NASCAR

NASCAR power rankings: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson shine again at Bristol

Here's how the field stacks up after the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

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The 2025 NASCAR season kicks off on Feb. 16, 2025 with the 67th running of the Daytona 500.

For the second straight race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson was in a class of his own.

Seven months after leading 462 of 500 laps to win at the Tennessee track, Larson paced the field for 411 of 500 laps to score another dominant victory.

It was Larson's third win at Bristol, and the 31st of his career. He now has five straight seasons with multiple victories.

Next up is an off weekend for Easter, followed by a 500-mile race at Talladega Superspeedway. How does the field stack up after Bristol? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:

1. Denny Hamlin

Last week: 1

One spot short of a three-peat, Hamlin had to settle for second on Sunday. That's now four straight top-fives for the No. 11 team, which hasn't missed a step in 2025 despite bringing in a new crew chief. Hamlin should continue being a contender every week, aside from maybe at road courses.

2. Kyle Larson

Last week: 3

When Larson wins, he typically destroys the field. He's already surpassed 500 laps led on the season, with 149 more than the next-closest driver. His dominance is only hindered by his tendency to make the occasional mistake. Talladega, where he's never won in 20 starts, will put that to the test again.

3. William Byron

Last week: 2

Despite leading the points standings and winning the Daytona 500, Byron is third this week. Why? Well, Hamlin and Larson have combined to win the last five races. Byron was sixth at Bristol and second at Darlington last week, but he still hasn't won at a non-drafting track this season.

4. Christopher Bell

Last week: 4

Make it three straight top-10s for Bell after his eighth-place run at Bristol. He still leads all drivers with three wins this season, and now he's starting to find more consistency from week to week. Joe Gibbs Racing is clicking right now with Hamlin and Bell leading the way.

5. Ryan Blaney

Last week: 6

Blaney's team used some pit strategy to lead 48 laps at Bristol, the most of any driver besides Larson. The Team Penske star ended up fifth with seven stage points in an overall productive race. Blaney is up to sixth in the points standings despite not finishing three of the nine races this year.

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6. Tyler Reddick

Last week: 5

Bristol has never been one of Reddick's best tracks, and that proved true again on Sunday. He was 18th with just one stage point after following the same strategy as Blaney. On the bright side, Reddick is the defending Talladega spring winner and should again be competitive when cars are back on the track.

7. Chase Elliott

Last week: 7

Even though Bristol has been a successful track for Elliott, he was not in the picture on Sunday. The No. 9 ran outside the top-10 for the entire race aside from a green-flag pit cycle. Elliott finished 15th -- giving him seven top-15s in nine races, and he's the only driver to finish top-20 in every race this season.

8. Bubba Wallace

Last week: 9

Wallace, like his 23XI Racing teammate Reddick, wasn't at his best at Bristol. He managed a 19th-place finish to remain eighth in the points standings. It's by far been the best start to a season in his career, but Bristol was a step back for the No. 23 team.

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9. Ross Chastain

Last week: First four out

Chastain was one of the few drivers on Sunday who started poor and finished strong. He moved up from 35th to finish seventh, good for his third straight top-10 run. It took the entire race for him to get there, so he didn't score any stage points, but it was yet another positive race for the Trackhouse driver.

10. Joey Logano

Last week: 8

We're getting dangerously close to the defending champion falling out of the power rankings. He hit the wall in qualifying Saturday and finished 24th Sunday in a noncompetitive weekend at Bristol. He has just one top-10 in nine races this year. If it doesn't happen at Talladega -- where Logano has three wins -- it's time to panic.

First four out: Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher

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