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NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Briscoe breaks through at Pocono

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 7:36 PM ET

This week the NASCAR Power Rankings got another shakeup. Pocono was a disaster for some and a boon for others. Of course, Chase Briscoe is the big winner from the weekend. He gets his first checkered flag of 2025 and his first with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hendrick Motorsports had a very strange weekend. They came off the haulers slow, and the one car that wasn’t slow, William Byron’s, was wrecked in qualifying.

A lot of things happened in an otherwise stale race. Dirty air was a big topic afterward, again. But let’s get into this week’s NASCAR Power Rankings after the trip to Pocono.

1. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (+2)

Depsite being P2 at Pocono, Denny Hamlin takes the top spot in the NASCAR Power Rankings. In his last four starts he has three top-fives, a win, two stage wins, and three fastest laps.

Hamlin won the pole and a stage at Pocono. He had the fastest lap. If there was one more restart, maybe we could have seen Hamlin pull off his eighth Pocono win, but it wasn’t meant to be.

2. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (+2)

A P7 result for Kyle Larson is a lot more impressive than it may seem. Hendrick had four duds on the track to start the race on Sunday. For the most part, the quartet fought back and got their cars going in the right direction at least for a while during the race.

Larson got up to the top-10 and honestly, that was a feat in and of itself. It feels like Larson hasn’t been in the mix for a win in a while, and I’m sure that will change in the next few weeks.

3. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+3)

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A great P3 finish for Ryan Blaney. He likely suffered from the dirty air and couldn’t contend for the win late against Hamlin and Briscoe. Still, another solid performance for this 12 team.

We know the Fords will be quick in qualifying at Atlanta. Team Penske has led a ton of laps on the superspeedways. Can Blaney get it done and get win number two on the season this Sunday?

4. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (-)

Two top-five finishes in a row for Chase Elliott. That is the first time this season for the 9 team. Are they finally building towards a win this season? Elliott stays put this week in the NASCAR Power Rankings, but he had a great race.

I’m not sure Elliott has the aggression to win at the new Atlanta. Excuse me, EchoPark Speedway. But there are races coming up that I could see him doing very well at and grabbing that first win of the season.

5. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (-4)

A really disappointing P27 finish for William Byron after having an otherwise really solid day. He was great on restarts and ate up a lot of track position after most cautions. But late in the race, he found himself in the back.

Byron has had a few lackluster races in a row. Mexico City was a solid finish, but a little bit of a speed bump for the 24 team in the last few weeks. They still lead in the points.

6. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (-4)

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Another decent day for Christopher Bell. It could have been much better if he hadn’t been caught up in a Stage 2 wreck. But he made the most of his day.

I have the same problem with Bell now that I’ve had with Elliott most of the season. He hasn’t had that winning speed and edge to him in a long time. I’d like to see that change. So, he falls in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

7. Chris Buescher – RFK Racing (+2)

RFK Racing finished with three cars in the top-10 again this weekend. Pocono was good to them, but Chris Buescher likely feels like another win got away. Brad Keselowski definitely made mistakes that took him out of contention.

Buescher has had a really solid month. In his last four races, he’s finished P14, P2, P10, and P4. He also had a stage win during that time. The 17 team is dying for a win, though.

8. Chase Briscoe – Joe Gibbs Racing (NR)

Chase Briscoe has had great speed this year, but he may have just now figured out how to drive these JGR Toyotas. His first win with JGR comes at Pocono and he did it over his teammate, Denny Hamlin.

Briscoe allegedly had a nine-lap deficit in fuel. He wasn’t supposed to make it to the finish line without a caution. Yet, he did. And now he’s 8th in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

9. Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing (-2)

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Not a great stretch of races for Ross Chastain since winning the Coca-Cola 600. He has only one top-10 in the last four races since then.

Trackhouse Racing has two wins this year. Plenty of opportunity to get more in the coming weeks.

10. Ryan Preece – RFK Racing (-)

Another top-10 for Ryan Preece. The speed coming out of the No. 60 car is amazing. Preece is definitely having a career-best season in the Cup Series.

Preece brings up the rear of the NASCAR Power Rankings again this week. Could be find his first-career win at Atlanta on Sunday?

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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