NASCAR Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney jumps to the top with Martinsville win

Ryan Blaney’s title defense is still on.

The reigning Cup champion won his way into the Championship 4 yet again with a clutch victory at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.

Blaney will compete against Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick, who also won in the Round of 8, and William Byron – who got in by four points over Christopher Bell in a controversial finish.

Next up, the championship is decided on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, NBC) at Phoenix Raceway. How does the field stack up after Martinsville? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:

1. Ryan Blaney

Last week: 7

For the second straight year, Blaney won at Martinsville with his back against the wall. He passed Chase Elliott with 15 laps to go and drove off into the sunset. Blaney should be considered the favorite at Phoenix, where he has eight straight top-10s and of course won the title last November.

2. William Byron

Last week: 2

Byron finished sixth for the second straight race, giving him six straight top-sixes on the season. There’s controversy on how he kept that position over his Chevrolet teammates, but he did nothing wrong as the lead car. Now back in the title race for a second straight year, Byron knows exactly what he’s getting into this weekend.

3. Kyle Larson

Last week: 3

Despite having six wins – three more than anyone else – Larson won’t be racing for a championship. He was third at Martinsville, surrendering the lead to Elliott with 23 laps to go while holding on to older tires. The season just unraveled for Larson in the Round of 8 with some unexpected winners and misfortune.

4. Christopher Bell

Last week: 1

The best driver throughout the playoffs saw his season end in disappointment on Sunday. Bell finished 22nd after he was penalized for riding the wall in the final corner, which dropped him four points below Byron. Even before the penalty, Bell’s 18th-place run would’ve been his worst since August – the No. 20 team just had a bad race when it absolutely couldn’t.

5. Chase Elliott

Last week: 6

Aside from Blaney, Elliott nearly stole the show and claimed a spot in the title race. He led a season-best 129 laps and won Stage 1, but Blaney’s car prevailed on the long run to finish the race. Still, it was a positive ending to the season for Elliott, who has lacked race-winning speed for most of the year.

6. Tyler Reddick

Last week: 5

A brake failure, a slow racecar and a 34th-place finish. None of it mattered to Reddick, who locked himself into the title race a week before his Martinsville disaster. The regular season champion has never raced for a Cup title, but he is a two-time Xfinity Series winner in the one-race format.

7. Denny Hamlin

Last week: 4

Another year goes by without a championship for Hamlin. The soon-to-be 44-year-old driver was fifth at Martinsville even after a practice crash, but he never seriously challenged to win and advance. With 54 wins, Hamlin’s place in the Hall of Fame is all but guaranteed – but that championship still eludes him.

8. Joey Logano

Last week: 8

A quiet 10th-place run didn’t matter much to Logano, who has been locked into Phoenix for two weeks now. He isn’t running great, his team hasn’t always had speed and this is his worst season by average finish since 2011 – but it would be foolish to count out the two-time champion, who always seems to find a way in the clutch.

9. Alex Bowman

Last week: 9

Bowman finished 13th at Martinsville, dropping in the closing laps with a steering issue after earning seven stage points. Bowman’s strong finish to the season has him on pace for his best average finish since 2020, and he already has the most top-10s of his career.

10. Ross Chastain

Last week: First four out

It’s been a solid stretch for Chastain, who missed the playoffs but hasn’t stopped competing. He was eighth at Martinsville, giving him five top-10s in nine playoff races – including his win at Kansas.

First four out: Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece