A few weeks ago, it looked like Chase Briscoe's chances at a NASCAR Cup Series title were all but over. Then, he went on a magical three-race run, where he nearly won at Kansas Speedway and then pulled off back-to-back wins at Las Vegas and this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Now, he looks like he has a fighting chance at possibly hoisting a Bill France Cup.
Still, he's going to likely need Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team to falter down the stretch. As Larson continues to be a model of consistency, it's going to be tough for anyone to dethrone the two-time and defending series champion.
But Phoenix Raceway is a totally different animal than the three 1.5-mile intermediate ovals that have been raced on over the last three weeks.
Here are the Racing America On SI Power Rankings following last weekend's Bank of America 400 at Charlotte, and heading into this weekend's Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway:
1. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 1)
Another week, another solid result for Kyle Larson, the series points leader. Larson drove a smart race all day long at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and even conceded a couple of positions late in the race instead of pushing the issue. The end result? A sixth-place finish, and his point lead has now extended to 49 points with four races remaining.
2. Chase Briscoe (5)
Two weeks ago, Chase Briscoe ranked 10th in our weekly Power Rankings. After back-to-back wins, he's now up to second. And if he can keep this newfound momentum rolling at Phoenix Raceway, where he scored his first Cup win in 2022, he is an absolute threat for the championship.
3. Denny Hamlin (4)
Another good, but not great week for Denny Hamlin this past weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished fifth, but overall, he lost ground to Larson in the championship battle once again. It's going to take a momentum shift for Hamlin to get back into this fight for his first Cup Series championship.
4. Joey Logano (3)
With a ninth-place finish at Charlotte, Joey Logano has now fallen behind his teammate, Ryan Blaney, in the championship standings. Factoring in that Blaney has two DNFs in the opening six races of the Chase, Logano knows his path to a championship relies on him finding victory lane over the final four races.
5. Christopher Bell (10)
Christopher Bell looked demoralized on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after he narrowly lost the race to Briscoe, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. It was the eighth runner-up finish of the season for Bell, who scored his first win of the year at Darlington, the opening race of the Chase. It feels like Mr. second-place is going to have a hard time being the No. 1 guy in the championship standings if he can't convert these opportunities into wins more often.
6. Ryan Blaney (9)
Since registering back-to-back DNFs at Gateway and Bristol, Ryan Blaney has gone on a mini-tear. He's logged finishes of fifth, fifth, and third, and heads into a track, Phoenix Raceway, that suits him and his No. 12 Team Penske team very well. Call me crazy, but I don't think Blaney is out of the hunt for the championship.
7. Austin Cindric (2)
Aside from Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric may have been one of the most consistent drivers in the Chase through the opening five races of the championship fight. And for a bulk of last Sunday's Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it looked like he'd continue that trend. Then, on the final run of the day, Cindric faded to a 17th-place finish. That snapped a streak of eight finishes of 13th or better. Can he get back on it at Phoenix?
8. Tyler Reddick (8)
You kind of have to feel for Tyler Reddick. Early in the season, he could do no wrong, as he won five of the first nine races of the year. However, lately, he hasn't had much to smile about. At Charlotte, he came away with an eighth-place finish, but never really looked like a contender for the win.
9. Chase Elliott (11)
Chase Elliott has not had the best Chase, which has his fans feeling very anxious heading into the final four races of the season. However, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was able to rally back from multiple issues on pit road to score a 12th-place finish at Charlotte. Maybe he can quietly build some momentum for 2027.
10. Bubba Wallace (7)
Heading into Sunday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace was on a solid stretch of racing, as he had three consecutive top-10 finishes and four in his last five starts. While he looked good again in the Bank of America 400, it all came undone with a crash, not of his doing, on Lap 77. Wallace was credited with a 37th-place finish, but was luckily able to walk away from the carnage.
Best of the Rest
11. William Byron (7)
12. Carson Hocevar (13)
13. Ryan Preece (14)
14. Chris Buescher (17)
15. Daniel Suarez (16)
16. Josh Berry (19)
17. Ty Gibbs (12)
18. Shane van Gisbergen (20)
19. AJ Allmendinger (18)
20. Alex Bowman (15)
21. Michael McDowell (23)
22. Ross Chastain (24)
23. Riley Herbst (26)
24. Todd Gilliland (25)
25. Austin Dillon (21)
26. Noah Gragson (27)
27. Brad Keselowski (22)
28. Erik Jones (29)
29. Cole Custer (30)
30. Connor Zilisch (33)
31. Zane Smith (34)
32. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (32)
33. Austin Hill (28)
34. Ty Dillon (35)
35. Cody Ware (36)
36. John Hunter Nemechek (31)
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