NASCAR power rankings: Championship 4 field is set after Martinsville

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

1. William Byron (Last week: 5)

Byron drove the best race of his career on Sunday by leading 304 laps, sweeping the stages, running the race’s fastest lap, and holding off Ryan Blaney to score the win. Byron is in the Championship 4 for the third consecutive year. 

2. Kyle Larson (Last week: 4)

Larson snagged the final Championship 4 spot by seven points over Christopher Bell with a fifth-place finish on Sunday. Larson is in the Championship 4 for the third time in five years and is looking for his second title. 

3. Chase Briscoe (Last week: 1)

Briscoe blew an engine and finished last (37th) on Sunday, but his Talladega win on Oct. 19 ensured that a poor result didn’t matter. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe can win a championship next week. 

4. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 5)

Blaney came up one spot shy of a win and a Championship 4 berth on Sunday, but he still put together a great season. The 2023 champion has turned into one of NASCAR’s biggest stars in recent years. 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell (20) during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

5. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 3)

Like Briscoe, Hamlin also suffered an engine failure and finished 35th, though his Las Vegas win on Oct. 12 made the issue inconsequential. Hamlin is back in the Championship 4 for the first time since 2021 and will race for his first NASCAR championship next week. 

6. Christopher Bell (Last week: 2)

Bell, the Cup Series leader in top 10s this season, finished seventh on Sunday and was unable to beat Kyle Larson for a Championship 4 berth. It’s the second year in a row that a promising season for the No. 20 team came to a heartbreaking end at Martinsville. 

7. Chase Elliott (Last week: 12)

Elliott finished third on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the Championship 4. It could be time to potentially look at shaking up a No. 9 team that hasn’t looked like itself in several years. 

8. Joey Logano (Last week: 8)

Logano also needed a win to advance on Sunday, but an eighth-place finish put an end to his title defense. Logano had a solid playoff run, but a fourth championship will have to wait. 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece (60) during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

9. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 7)

Reddick was fast in practice on Saturday, but that speed didn’t fully translate to the race. Reddick finished 11th and is in danger of having his first winless season since 2021. 

10. Ryan Preece (Last week: 11)

Preece kept his impressive debut season with RFK Racing rolling with a sixth-place run at Martinsville. He has more top-10 finishes (13) than six of the 16 drivers that made the Cup Series playoffs. 

11. Chris Buescher (Last week: 9)

Buescher had a surprisingly rough day at Martinsville, finishing 29th. He’s still on pace to finish highest in the standings among the drivers that did not make the postseason. 

12. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 14)

Gibbs finished fifth in Stage 1 on Sunday before fading outside of the top 10 and eventually finishing 15th. Gibbs’ second-half turnaround has been impressive, but unless he wins the season finale at Phoenix, he’ll be through three years of his Cup Series career without a win. 

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain (1) during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

13. Ross Chastain (Last week: Not ranked)

Chastain finished fourth on Sunday and briefly mixed it up with the race leaders in Stage 3. He’ll be looking to play spoiler at Phoenix next week, just as he did by winning the season finale in 2023. 

14. Todd Gilliland (Last week: Not ranked)

Gilliland has two consecutive top 10 finishes after a ninth-place effort at Martinsville on Sunday. 2025 hasn’t been a dream season for Gilliland by any means, but he did move up to 28th in the standings on Sunday. 

15. Josh Berry (Last week: Not ranked)

Berry hasn’t shown much speed since April, but he finished 10th on Sunday at the Wood Brothers’ home track. Berry is currently on track to finish 16th in the standings, last of the playoff drivers. 

16. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 13)

Keselowski only finished 20th on Sunday but stayed inside the top 20 in the standings. The 2012 champion is looking to bounce back in a big way in 2026.