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NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Chase Elliott (17) races during the Explore The Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

NASCAR power rankings: Georgia's favorite son becomes new No. 1

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 1:41 PM ET

Chase Elliott passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to break a 44-race winless streak and sew up a playoff berth in Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. With the 2205 NASCAR Cup Series season at its halfway mark, here’s where the field stacks up.

1. Chase Elliott

(Last week: 3)

Elliott’s win at Atlanta was his third top-five finish in a row. It seems the No. 9 team has turned a corner as of late, as Elliott now sits second in the regular season standings. A regular season title and the 15 additional playoff points that come with it are now a definite possibility for Elliott.

2. William Byron

(Last week: 2)

Like many of his competitors, Byron was caught up in the massive Lap 69 crash that involved over half the field. Despite a 37th-place finish, he remains atop the regular season standings for another week.

3. Kyle Larson

(Last week: 4)

Larson was still running at the finish of Saturday’s race, but could only muster up a 17th-place effort. He’s third in the regular season standings, but a pair of road courses in Chicago and Sonoma over the next two weeks could provide a jolt of momentum for the No. 5 team.

4. Denny Hamlin

(Last week: 1)

Hamlin finished 31st after getting collected in the Lap 69 crash. Hamlin has notoriously struggled on road courses throughout his career, so the upcoming two-race stretch of Chicago and Sonoma isn’t an ideal one for the No. 11 team as they try and stay within striking distance for the regular season title.

5. Chris Buescher

(Last Week: 8)

Over the last five races, no team has scored more points than Buescher and the No. 17 team (183). Buescher’s four consecutive top-10 finishes have him ninth in the regular season standings and 52 points above the playoff cut line. After a ninth-place run at Atlanta, the road courses of Chicago and Sonoma are two golden opportunities for Buescher to snag a win.

6. Christopher Bell

(Last week: 5)

Bell was a victim of the Lap 57 crash on Saturday and finished 30th. Despite the wreck, he’s still fifth in the regular season standings, but the No. 20 team has seemed relatively snakebitten as of late.

7. Tyler Reddick

(Last week: 11)

Reddick notched his first stage win of the season on Saturday evening and was in contention for the win all night before finally coming home in fourth. After a rough two-month stretch, the top-five run was a welcome sight for the No. 45 team.

8. Alex Bowman

(Last week: 13)

Bowman ran inside the top five throughout the race’s final stage en route to a third-place finish. He’s now 39 points above the playoff cut line going into Chicago, where he’s hoping to repeat as the champion of the Chicago Street race.

9. Ryan Preece

(Last week: 9)

Preece is still the first driver below the playoff cut line, but a 15th-place effort at Atlanta continues a solid season for the No. 60 team. Preece has been decent on road courses this season, and Chicago and Sonoma could be big races in regards to Preece’s playoff positioning.

10. Chase Briscoe

(Last week: 6)

Briscoe was also a victim of the huge Lap 69 crash that claimed many of his contemporaries and relegated him to a 35th-place finish. Still, a week after his breakthrough win at Pocono, it’s hard to be down on Briscoe and the No. 19 team.

11. Ryan Blaney

(Last week: 7)

Blaney has been fast every week in 2025, but the DNFs are beginning to add up. Blaney finished last (40th) at Atlanta after being involved in the Lap 57 crash, notching his sixth DNF of the season.

12. Erik Jones

(Last week: 14)

A fifth-place run at Atlanta puts Jones in the middle of the playoff picture, 49 points below the cut line. He’ll likely need a win to return to the postseason, but the No. 43 team is on a roll at the moment. Over the last five races, Jones has scored the fourth-most points of any driver in the series.

13. Ross Chastain

(Last week: 11)

Chastain finished 33rd at Atlanta after getting caught up in the Lap 69 melee. The No. 1 team only has one top-10 finish - a sixth-place run at Michigan - since Chastain’s win in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. A good run at Chicago would be a welcome sight.

14. AJ Allmendinger

(Last week: Not ranked)

Allmendinger is still 59 points below the playoff cut line and in need of a win to earn a playoff berth, but he and the No. 16 team have been rock solid as of late. Allmendinger has five top-20 results after his 12th-place finish at Atlanta. Road course races at Chicago and Sonoma are major opportunities for Allmendinger to return to victory lane.

15. Brad Keselowski

(Last week: Not ranked)

Keselowski’s runner-up finish at Atlanta stung, but the 2012 champion has been slowly turning the corner in recent weeks. Keselowski has scored the ninth-most points in the Cup Series over the last five races, in which he has three top-10 finishes (and four top-10 efforts over the last six events).

16. Bubba Wallace

(Last week: 12)

Wallace is 13th in the regular season standings, but 16th on the playoff grid after a 22nd-place finish at Atlanta. The No. 23 team is in danger of missing the playoffs after a stellar start to the season.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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