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NASCAR rankings: A big shake-up after Round 16 closes

NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

NASCAR power rankings: A big shake-up after Round 16 closes

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 12:56 PM ET

Christopher Bell snagged the race lead on a late restart and went on to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway -- climbing multiple places in our rankings.

Here’s where the NASCAR Cup Series field stacks up after 29 weeks of racing.

1. Chase Briscoe (Last week: 2)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Briscoe continued his stellar playoff run by leading 127 laps and finishing ninth at Bristol. He’s turned into a championship favorite over the next three weeks and is sixth on the playoff grid going into New Hampshire.

2. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 3)

Blaney led 30 laps and finished fourth on Saturday, ensuring a berth in the Round of 12. The No. 12 team has bounced back from a poor Southern 500 effort with consecutive top-five finishes.

3. Christopher Bell (Last week: 7)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Bell only led 12 laps on Saturday evening, but he led the most important one when it mattered. Bell will carry the momentum from his Bristol win to New Hampshire, where he’ll be the overwhelming favorite to score his third win at the ‘Magic Mile’.

4. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 1)

Hamlin struggled to find pace on Saturday evening, and tire issues and damage only made his problems worse. Still, he’s the No. 1 seed going into the Round of 12, and he remains a championship favorite.

5. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 4)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Hill (33) and driver Bubba Wallace (23) race side by side at Bristol Motor Speedway. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Wallace led 12 laps and scored 10 stage points on Saturday evening, but was relegated to a 34th-place finish after he was involved in a crash. Wallace locked up a Round of 12 berth with his stage points, however, and is above the cut line going into New Hampshire.

6. Kyle Larson (Last week: 5)

After dominating the last two Bristol races, Larson led zero laps, scored zero stage points, and finished 32nd on Saturday. Like Hamlin, a poor Bristol result doesn’t hurt Larson too much - he’s third on the playoff grid going into the Round of 12.

7. Joey Logano (Last week: 9)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) at Bristol Motor Speedway. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Despite struggling mightily early in the race, Logano and the No. 22 team did what they do best at Bristol - they stayed in the fight. At the end of 500 laps, Logano finished fifth, locking up a spot in the Round of 12 and ensuring his championship defense can continue.

8. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 8)

Reddick finished 15th at Bristol on a ho-hum Saturday night for the No. 45 team. Reddick’s lack of wins - and subsequently, playoff points - is beginning to show, as he’ll start the Round of 12 last on the playoff grid.

9. William Byron (Last week: 11)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) leads driver William Byron (24) during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Byron finished 12th on Saturday to cap a Round of 16 where the No. 24 Chevrolet didn’t finish inside the top 10. He’ll need to be much better in the Round of 12, where he has a 24-point gap to the cut line going into New Hampshire.

10. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 15)

Gibbs put together one of the best races of his young career on Saturday evening, leading 201 laps and winning Stage 2 - but ultimately made too many mistakes late in the race and finished 10th. Still, there should be plenty of optimism in the No. 54 camp over the final seven races of 2025.

11. Chris Buescher (Last week: 10)

Buescher scored nine stage points en route to an 11th-place finish on Saturday. The No. 17 team isn’t flashy by any means, but Buescher has become a master of consistency.

12. John Hunter Nemechek (Last week: 12)

Nemechek snagged his third consecutive top-15 finish on Saturday and moved up to 22nd in the Cup Series standings. The No. 42 team has found speed late in the season, which is a good sign heading into 2026.

13. Ryan Preece (Last week: 13)

Preece faded to 21st by the time Saturday’s race ended, but New Hampshire offers him an excellent chance to bounce back. New Hampshire is Preece’s home track, and Ford has been strong at NHMS over the years. Keep Preece in mind as a potential underdog pick next weekend.

14. Ross Chastain (Last week: 14)

Chastain only finished 19th on Saturday, but he did enough to advance to the Round of 12. The No. 1 team must find a way to maximize its days in the Round of 12 - like Byron, Chastain failed to finish top-10 in the first three races of the playoffs.

15. Brad Keselowski (Last week: Not ranked)

Keselowski gave Bell a run for his money in the final corner before coming home with a runner-up finish. The No. 6 team has turned up the wick over the summer, and while Keselowski isn’t in the playoffs, he’s been driving like a man on a mission.

16. Carson Hocevar (Last week: Not ranked)

Hocevar was brought back into the spotlight on Saturday, as the second-year driver led 26 laps and finished seventh. Don’t be surprised if Hocevar scores his first career win over the final seven weeks of 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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