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NASCAR power rankings: Misfortune hits several playoff drivers

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe between turns one and two during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

NASCAR power rankings: Misfortune befalls a plethora of playoff drivers at Darlington

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:21 PM ET

Chase Briscoe led 309 laps en route to a dominant Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. Here’s where the NASCAR Cup Series field stacks up after the first race of the 2025 playoffs.

1. Chase Briscoe (Last week: 7)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19) and his son Brooks celebrate his win at the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Pretty much everyone above Briscoe floundered at Darlington, so we’ll put the two-time Southern 500 at the top. 2025 has been Briscoe’s breakout season, and Joe Gibbs’ decision to hire him is looking better with each passing week.

2. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 5)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Hamlin fought and clawed his way to a seventh-place effort at Darlington after starting from the pole. Without a bad pit stop early in the race, however, he could’ve been battling Briscoe for the win.

3. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 8)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Tyler Reddick (45) in turn one during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Reddick couldn’t get around Briscoe in the closing laps, but he still brought home a runner-up finish and a fantastic points day. The No. 45 team is still looking for its first win of the season, but Sunday could be an indication that it could be coming sooner rather than later.

4. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 1)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) crew moves his car towards the track during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Blaney battled back to finish 18th after a mid-race spin, but Sunday wasn’t the most inspiring performance from the 2023 champ. However, Gateway could be the catalyst for a momentum boost, as Blaney came up one lap shy of winning at the 1.25-mile track a year ago.

5. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 3)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) pit crew go to work during the first pit stop during the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Larson also surprisingly struggled on Sunday, as he only finished 19th. Stage points salvaged a decent points day, but Larson certainly didn’t start the postseason off on the right foot.

6. Bubba Wallace (Last week: 9)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) passes driver Ross Chastain (1) during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

On the contrary, Wallace ran up front all night and finished sixth. He’s 25 points above the cut line going into Gateway, and two top-15/20 results may be all he needs to advance to the Round of 12.

7. Chase Elliott (Last week: 4)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) during the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Elliott struggled all night at Darlington and finished 17th. He’s only nine points above the cut line going into Gateway - a track that has not been kind to Hendrick Motorsports.

8. Christopher Bell (Last week: 6)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) crew moves the car out to pit road during the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Bell finished 29th at Darlington, but the playoff points he has in the bank keep him above the cut line for now. He’ll need a strong performance at Gateway in order to not be in danger of elimination at Bristol.

9. Ross Chastain (Last week: 10)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

An 11th-place result doesn’t show how strong Chastain was on Sunday. The Coke 600 winner scored 12 playoff points and is 21 points above the cut line going into Gateway.

10. Chris Buescher (Last week: 14)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Buescher (17) leaves pit road during the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Buescher may not be in the playoffs, but he still turned in a strong performance on Sunday. Buescher finished 10th on Sunday, keeping a consistent 2025 campaign for the No. 17 team going.

11. Joey Logano (Last week: 11)

Logano is now three points below the playoff cut line after a poor 20th-place effort at Darlington. The defending champion will need a good result at Gateway to keep his head above water.

12. Ryan Preece (Last week: 13)

Preece only finished 16th on Sunday, but he moves up due to the misfortune of those around him in the rankings. It’s been a very solid debut season for Preece at RFK Racing.

13. Erik Jones (Last week: Not ranked)

Jones, a two-time Southern 500 winner, finished third on Sunday, notching consecutive top-five finishes for the first time in his LEGACY Motor Club tenure. He’ll look to keep the momentum rolling at Gateway.

14. AJ Allmendinger (Last week: Not ranked)

Allmendinger was perhaps the biggest surprise of Sunday’s race. The road course ace finished fifth and beat a plethora of playoff drivers, earning congratulations from Michael Jordan on pit road after the race.

15. John Hunter Nemechek (Last week: Not ranked)

Nemechek was in the tire tracks of his LEGACY Motor Club teammate in Jones for much of the night, ultimately coming home in fourth. Sunday’s race was a positive sign for Nemechek, who had stagnated after a solid start to the year.

16. Austin Cindric (Last week: Not ranked)

Cindric finished 12th on Sunday and is 12 points above the cut line going into Gateway. He’s the defending Gateway winner, and another victory at the track would ensure him a Round of 12 berth.

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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