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Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

NASCAR Power Rankings: Shane van Gisbergen triples down at Sonoma

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 7:37 PM ET

With another win this season, Shane van Gisbergen has a lot of playoff points, and he’s moving up the NASCAR Power Rankings. If he manages to make the Round of 12, the final race in that round this season is the Charlotte Roval. Anything can happen if he wins that race and goes to the Round of 8.

This week we get back on track, an oval track. Dover Motor Speedway is on tap for the semifinal round of the NASCAR In-Season Tournament. Ty Dillon has once again survived to the next round and is one race away from competing for $1,000,000.

This is the time in the season when drivers and teams want to start peaking. You want to have your best racing going into the playoffs and through the postseason. Who is rising and who is falling in the NASCAR Power Rankings after SVG tripled down on road course wins at Sonoma?

1. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (+1)

Chase Elliott is only 14 points behind William Byron for the regular season championship. Mr. Consistency is trying to prove a lot of doubters wrong, this writer included.

While he has only a single win this season, Elliott has been doing his best racing lately. Had he not slipped in the dirt late at Sonoma, he may have got to SVG’s bumper before the finish. Maybe. Probably not.

2. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+2)

Not a great finish, but a stage win and a lot of quality racing throughout the day. Blaney has to be here in the NASCAR Power Rankings because his speed is undeniable, even when his teammates lack it.

Team Penske cars aren’t juggernauts. Blaney has been holding it down as the top Ford driver all season long and he has continued to do so. I like the speed from Blaney so he’s second this week.

3. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-2)

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Not a great weekend for Denny Hamlin. Going back to Dover, I kind of like his chances of another top-five finish. Hamlin has been really good this year, and that 11 team is hoping Sonoma hasn’t thrown off the momentum.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Hamlin won at Dover. This is the first somewhat normal oval this series has seen in weeks.

4. Ryan Preece – RFK Racing (+1)

The speed we are seeing from Ryan Preece lately is fantastic. If he can calm down a little and avoid trouble, he’s almost a lock for a top-10 finish. HE hasn’t had a finish outside of the top-15 since a P29 DNF at Texas.

Going to Dover, Preece is ready to do it all again. He’s shown consistent speed but he hasn’t closed the deal yet. Can he get a win in 2025?

5. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (-2)

Not a great week for Kyle Larson. In fact, a terrible one. He was slow to start and late in the race, when he got his car quick again, he was spun and wrecked.

So, things haven’t been going great for Larson since the Double. Not sure if that correlation means causation but it sure seems like it.

6. Shane van Gisbergen – Trackhouse Racing (+4)

Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Three wins this season and now 26th in points. Shane van Gisbergen deserves to be here on the NASCAR Power Rankings this week. Dover is going to be a challenge for SVG, being a unique one-mile oval.

Let’s see how the Supercars champion performs at Dover, Indy, Iowa, and Richmond. Could he sneak a win at Daytona?

7. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing (NR)

Okay, I’m ready to acknowledge Tyler Reddick again. He fell off after Darlington earlier this season. Now he has three straight top-six finishes, a stage win, and a fastest lap in that time. P4, P3, and P6 in the last three races is right where Reddick needs to be.

No wins this season for Reddick yet. Is he going to get one before the playoffs this season?

8. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (-1)

Finally, another strong performance from Christopher Bell. His consistency has been lacking in the last month. Bell still hasn’t won a race since going on a three-peat to start the season.

Bell is capable of winning a championship. But he has to find that speed he had earlier this season. Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have both won recently, could Bell get back soon?

9. Chris Buescher – RFK Racing (-3)

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The last two races were unusual for Chris Buescher. The fact that he finished P18 and P16 at Chicago and Sonoma is strange, he’s usually a lock for the top-10.

Buescher has not had a great time the last two weeks, but he’s still right there every week. Let’s see how he performs over the next few weeks heading towards the playoffs.

10. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (-2)

Our final driver in the NASCAR Power Rankings, William Byron had another forgettable race, largely. To his credit, he ran second to SVG for many laps. But what good is that?

Byron finished P8, that was his best finish since being P5 at Nashville. The last month has been very average for the 24 team. Byron continues to bleed points to the drivers below him in points.

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

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