace (Last week: 15)

Wallace accomplished the perfect of the non-Hendrick automobiles Sunday with a formidable fourth, which was concerning the place he ran all race. He has regained his momentum from the start of the season after just some down weeks, and given his effectivity at Texas ultimate fall by which he led 111 laps and accomplished third, he must be strong there as soon as extra.

12. Ross Chastain (Last week: 11)

As has been the case for lots of this season, Chastain didn’t make a complete lot of noise and however earned an sincere finish on Sunday. He was 14th at Martinsville, persevering together with his streak of no results outside the top 15 since Daytona. Offered that intermediates are often his strong swimsuit, he might probably be one to have a look at in Texas.

13. Alex Bowman (Last week: 13)

Bowman lagged barely behind the rest of his Hendrick teammates at Martinsville, nonetheless his eighth-place finish is nothing to be ashamed of. Such is often the story for the No. 48 driver, who’s solidly Tenth in elements and comfortably inside the playoffs eight races in. That isn’t unhealthy for being his workforce’s fourth fiddle.

14. Chase Briscoe (Last week: not ranked)

Martinsville was one different sturdy outing for Briscoe, who climbed once more to inside one degree of the last word playoff spot with a Tenth-place finish. Briscoe and his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates, however, haven’t confirmed intermediate tempo. Briscoe earned a top-10 at Texas ultimate fall, so possibly he might probably be in line for yet one more strong run there.

15. Chris Buescher (Last week: 9)

Buescher’s drop from ninth to Fifteenth in these rankings will not be quite a bit because of he ran badly, nonetheless barely because of the drivers who jumped over him carried out correctly. That acknowledged, the No. 17 driver — along with his teammate and co-owner, Brad Keselowski —- had been principally invisible at Martinsville although Buescher grinded out a Fifteenth-place finish.

16. Kyle Busch (Last week: NR)

Busch found his technique once more into the rankings after dropping out following Richmond. His Sixteenth-place finish need to be considered an unlimited constructive given Richard Childress Racing’s lack of short-track tempo. He stays some extent ahead of Briscoe inside the closing playoff spot, and may look to distance himself in that battle at Texas.

Dropped out: Brad Keselowski, Josh Berry