Kyle Larson’s victory last weekend at Bristol vaulted him into the No. 1 spot in the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.
This week’s top 10 also has three new drivers in it.
Next for the series is Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET on USA Network). It is the opening race of the second round of the Cup playoffs.
NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings
1. Kyle Larson (Last week: No. 1) — Dominant night at Bristol puts him in the top spot. Larson led 462 of 500 laps, won both stages and the race. His average running position for the race was 1.11. That is the best in any race since October 2019. Larson leads the series with 12 stage wins. He is back atop the points with the reset entering the second round this weekend.
‘Great execution’ leads to dominant win for Larson
Kyle Larson leads 462 of 500 laps in a complete performance at Bristol thanks to “great execution” by the No. 5 team all weekend.
2. Christopher Bell (No. 2) — His fifth-place finish is his fourth top five in the last five races. Bell has points in five of the last eight stages. He is tied with Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick for most top fives this season at 11.
3. Tyler Reddick (No. 1) — He placed 20th at Bristol. That’s the third time in the last five races Reddick has finished outside the top 20. He still leads the series in top 10s with 19 this season.
4. Alex Bowman (No. 8) — Finished ninth at Bristol. He scored 120 points in the first round. That’s more points than any other driver in that three-race stretch.
5. Austin Cindric (No. 3) — Finished 10th, 10th and 13th in the opening round of the playoffs. He scored 103 points in the round, which was tied for second in the series.
6. Chase Briscoe (No. 6) — He placed eighth at Bristol for his ninth top 10 of the season. That’s one short of his career high.
7. Chris Buescher (No. 5) — Placed 14th at Bristol. He has four top 10s in the last six races.
8. Chase Elliott (NR) — Runner-up result at Bristol was his second top 10 in the last three races.
9. Denny Hamlin (NR) — Fourth-place result was his fourth top 10 in the last seven races.
Hamlin: It’s ‘all offense’ after Bristol
Denny Hamlin keeps his championship hopes alive after advancing into the Cup Series Round of 12 and says it’s “all offense” for the No. 11 team after struggling in the first round.
10. Ryan Blaney (NR) — Sixth-place run at Bristol was his second top 10 in the last three races.
Dropped out: Kyle Busch (7), Daniels Suarez (9), Joey Logano (10)
