NASCAR Power Rankings: How All 36 Cup Drivers Rank After Darlington

• Briscoe to the Top With Dominant Day: Chase Briscoe became just the eighth different driver to win back-to-back Southern 500s at Darlington, and in doing so, he vaulted back to the top spot in our weekly Power Rankings. Briscoe had a historically dominant performance, and now he's onto the Round of 12 of the Playoffs.

• LEGACY Building Day: What a day and night for Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, the two LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers. The duo finished third and fourth, and combined they jumped up 18 spots this week in the rankings. Jones was up 10 spots, which is more than any other driver on the list.

RACE RESULTS: Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington

Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI's Toby Christie and Zach Evans, here's where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend's event at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

1. Chase Briscoe

With one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Southern 500, Chase Briscoe is no doubt at the top of his game as the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin. With a berth into the Round of 12, the driver of the No. 19 is certainly on Cloud 9. (Previously: 3rd)

2. Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney had some rotten luck to start his Playoff bid. Between a spin on lap 211 and losing a lap on a green flag pit stop just as the caution flew for Derek Kraus’ fire, it’s no small feat that Blaney finished 18th in Sunday’s race. (Previously: 1st)

3. Denny Hamlin

After winning the pole, Denny Hamlin didn’t have the Darlington that many expected he would. There was speed in the No. 11 Toyota Camry, but after getting sent to the back following a poor pit stop, it took the entire race for him to get back to a top-10 position. (Previously: 7th)

4. Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson showed promise early in Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500, but things went awry and the once top-five contender faded to a 19th-place finish. (Previously: 5th)

5. William Byron

Fortunately, his pit crew caught that they had left a wheel loose before Byron returned to the track. Unfortunately, it led to a lot of lost time on pit road, and the regular season champion kicked off his Playoff run with a 21st-place result at Darlington. (Previously: 2nd)

6. Bubba Wallace

Bouncing back from the early crash at Daytona to end the regular season, Bubba Wallace finished sixth in the Southern 500. Wallace led 10 laps and earned stage points in both stages. While it was his teammate competing for the win, the No. 23 team had plenty of speed as well. (Previously: 12th)

7. Christopher Bell

There was definitely speed in the No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, but after getting some damage after pit road contact with Carson Hocevar, the Norman, Oklahoma-native struggled with keeping up and mitigating the loss of aerodynamic efficiency on the racecar. (Previously: 4th)

8. Chris Buescher

Steady race for Chris Buescher, who notched a top-10. He and the RFK Racing team will look to build momentum throughout the remainder of the 2025 season as they attempt to set themselves up for a bounce-back 2026. (Previously: 11th)

9. Tyler Reddick

On one hand, Tyler Reddick leaves with the disappointment of coming so close to a Southern 500 victory but settling for second. On the other hand, the whole thing almost ended on lap one if it had not been for an incredible save after contact from Josh Berry. (Previously: 18th)

10. Joey Logano

After a 20th-place finish at Darlington, Joey Logano is on the wrong side of the cutline by three points heading to World Wide Technology Raceway. While he avoided some of the hiccups and misfortune of other playoff contenders, Logano simply did not have the pace to contend on Sunday night. (Previously: 8th)

11. Ross Chastain

At one point in the race, it looked like Ross Chastain might secure an elusive Southern 500 victory. However, from the middle portion onwards, things slowly started to fade for the Trackhouse Racing driver, before settling in 11th. (Previously: 13th)

12. Chase Elliott

The good news? He carried the banner for Hendrick Motorsports Sunday at Darlington. The bad news? He did so with a 17th-place finish. The No. 9 team has to be better than this with the lack of wins on the board if they want to keep advancing in the Playoffs. (Previously: 10th)

13. Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at Darlington. At no point did Bowman look like someone who would contend for a win, much less a top-10 finish. The driver, who sweated out his Playoff berth at Daytona, finished 31st at Darlington. (Previously: 6th)

14. Erik Jones

Man, oh, man. Erik Jones did Erik Jones things at Darlington as he scored an impressive third-place finish, but its evident that LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is improving as Jones now has four top-fives and five top-10s this season. (Previously: 24th)

15. Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric was the highest finishing Team Penske driver at Darlington on Sunday, coming home 12th. Now, Cindric turns his sights towards World Wide Technology Raceway, where he scored a victory one year ago. (Previously: 14th)

16. Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece was in the mix for a solid finish Sunday night at Darlington, but in the end, he settled for a 16th-place finish. Not great, not horrible. (Previously: 15th)

17. Daniel Suarez

There wasn’t a lot to be said about Daniel Suarez’s afternoon at Darlington. His three-race top-10 streak came to an end after getting damaged on the first lap of the race, and from there forward, it was all about making the best lemonade out of the lemons provided. (Previously: 9th)

18. Brad Keselowski

Another decent outing for Brad Keselowski, who overcame pit road issues to finish 15th on Sunday night at Darlington. (Previously: 17th)

19. John Hunter Nemechek

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB double top-five. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB DOUBLE TOP-FIVE! John Hunter Nemechek joined his teammate Erik Jones at the front of the pack late in Sunday's race at Darlington, and he finished fourth after starting deep in the 30th position. (Previously: 27th)

20. Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch found trouble on Lap 1 as he was caught up in Josh Berry's spin. However, unlike recent weeks, Busch was able to bounce back and he had a solid, dare I say, impressive eighth-place finish. (Previously: 25th)

21. Carson Hocevar

At one point on Sunday, Carson Hocevar claimed to be driving one of the worst cars of his career and brought out a caution just before halfway with a spin out of turn four. Somehow, that car found its way into the top 10 with a ninth-place finish. (Previously: 23rd)

22. AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger earned his second top-five finish of the season, finishing fifth at Darlington. The highest finishing Chevrolet driver, Allmendinger broke up what could have been a Toyota lockout of the top six positions in the rundown. (Previously: 28th)

23. Ty Gibbs

The only Joe Gibbs Racing driver not in the Playoffs was… unnoticed on Sunday at Darlington Raceway, finishing P22. (Previously: 21st)

24. Austin Dillon

While Dillon's RCR teammate Kyle Busch came back for a top-10 finish, the driver of the No. 3 car didn't get his Playoff run started off on a stellar note. Dillon finished 23rd. (Previously: 19th)

25. Shane van Gisbergen

Darlington was going to be an important race for Shane Van Gisbergen if he wanted to advance further in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. An ill-handling racecar, and some terrible luck with cautions, though, prevented the No. 88 from cracking the top-30 at the finish. (Previously: 16th)

26. Josh Berry

Josh Berry’s first NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race effectively ended as soon as it began, as he spun exiting turn two on the very first lap. He’d pick up the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the race, but finished last, completing 239 of the race’s 367 laps. (Previously: 20th)

27. Michael McDowell

A suboptimal night for Michael McDowell, as the driver of the No. 71 finished 33rd in the Cook Out Southern 500. McDowell did take some early damage, but things never truly clicked for the team all weekend long. (Previously: 22nd)

28. Zane Smith

Front Row Motorsports actually had a decent evening on Sunday at Darlington, with Smith being the highest finishing of the trio in 13th. That comes after some contact with Bubba Wallace on pit road, which cost them lots of time under the green flag, early in the race. (Previously: 31st)

29. Cole Custer

P24. An average run for Custer and Haas Factory Team this season in the NASCAR Cup Series. There were times on Sunday where the No. 41 was sitting inside the top-20, but when the checkered flag was displayed after 500 miles, the Ladera Ranch, California-native was sitting barely on the lead-lap. (Previously: 26th)

30. Justin Haley

After qualifying 13th, Justin Haley finished 27th on Sunday. He did have a close shave when teammate Carson Hocevar spun in front of him, but not much else went his way at Darlington. (Previously: 29th)

31. Noah Gragson

After a dismal summer, Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports finally put together a solid run, finishing in 14th. It’s the first top-15 finish for the Las Vegas, Nevada-native since the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend. (Previously: 35th)

32. Todd Gilliland

The Grillo’s Pickles machine didn’t bring home a very delicious finish at Darlington on Sunday, coming home 26th. Nothing too special to talk about when it comes to the No. 34 Ford Mustang. (Previously: 30th)

33. Ty Dillon

Not much has gone Ty Dillon’s way since his NASCAR In-Season Challenge miracle run. Darlington in particular was a struggle for Dillon, as he started 31st and finished 34th. (Previously: 32nd)

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

It’s been a tough season for HYAK Motorsports and Ricky Stenhouse. A 30th place result at Darlington is the ninth straight race outside the top-20 for the No. 47 Chevrolet, after starting the season with such promise. (Previously: 34th)

35. Cody Ware

Cody Ware completed 249 laps and retired from Sunday's race with suspension issues. It was a stark slap back to reality for the No. 51 team after a great performance at Daytona. (Previously: 33rd)

36. Riley Herbst

While teammates Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace had strong showings, Riley Herbst struggled. Herbst finished 28th in the Southern 500, still searching for his first top-20 finish since Chicago. (Previously: 36th)