- Kyle Larson takes top spot: With a dominant day, which was derailed late, resulting in a fourth-place finish, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet made some massive gains in the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season standings, and he bumps up a spot in our weekly power rankings past his teammate William Byron.
- The Number Five: Not only is the driver of the No. 5 car up to P1 in the rankings, but the number five had a special significance this week in the rankings as it was the most positions climbed by any driver from last week. In fact, six drivers (Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, and John Hunter Nemechek) shared the honor this week.
I don't know if we had Texas Motor Speedway penciled in as an action-packed thrill ride going into Sunday's Wurth 400, but the track delivered with 12 cautions and some decent unpredictability at the front of the field late. Perhaps we should go into Texas's race date next year with higher expectations of chaos ensuing, as this track has now produced double-digit cautions in its last five races.
At the end of the chaos, it was defending series champion Joey Logano who pulled through for his first win of the season.
RESULTS: Wurth 400 at Texas
Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI's Toby Christie, Joseph Srigley, and Zach Evans, here's where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes
1. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson led a race-high 90 laps on Sunday, won Stage 2, and looked to be heading to his third win of the season. Then, an unexpected challenger stepped up in Michael McDowell, which put Larson into dirty air, where he ultimately would settle for a fourth-place finish. Still, a great day for Larson. (Previously: 2nd)
2. William Byron
Man, Byron and crew chief Rudy Fugle had just made a two-tire call, which gave him the race lead late in Sunday's race, but Byron collided with Cole Custer on pit exit. This crinkled the right front of his No. 24 Chevrolet, and caused the series point leader to fade to a 13th-place finish. (Previously: 1st)
3. Ryan Blaney
It’s the sign of a true competitor who can be as frustrated as Ryan Blaney was in his post-race comments after a third-place finish. Blaney led two laps and certainly was in the mix for the win late, but the former series champion was in no mood for a moral victory in Texas despite starting 24th. (Previously: 8th)
4. Christopher Bell
I can’t remember the last time that Christopher Bell went to a mile-and-a-half and finished inside the top 10 without making a single peep throughout the event. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver went pretty much unnoticed throughout the day, which is a good thing, I suppose, considering the luck of his teammates. (Previously: 5th)
5. Ross Chastain
After another dismal qualifying result on Saturday, Trackhouse Racing and Ross Chastain rebounded to finish second to Joey Logano. Although Chastain came one spot short of a victory, the finish still helps the No. 1 team become safer in the postseason picture. (Previously: 9th)
6. Denny Hamlin
KABOOM. Denny Hamlin suffered a catastrophic engine failure during Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, which left him to finish dead last. It’s not a good showing, at all, but the poor result doesn’t drop him any spots in points. (Previously: 3rd)
7. Chase Elliott
Something just feels off for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team this season. Sure, they have yet to finish a race outside of the top-20, but after a 29th-place qualifying run and 16th-place result in Sunday's race at Texas, where Elliott came in as the defending winner, the driver now has five finishes between 15th to 20th this season. (Previously: 4th)
8. Tyler Reddick
Reddick finished second in both stages, but “spun” late in the race and finished 21st. Of course, I say “spun” because it proved to be one of the most impressive saves of the season. However, the yellow flag waved, and the track position was lost with no time to get it back, all the same. (Previously: 7th)
9. Joey Logano
Joey Logano only led seven laps on Sunday, but they were the most important laps of the race. It’s now back-to-back wins for Team Penske as Logano finally found victory lane … and his first top-five finish of the season, incredibly enough. (Previously: 14th)
10. Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace had a strong showing in the making, but his lap 173 incident derailed the day in Texas. While he made a few more laps, Wallace ultimately retired from the Wurth 400 with 179 laps completed, finishing 32nd. (Previously: 6th)
11. Austin Cindric
Austin Cindric led a race-high 60 laps in his bid for a second straight win after last week’s Talladega triumph. However, a caution during green flag pit stops trapped Cindric deep in the pack just in time to be involved in a multi-car melee on the backstretch. He soldiered to a 25th-place finish, three laps down. (Previously: 10th)
12. Austin Dillon
No, don't adjust your eyes, this is no mistake. Austin Dillon has come to life over the last three races, and after a solid seventh-place finish at Texas, the driver of the iconic No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet now has three consecutive top-10 finishes. It feels like Dillon and new crew chief Richard Boswell are starting to really click. (Previously: 17th)
13. Ty Gibbs
The turnaround of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team continued, but after running at times inside the top-five, some of the bad luck from the beginning of the season snuck into the picture once again. A 23rd place finish certainly isn’t indicative of the performance. (Previously: 11th)
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
In a year where Stenhouse and Mike Kelley have been putting down some quiet top-20 results, Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway was not at all quiet. The No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet finished in sixth, and even contended for a top-five finish on the final restart with a ballsy three-wide move. (Previously: 19th)
15. Alex Bowman
If he didn't have bad luck, I'm not sure Alex Bowman would have any luck at all. On a day, where passing wasn't easy, Bowman had worked his way into contention near the front. But on Lap 173, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was swept up in a six-car melee on the backstretch, which ended his day. (Previously: 13th)
16. Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe had a long day at Texas Motor Speedway after spinning early in the race and sustaining some damage. On a track where aerodynamics matter, that damage ended any shot he had at a good result, with the No. 19 finishing 27th. (Previously: 12th)
17. Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar started on the pole, led 22 laps, and earned stage points during both stages. However, a caution during green flag pit stops hurt his track position, and then he was involved in an incident with Ryan Preece in the closing laps. (Previously: 18th)
18. Michael McDowell
Heartbreak doesn’t begin to describe the end of Sunday’s race for Michael McDowell. It appeared he was destined for his first win since Indianapolis in 2023, but he crashed in the final laps after falling to third. It’ll be a 26th-place finish in the scoresheet, but anyone who watched knows how close McDowell was to scoring a full-circle win at the same track where he crashed spectacularly in 2008. (Previously: 22nd)
19. Kyle Busch
While Busch's RCR teammate Austin Dillon has been getting the finishes, Busch has been flashing race-winning capabilities this season. But, as was the case on Sunday when he spun from the third position late in the race, Busch is seemingly finding every possible way to lose one on his career-long winless drought. (Previously: 20th)
20. Daniel Suarez
Suarez, for the second straight week, sneaks into the top 10, finishing 10th at Texas Motor Speedway. Trackhouse Racing has had its two primary entries improve on a week-to-week basis, and if this keeps up, it won't be long until Chastain and Suarez are fighting for top-fives, or even wins. (Previously: 23rd)
21. Chris Buescher
The frustration was palpable for Chris Buescher and the No. 17 RFK Racing team on Sunday. While running seventh, Buescher had a right rear tire go flat, and as he rolled to pit road, the caution came out, but he had been trapped a lap down, and NASCAR deemed him ineligible for the free pass. Buescher would get back on the lead lap, but could only muster an 18th-place finish. (Previously: 21st)
22. Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece was none too pleased with Carson Hocevar, who he feels used him up, and who he has felt has used him up several times in their careers, driving against one another. After being taken into the outside wall on Lap 238, Preece would DNF on his way to a 29th-place finish. (Previously: 16th)
23. Erik Jones
How about that? Erik Jones snagged his first non-superspeedway top-five finish since Kansas Speedway in Fall 2023. Guess where we go next? That's right, Kansas Speedway. Jones and the No. 43 team have to be licking their chops. (Previously: 28th)
24. AJ Allmendinger
A.J. Allmendinger was an innocent bystander when Bubba Wallace spun to trigger a multi-car collision on lap 173. Allmendinger did not return to action, resulting in a 35th-place finish at the race’s end. (Previously: 15th)
25. Todd Gilliland
Todd Gilliland and Chris Lawson continue to sneak top-15 results in the NASCAR Cup Series, and after a bold strategy to stay on-track early in the event, the No. 34 team really never fell back outside the top-20. Gilliland managed to finish 11th, the best of the Front Row Motorsports drivers. (Previously: 27th)
26. John Hunter Nemechek
Nemechek capped off the double top-10 day for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB with a solid eighth-place result. While Nemechek's results had cooled in recent weeks, the driver of the No. 42 car is still having a great season as he has one top-five, three top-10s, and sits 23rd in the regular-season championship standings. (Previously: 31st)
27. Josh Berry
Just when it looked like Josh Berry had a chance to take the Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse to victory in the Wurth 400, it all fell apart. Berry spun and backed into the turn four fence while leading the race on lap 125. Berry finished 32nd after leading 41 laps. (Previously: 25th)
28. Zane Smith
Zane Smith had a quiet afternoon on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, and although he finished 17th, the second-year driver didn’t make the highlight reel in an afternoon that was filled with chaos and wrecks. (Previously: 24th)
29. Justin Haley
While Justin Haley’s Spire Motorsports teammates combined to lead 41 laps, Haley proved to be the highest finisher on the team with a 15th-place result. Haley overcame an early pit road speeding penalty to get back into the top 15. (Previously: 29th)
30. Ty Dillon
Ty Dillon finished 12th in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet on Sunday, his best finish of the 2025 season. Dillon and his team are slowly creeping up on the first top-10 finish of the season, which would be his first in the Cup Series since 2022. (Previously: 30th)
31. Noah Gragson
After a top-five at Talladega, Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports were brought back to earth with an early-race wreck, which netted the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse a 34th-place finish. (Previously: 26th)
32. Cole Custer
Are things starting to turn around for Haas Factory Team? A 19th-place finish has given Cole Custer back-to-back top-20s in the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Momentum seems to be on the side of the former Xfinity Series champion. (Previously: 32nd)
33. Riley Herbst
Riley Herbst came home 14th on Sunday, his best finish of his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The result also snapped a five-race streak of finishes outside the top-20, so this was a big result to get some momentum and confidence back in Herbst’s corner. (Previously: 33rd)
34. Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski was disappointed after he, "busted his butt, and looked pretty dumb," while admittedly driving too hard late in Sunday's race. Keselowski, who has yet to score a top-10 finish this season, was running 12th when he crashed and exited the race with a 28th-place finish. (Previously: 34th)
35. Shane van Gisbergen
Although a significant number of spots behind his two teammates at Trackhouse Racing, Shane van Gisbergen brought home a solid 22nd-place finish, his second-best result of the year on an oval. It’s time for the Auckland, New Zealand-native to keep building on these baby steps. (Previously: 36th)
36. Cody Ware
Sunday's race at Texas was a numbers game for Ware and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team. By sheer attrition, Ware had found himself in a respectable top-25 position near the end of the race. However, he would be swept up in the next-to-last multi-car melee, which led to a 30th-place finish. (Previously: 35th)
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