By Adam Carabine
We've ranked all 34 full-time drivers in the Cup Series (there are 36 charters, but the Rick Ware 15 and Kaulig 16 have rotating drivers, so they're excluded).
Power Rankings are determined using a large number of statistical inputs, with most emphasis on the last 5 races.
Zane Smith – This week: 34th – Last week: 33rd
I actually feel like Zane Smith has made improvements in the past few weeks. His results haven’t reflected it yet, but keep an eye on him.
Austin Dillon – This week: 33rd – Last week: 34th
When we’re praising a P23 from Austin Dillon at Pocono, things aren’t going well. RCR is having a down year, and Austin Dillon isn’t helping.
Kyle Busch – This week: 32nd – Last week: 26th
The bad luck continued for Busch, getting spun by Corey LaJoie in Pocono, leading to his 5th DNF on the season.
Harrison Burton – This week: 31st – Last week: 32nd
Burton seems checked out after news of his replacement in the 21 came out. Though, to be honest, Berry taking over the 21 in 2025 is a result of a fairly checked-out season.
John Hunter Nemechek – This week: 30th – Last week: 31st
Things looked good in Chicago for John Hunter, despite his finishing position. He came back down to earth with a P28 at Pocono, but not all hope is lost here.
Austin Cindric – This week: 29th – Last week: 28th
I know he’s got a win, but the way he performs in equal equipment to someone like Ryan Blaney, it can’t be sustainable, can it?
Michael McDowell – This week: 28th – Last week: 23rd
McDowell tumbles a bit after a rough stretch over the last five races. P5 in Chicago was his best, and everything else was 15th or worse.
Noah Gragson – This week: 27th – Last week: 19th
Fans of Gragson will be happy to hear he’s landed at Front Row Motorsports next year, but a DNF at Pocono with only 14 laps run isn’t too exciting.
Corey LaJoie – This week: 26th – Last week: 27th
Despite a controversial bit of contact with Kyle Busch, LaJoie managed to bring it home 16th, and avoid any penalties too. Somehow LaJoie only has one DNF on the season so far.
Ryan Preece – This week: 25th – Last week: 21st
The lone SHR driver who still hasn’t found a ride for next year, Preece hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire. His P4 at Nashville a few weeks back was his best finish of the year, and only his second Top 10.
Erik Jones – This week: 24th – Last week: 29th
Still just riding a single Top 10 this season (which came at the Daytona 500), Jones’ struggles are likely more a by-product of Legacy MC’s growing pains. It does seem like Jones continues to outperform his equipment, though, and a P14 at Pocono moved him up a few spots.
Daniel Hemric – This week: 23rd – Last week: 25th
It’s strange that a P25 at Pocono can bump Hemric up 2 spots, but here he is. His last five races did feature a P9 at Nashville, which ties his best on the season.
Ross Chastain – This week: 22nd – Last week: 9th
His average finish in the last 5 races has been 6 spots worse than his first 16 races. Hopefully he can get it turned around before the playoffs.
Carson Hocevar – This week: 21st – Last week: 24th
Hocevar is only 28 points behind Josh Berry in the Rookie of the Year battle, and certainly he still has a chance to win it. He’s been the bright spot for Spire this year, showing that he can outperform his equipment. He’s only been outside the Top 20 once in the last five races, too.
Josh Berry – This week: 20th – Last week: 18th
Speaking of Berry, it’s been an up and down year for him, but his better races have been really good. He’s finished P3 twice this season, including once in the last five races. The future Wood Bros driver will look to wrap up his ROTY campaign this year.
Chase Briscoe – This week: 19th – Last week: 30th
When Briscoe has had bad races, they’ve been catastrophic, but he has still showed lots of signs of promise. His P2 at Iowa didn’t hurt either. He’ll be interesting to watch in the 19 next year.
Bubba Wallace – This week: 18th – Last week: 22nd
It’s actually been a pretty solid year for Bubba so far. After Chastain’s DNF at Pocono, Wallace is only 27 points below the playoff cutline, and with five races remaining, it wouldn’t be impossible. It’s clear he wants to win regularly, but it’s also about managing your points on the days you don’t win.
Daniel Suarez – This week: 17th – Last week: 20th
Currently Suarez is on a streak of nine Top 25s in a row. Not bad, but for a team with a win already this year, probably not quite good enough. P11 in Chicago and P16 at Pocono aren’t bad either. He’ll want to start finding some consistency before the playoffs.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – This week: 16th – Last week: 15th
His last five races feature opposite ends of the spectrum. He’s got two finishes worse than 30th, and the other three are in the Top 10. At this point, Ricky’s going to need to win to make it to the playoffs, and time’s ticking down. Keep an eye on Daytona though.
Todd Gilliland – This week: 15th – Last week: 8th
What has been a really solid run lately for Gilliland came to a bit of a halt after a P34 at Pocono. He takes a dip in the Power Rankings, but he’s been showing some promise lately.
Justin Haley – This week: 14th – Last week: 17th
Three of his last five races are all in the Top 20, which for a Rick Ware Racing car could be seen as a victory. He’s clearly outperforming his equipment, and may even be elevating the RWR program as a whole.
Alex Bowman – This week: 13th – Last week: 14th
Following up a win on the Chicago Street Course with a P3 at Pocono, Bowman might have just caught some of that much-needed confidence. It will be interesting to see how he fares at the Indianapolis Oval this weekend, somewhere he hasn’t traditionally run very well.
Joey Logano – This week: 12th – Last week: 11th
It’s back and forth again for Logano each week, it seems. P6 at Sonoma, P32 the next week. He wins in Nashville, then follows it up with a P23 in Chicago. P5 at Pocono is good, but can he put a few good results together in a row for a change?
Ty Gibbs – This week: 11th – Last week: 13th
In a very impressive sophomore season, Ty Gibbs has been sliding a bit lately. He’s currently +67 to the playoff cut line, which is pretty solid, but an outside-winner could derail his playoff hopes very quickly. I think he makes it, but I’m curious to see how he handles his first Cup Series playoffs.
Brad Keselowski – This week: 10th – Last week: 10th
It’s been said here before that Keselowski’s been in a bit of a bad stretch the past few races. He looked solid at Pocono and finished P7, so maybe that’s a momentum swing for the 6 team. He’s already matched his 2023 total of seven Top 5s this year, and he’s got 15 races to build on it before the end of the season.
Chris Buescher – This week: 9th – Last week: 6th
Just ahead of his teammate, Chris Buescher has had a better run these past few weeks, including back-to-back Top 5s. While Buescher is clinging onto a playoff spot right now, a win would be nice for this team about now, just to lock it in.
William Byron – This week: 8th – Last week: 12th
It’s been kind of a strange year for Byron. He’s got three wins on the season, but am I the only one who feels he’s been kind of quiet? He’s only 6 points ahead of a winless Martin Truex Jr., and he’s about 60 points back from the points leader (currently Chase Elliott). Does he wake up in the playoffs? Or is he fading at the wrong time?
Martin Truex Jr. – This week: 7th – Last week: 7th
There’s something to be said for Truex and his ability to minimize the damage on difficult days – of which there seem to be a lot this season. He’s still winless on the year, but also 137 points up on the playoff cutline. His playoff berth looks safe, but have we already witnessed his last Cup win?
Kyle Larson – This week: 6th – Last week: 3rd
Larson’s only 3 points off the leader, and let’s not forget he didn’t earn any points at the Coca-Cola 600. He’s had a couple of DNFs in the last 5 races, which hurt his Power Ranking spot.
Chase Elliott – This week: 5th – Last week: 5th
Elliott is the points leader, even with just one win. However, his results have been just okay over the last five races. There’s a P3 and a P9, but the other three are outside of the Top 15. He’s still got the best average finish in the Cup Series.
Denny Hamlin – This week: 4th – Last week: 16th
A big surge from Hamlin this week, as he finished P2 at Pocono with arguably the best car of the day. A few bad results in a row leading up to this had him further down the Power Rankings, but he’s making his way back to the top.
Tyler Reddick – This week: 3rd – Last week: 4th
In his last five races, four of Reddick’s finishes are 6th or better. He’s only got one win on the season so far, but he’s 15 points away from the points lead. Keep an eye on him, he’s going places.
Christopher Bell – This week: 2nd – Last week: 2nd
A win in his last five races helps keep him near the top of the Power Rankings. He’s also had two DNFs, but his underlying stats are still impressive, even if his finishing position doesn’t always show it.
Ryan Blaney – This week: 1st – Last week: 1st
With his win at Pocono, he now has two in the last five races. His year started off inconsistent, but he’s shown himself to be peaking again at the right time. If he can sustain some of this pressure in the playoffs, he’ll be a threat to repeat as champ.
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