The first race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off Feb. 18. Here are the keys dates for the upcoming season.v
No one is safe in the NASCAR playoffs.
With just 12 drivers left fighting for a championship, outsider Ross Chastain surprised the field by winning at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.
Chastain’s fifth career win meant that no playoff driver advanced to the Round of 8, so all 12 competitors are still at risk with two races remaining in this round.
Next up, the Round of 12 continues Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC) at Talladega Superspeedway. How does the field stack up after Kansas? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
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1. Christopher Bell
Last week: 2
This one got away from Bell. He started on pole and led a race-high 122 laps, but finished seventh after fading in the final stage. Even though he’s No. 1 in the power rankings and 28 points above the cut line, this missed chance could come back to haunt him if he has trouble at Talladega.
2. Kyle Larson
Last week: 1
Larson ran over debris in the first stage – and while his car wasn’t noticeably damaged, it was noticeably off the pace for the rest of the day. He finished 26th, snapping a streak of 11 straight top-20s at Kansas. Larson is now just 18 points above the cut line and Talladega (3 top-10s in 19 starts) isn’t a track he likes visiting.
3. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 4
The defending champion is heating up at the right time yet again. Blaney caught a timely caution late and secured a fourth-place finish after scoring 16 stage points. He’s tied with Bell in the standings, and Talladega has been his personal playground lately (three wins, two runner-ups since 2019).
4. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 5
Based on his Kansas history, Hamlin probably expected to battle for the win on Sunday. It didn’t unfold that way, though, with a few issues on pit road and an overall lack of winning speed. He still finished eighth, which put him 11 points above the cut line.
5. William Byron
Last week: 8
A quiet summer had many wondering if Byron would make it through the Round of 12. He quickly put those worries to rest with a Stage 1 win, 24 laps led and second-place finish at Kansas. He leads the points standings, so a bad race at Talladega wouldn’t destroy his championship chances.
6. Chase Elliott
Last week: 6
Elliott’s team had to change his engine after qualifying, so he started last on Sunday and had to battle through traffic all race. He salvaged two stage points and a ninth-place run, which puts him four points above the cut line. Elliott is obviously far from safe, but things could’ve been much worse given how poorly his Saturday went.
7. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 3
The regular season champion is in danger. Reddick was in line for a decent finish before the final restart didn’t go his way. He finished 25th with no stage points, which moved him all the way down to ninth in the standings. When only the top eight advance, that’s not the place to be – though he did win at Talladega in April.
8. Alex Bowman
Last week: 9
Bowman continued his playoff renaissance with a Stage 2 win and sixth-place finish at Kansas. He’s eight points above the cut line as he seeks his first Round of 8 appearance since 2020. For a driver who was questioning his own job security a few weeks ago, Bowman has made a remarkable turnaround in short order.
9. Joey Logano
Last week: 7
Logano encountered some pit road issues and finished 14th after scoring nine stage points. It was a solid run, but points were certainly left on the table and he’s now just four above the cut line. Along with his teammate Blaney, Logano is typically one of the best drivers at Talladega. This weekend could be a must-win for the two-time champion.
10. Ross Chastain
Last week: Not ranked
Despite missing the playoffs this year, Chastain now has the third-best average finish among all drivers (13.4). He has just lacked the race-winning speed, which he finally showed on Sunday. Chastain is a former Talladega winner and could continue to play spoiler throughout the rest of the year.
First four out: Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez
