NASCAR Cup Series The Chase Power Rankings Ahead of Charlotte

Here’s my updated look at the 16 drivers in The Chase after Las Vegas. Rankings are based on momentum and actual chances to win the championship, not just the points.

1. Kyle Larson – 2,318 (-)

Fell all the way back to 28th early at Las Vegas and still finished second. That’s a championship performance. Larson has now gone first, second, first, second over the last four weeks. He is the clear driver to beat. The field is probably going to need some bad luck from the No. 5 car and then capitalize on it, because right now he’s making everything look manageable.

2. Denny Hamlin – -40 (-)

A 16th at Las Vegas in a race where the car had the speed to contend is a rough day. Even with the slow start to The Chase, Hamlin is still in the best position of anyone to take Larson down. He said it best on his Actions Detrimental podcast this week — he’s down by 10 at halftime. The deficit is real, but it’s not over.

3. Chase Briscoe – -84 (+4)

The last two weeks Briscoe has been the clearest challenger to Larson. He backed it up with a dominant win at Las Vegas and a 75-point day. He’s hot, but 84 points is still a massive gap. Charlotte is a big opportunity with how strong this team has looked on the mile-and-a-halfs lately.

4. Ryan Blaney – -80 (+1)

Blaney is hanging around. A fifth at Las Vegas keeps him relevant, and he’s led the second-most laps of anyone this season (1,045). Hanging around won’t be enough, though. He needs wins — and soon — if he wants to close this kind of gap.

5. Joey Logano – -71 (-1)

Logano has to be counting the days until Phoenix. That place is a must-win for him at this point. He needs to beat Larson there and stack stage points, because the regular finishes aren’t cutting into the deficit fast enough.

6. Christopher Bell – -55 (-3)

Bell lost power steering at Las Vegas and still salvaged a 23rd with 31 points. The day could have been a lot worse. The tricky part is the internal JGR picture — Hamlin is ahead of him in points and Briscoe has been faster lately. How much help he gets down the stretch is an open question.

7. Tyler Reddick – -106 (+1)

A third-place finish at Las Vegas was a good day for Reddick. He’s still a long way back in the standings and hasn’t shown true race-winning speed in a while. It might already be too little, too late to get back into the real title conversation.

8. Ty Gibbs – -110 (-2)

Gibbs finished 17th at Las Vegas and was basically a non-factor. It’s been a strong breakout season overall, but he doesn’t look like a driver about to go on a championship run right now.

9. Austin Cindric – -128 (-)

When did Cindric become a factor on the mile-and-a-halfs? Second at Kansas and fourth at Las Vegas are impressive. He won’t win the title, but Blaney and Logano have to be encouraged by the speed showing up in the No. 2 car.

10. Bubba Wallace – -137 (-)

Wallace has top-10s in the first five playoff races is quietly solid. He isn’t winning the championship, but the consistency could be building something for next year. Talladega remains his best shot at a win before the season ends.

11. William Byron – -160 (-)

Four straight top-10s, including a sixth at Las Vegas, after the 37th at Darlington. Hendrick is showing speed beyond just Larson. Byron is still looking for that first win of the year, and it would be a surprise if he goes the entire season without one.

12. Carson Hocevar – -158 (-)

A 12th at Las Vegas wasn’t bad. Hocevar finally found his mail truck this week, which is pretty gnarly in its own right. There’s still a chance he ends the year on a high note.

13. Chase Elliott – -163 (-)

Seventh at Las Vegas sounds decent until you realize it only paid Elliott 34 points. The two wins earlier in the year are nice, but this has been a playoff run to forget for the most part.

14. Daniel Suárez – -195 (+1)

Suárez finished 14th at Las Vegas, one spot behind Buescher, but actually gained two more points and sits one ahead of him in the standings. Making The Chase and winning the Coke 600 after Trackhouse let him go already makes this a successful year. He gets the last laugh there.

15. Chris Buescher – -196 (+1)

A 13th at Las Vegas continues a quiet playoff run. With Brad Keselowski leaving RFK after this season, it’ll be interesting to see how Buescher handles becoming the flagship car of the organization.

16. Ryan Preece – -200 (-2)

Preece looked solid after the Daytona win with three top-10s, then finished 28th at Las Vegas. He needs a strong run at Charlotte to get things pointed back in the right direction and close the year on a better note.

Larson has the lead, the momentum, and the look of a team that knows how to close. Everyone else is still chasing — some with a realistic shot, most with a steep hill and not a lot of time.