Ty Gibbs has six consecutive finishes of sixth or better, with his latest finish being his best.
The 23-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s victory last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway allowed him to continue to climb in these rankings.
Tyler Reddick, though, with four wins and six top-10 finishes in the eight races this year, remains in the No. 1 spot.
Here are my power rankings heading into the race this weekend at Kansas Speedway:
Dropped out: Austin Cindric (Last Week: 9), Brad Keselowski (Last Week: 10).
On the verge: Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace
10. Ryan Preece (Last Week: Not Ranked)
RFK Racing No. 60 Ford
Preece had finished 11th, 12th or 13th in the last four races heading into Bristol, where he placed eighth. He’d like more top 10s, but there’s something to be said about Preece’s consistency.
9. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 7)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota
Bell had an awful day at Bristol with a speeding penalty and then hit the wall as he tried to rally. His 27th-place day was one to forget.
8. Chase Briscoe (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota
Briscoe ran among the leaders all day at Bristol, as he finished fourth in the first stage, fifth in the second stage and fifth in the race. After a rough start to the year, he’s moved up to 17th in the standings and is just one point out of a Chase spot.
7. William Byron (Last Week: 6)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet
Byron had steering rack issues in qualifying. And while they made fixes prior to the race, Byron never got the handle on the car, and he was five laps down in 30th by the end of the race at Bristol.
6. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 4)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet
Coming off the Martinsville win, Elliott had a meh weekend. He started 18th and finished 24th at Bristol on a day when he spun during the race and finished one lap down.
5. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 2)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota
Hamlin looked like he could potentially challenge for the win early at Bristol, but he faded over the final stage and finished ninth. He’s still third in the Cup standings and will be a threat this weekend at Kansas.
4. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 8)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet
Larson led a race-high 284 laps at Bristol but in the end finished third with what he felt was the third-best car in the field. He has to be looking forward to Kansas, where he won a year ago.
3. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 3)
Team Penske No. 12 Ford
Blaney looked like he was going to earn his second win of the season before a late caution at Bristol, where he opted to take four tires. He couldn’t rally past Gibbs, though. He had to settle for second on a day when he led 190 laps, and it would have been more if his pit crew had executed better.
2. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: 5)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota
He’s a winner in the Cup Series now. Gibbs continues his great run with five top-five finishes in his last six races (and sixth in the other race). He never led a lap until the final 25 laps and held off two Cup champions (Blaney and Larson) for the win.
1. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 1)
23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota
Reddick didn’t lead a lap but started second and finished fourth. That’s a solid day for a team and driver who needed to improve on the short tracks.
