NASCAR power rankings: Ryan Blaney maintains spot despite bitter Brickyard loss

NASCAR's return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval Sunday featured a race full of strategy in which track position proved to be paramount. That resulted in a wreck-filled — and controversial — finish.

Kyle Larson won, his fourth checkered flag of the season, and reclaimed the points lead from teammate Chase Elliott. However, after dropping to fourth in the power rankings last week, he still has competition at the front of the pack.

Here's where Larson and the rest of the field stand as the Cup Series enters a two-week break before returning Aug. 11 for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

1. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 1)

Blaney nearly went back-to-back after winning at Pocono a week ago, but he got snookered on the first overtime restart by Larson after race leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel and pulled off the track coming to the green flag. The reigning Cup Series champion was not happy about the finish, but he shouldn't be complaining too much because his third-place finish keeps him as hot as any driver in the sport.

2. Kyle Larson (Last week: 4)

The controversial officiating was the story, but it shouldn't take away from the insanity of Larson's drive to the front in the closing laps. On a day when passing was next to impossible, he went from 23rd to third before Kyle Busch's crash set the field up for overtime. He may not have won without the fortuitous circumstances, but it was a drive only Larson could have pulled off.

3. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 3)

Larson created holes no one else could in the closing laps at Indy, but Reddick took advantage by following his tire tracks en route to a runner-up finish amid the overtime chaos. He had a solid weekend all around, winning the pole and leading a race-high 40 laps, and goes into the break riding a streak of five consecutive top-six finishes. All that's keeping Reddick from being considered a title favorite is his lack of wins. He only has one.

4. Christopher Bell (Last week: 2)

Bell dropped two spots because of the standout performances of Larson and Reddick, but he still finished fourth at Indy —in fact, the four top finishers from the Brickyard 400 are the same top four in the power rankings, albeit not in that order. Bell has had speed everywhere recently, but Sunday was a get-right result for him after three consecutive finishes outside the top 10.

5. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 5)

Hamlin had one of the best cars throughout the race in Indy, winning the first stage and leading 21 laps. The strategy game didn't play out in his favor, though, as he had to pit for fuel before overtime and then got caught up in the ensuing accident, finishing with a DNF in 32nd place. Hamlin's results have slumped lately, with five finishes of 24th or worse in the past seven races. He'll be glad to have a couple weeks off to regroup.

6. Chase Elliott (Last week: 6)

Elliott had an eventful Brickyard 400, notably being the subject of the afternoon's first controversial ruling, a penalty for a blend-line violation exiting pit road. He rebounded and finished 10th but had a car capable of competing for the win. He must be miffed at the blown opportunity for the second week in a row —especially considering he lost the points lead by 10 markers to Larson.

7. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 7)

Truex's day in Indy got off to a rough start, a pass-through penalty at the drop of the green flag because of an infraction from practice. He also hit the wall at the start of the final stage, damaging his car and causing him to finish two laps down in 27th. He remains seventh in the power rankings, though, as none of the drivers directly behind him did much to move the needle.

8. William Byron (Last week: 8)

One of the drivers alluded to above is Byron, who had speed Sunday but got caught up in a big wreck in the second stage in which he had nowhere to go. It's hard to dock him too much for his misfortune, but he'll surely be glad to hit the reset button these next two weeks as he looks to gain momentum heading into the playoffs. His three early wins seem like a distant memory.

9. Bubba Wallace (Last week: 15)

Wallace had one of his best runs of 2024 Sunday, and he couldn't have done it at a better time. He moved to within seven points of Ross Chastain for the final playoff spot after leading 26 laps, winning Stage 2 and finishing fifth in Indy — his third top-10 finish in the past four races. He's hot at the perfect time while his competition on the bubble has stumbled.

10. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 9)

Gibbs experienced engine woes for the second straight week, though this time nursed his No. 54 machine home to finish 23rd. He was never much of a threat, and his cushion as far as the playoff race is concerned has now shrunk to only 42 points. The few weeks after NASCAR returns from the break will be the highest stakes the 21-year-old has faced in his young Cup career.

11. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 14)

Keselowski almost pulled off a fuel-saving miracle at Indy and might have done it had the race not gone into extra laps. That alone is reason to move him up a few spots in the rankings despite his 21st-place finish, as it's only the latest example of Keselowski and his No. 6 team showing they're willing to take risks to put themselves in position to win rather than simply settling for solid results. In today's NASCAR, that usually will work out in the long run.

12. Alex Bowman (Last week: 10)

Bowman experienced a reality check in Indy following his miniature hot streak, running a fairly quiet race before getting caught up in the overtime chaos and finishing 31st with a wrecked car. That would have taken a significant chunk out of his playoff cushion had he not won a few weeks ago at Chicago, but because he did, he'll spend his break breathing easy.

13. Todd Gilliland (Last week: 16)

The dream season continues for Gilliland, who finished sixth at Indy as he and his No. 38 team played the strategy game wisely. His fourth top-10 finish of the season tied his career high and there's still 14 races to go for him to best it. There'd be no better way for him to do so than with a playoff-clinching first career win at some point in the four races immediately following the break.

14. Ross Chastain (Last week: 12)

It was already time for Chastain to hit the panic button before Indy, and after Wallace's great run, combined with another middling performance from the No. 1 group, he's right on the cusp of dropping out of the playoff picture. Chastain led eight laps on strategy at the start of the final stage but didn't make up much ground after his final pit stop. He finished 15th and dropped only seven markers above the cut line.

15. Joey Logano (Last week: 13)

Logano seems to be alternating good finishes with bad ones recently. At Indy, he crashed out and finished 34th. Since 2024's 15th race at Gateway, Logano has finished no worse than sixth in odd-numbered races (including his win at Nashville) and outside the top 20 in all even-numbered races.

16. Chris Buescher (Last week: 11)

Buescher had about the worst day he could have possibly had in Indy, as tire issues forced him to make several unscheduled pit stops early. He fell multiple laps down, ultimately only rebounded to finish 22nd despite the late chaos and now sits just 17 points to the good playoff-wise. On the plus side, though, the upcoming schedule is when Buescher caught fire a year ago — he may need to do so again to make the cut.

Dropped out: none