NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Elliott Wins Tricky Texas

Texas Motor Speedway delivered its brand of unpredictable racing, with plenty of mistakes catching top contenders and setting up a victory for the mistake-free Chase Elliott. The Hendrick Motorsports driver did not put a foot wrong all day, outlasting the competition by leading 87 laps and earning his second win of the season. He is the first driver to join Tyler Reddick with multiple trips to Victory Lane in 2026, moving into third place in the championship standings. While Elliott celebrated, several other championship hopefuls were left licking their wounds. Many of the top 16 drivers in the standings faced trouble on Sunday, and 13 of the 16 championship-qualifying positions changed as a result.

Only one race remains before the All-Star Race weekend as the series heads to Watkins Glen International next week. Although Shane van Gisbergen has recently dominated the road courses, it was championship leader Tyler Reddick who got the job done at Circuit of the Americas, the only road course race so far this season. As competition at these circuits has tightened in recent seasons, the effort required to achieve a top result has increased. It will be an important week for teams and drivers as they work to finish this portion of the season on a high note in the hills of western New York's wine country.

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NASCAR Power Rankings After Texas

1. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 1

Tyler Reddick protected his massive lead in the championship standings with another productive race weekend. The 23XI Racing driver qualified eighth for Sunday's Texas race, making no mistakes throughout the race. He added stage points in the second segment, too. A vibration late in the race threatened to disrupt the afternoon, but a quick trip down pit road under the race's final caution gave him two fresh tires to mount a charge forward in the final laps. That move paid off with a fourth-place finish, which was his third top-five from the last four races. Now he moves onward to Watkins Glen where he will expect to be at the front again. Four top-10 finishes from five races at that track will give him plenty of confidence.

2. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 2

Hamlin came up one spot short Sunday, but 21 laps led and stage points in both segments continue his run of excellent form that is likely to land him back in Victory Lane sooner rather than later. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran started Sunday's race on the second row and was a factor throughout the distance. His runner-up result was his fifth top-five finish of the season and his eighth finish of 11th or better from the last nine races. Hamlin has been putting himself in position to win almost every week, but is just narrowly missing out due to a small edge or bad luck. As long as the team maintains this consistency, more race wins are likely to come, though. He is a former winner at Watkins Glen, was runner up there in 2023, but also finished outside of the top 20 in three of the last four.

3. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 4

Chase Elliott delivered a mistake-free 400 miles Sunday at Texas that capitalized on his pit crew's speed cycle to the lead and control the race to the finish. It was Elliott's second win of the season, making him just the second driver to score multiple wins this year. He led a race-high 87 laps after starting 14th and also won the second stage. Texas Motor Speedway has been a place where Chevrolet has had the better of the competition, and Elliott used that to his advantage on Sunday. The victory also came with the added benefit of moving the former champion up to third in the series standings behind Hamlin. Up next is a road course stop where Elliott once dominated but has been regaining confidence more recently. He is a two-time Watkins Glen winner, and heading to that track, where he won twice, now could be great timing with Sunday's win.

4. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 3

Speed on track has not been Ryan Blaney's issue this season, but slowness on pit road has been. Again on Sunday, pit road problems bit and thwarted what might have been a better day. Blaney started just 31st and that poor position got worse when his car bogged down exiting the pits early in the race. That lost him the ground he had gained, forcing him to do it all over again, a trend that has plagued his season. By the finish, Blaney had clawed his way up to the top 10, which was a valiant effort but short of what this team is likely capable of. Blaney lost a spot in the standings to Chase Elliott and will continue searching for an answer to his problems in the pits. Perhaps that answer can come next week. Blaney qualified on pole at Watkins Glen last season, which is one of his better road courses.

5. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 5

Larson was one of several big guns to have trouble Sunday at Texas. Despite starting 11th, he struggled with handling early in the race and eventually lost control ad crashed late in the second stage to end his day. After another early exit at Talladega, Sunday was the second finish worse than 30th for the defending champion in as many weeks. Consistency has been Larson's nemesis for several seasons, and that trend appears to be continuing in 2026. With the change in championship format this season, consistency is more important than ever and that could come to haunt Larson if he and the team can find solutions as the season progresses. The coming race at Watkins Glen should be one they aim to turn things around at, though. Larson's best finish there from the last three races is just 12th, but he won two races consecutively there in 2021 and 2022.

6. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54

Last Week: 6

Another contender that found trouble at Texas was Ty Gibbs. The recent race winner started in the top 10 and looked as though that would be where he would spend the afternoon, scoring points in the first stage, but shortly after a second stage restart, he lost control and hit the wall after a nudge from behind by Ryan Preece. That contact ended the day for Gibbs and left him with a36th-place finish, which was his second in a row worse than 30th. Gibbs will be looking to get back to his top-10 finishing ways this week at a road course that suits his style. Despite having just one top-five at Watkins Glen from four series starts, Gibbs regularly qualifies toward the front. His starting average of 12.3 suggests a return to the top 10 next week could be within reach if he can avoid mistakes.

7. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 8

Like many others Sunday at Texas, William Byron was not immune. Shortly into the second stage, Byron lost control and spun into the grass. Unlike many others who suffered a similar fate, Byron did well to recover, though. The incident didn't leave any lasting damage and Byron was able to use the several restarts after to works his way into the top 10 for the finish. His eighth-place result was his third top-10 finish from the last five races, and it helped him move up a spot to 10th in the championship standings. That trend could even improve this week at Watkins Glen. Byron finished fourth in that race last season and won the race in 2023. Byron is typically a contender at road courses and the coming week should see him gain even more ground in the championship battle.

8. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 7

Just when things looked a bit brighter for Bell, his bad luck bit again. The season has been littered with fast cars and poor finishes, and Sunday's race was unfortunately no different. The No. 20 got to the lead after starting in the top 10 and was aiming for a competitive day when Todd Gilliland spun as Bell was attempting to lap him. Slight contact as Bell tried to avoid the incident sent Bell into the outside wall and out of the race, making him the first retiree of the day. The early exit was not as bad as it could have been with several championship contenders having their own issues, but Bell still slipped four places backward in the standings to 13th. This team's lack of results are not due to their speed, but they have to be wondering what they can possibly do to get some good fortune on their side.

9. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77

Last Week: 10

Spire Motorsports is giving Carson Hocevar the best start to a season in his short Cup Series career. His breakthrough win two weeks ago at Talladega was the culmination of many people's expectations, and that momentum carried him forward last week in Texas. The young driver backed up his maiden victory with his second consecutive Texas pole. The good news didn't stop there, either. Hocevar was fast throughout Sunday's race and he scored stage points in both segments on his way to the seventh finishing spot. That was his fifth top-10 finish of the season and he is now sixth in the series standings. The only remaining question for the No. 77 team seems to be how long they will be able to maintain this kind of form.

10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: 9

The weekend did not start well for Wallace and the No. 23 team after a crash in practice forced them to a back-up car and a starting spot at the back of the pack. Things got better after that, though. Despite the horrible start, Wallace and team executed on their plans and methodically climbed forward throughout the race distance to finish ninth. It was an impressive, and veteran-like, comeback from Wallace, who now has six top-10 finishes on the season. Efforts like Sunday's will make a big impact as the championship battle heats up, and Wallace looks like he is well on his way to being part of that conversation. With just some small tweaks in race pace and elimination of mistakes, like the practice crash, should help this team achieve some of their best ever results.

Knocking on the Door

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: N/A

The 2026 season continued to reward Buescher Sunday at Texas. After 16 prior starts at the track, Buescher had never scored a top-10 finish. However, last week, he scored his best-ever qualifying result with third and used that positive track position to hold station in the top 10 all afternoon to claim a fifth-place finish. That was his best finish at his home track and the second time this season he finished in the top five. Buescher now heads to Watkins Glen impressively sitting fifth in the championship standings and hoping he can repeat the success he has had there recently. Most will remember his impressive win over Shane van Gisbergen in 2024, but he also finished third last season and finished inside the top 10 in the last four.

Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing No. 6

Last Week: N/A

Even though Sunday's race at Texas was quiet for Keselowski, the veteran continued to show the team's progress. Qualifying was unimpressive with a 25th-place outcome, but Keselowski got to work during the race. He and the team avoided the mistakes that Texas makes so easy to make, and by the end of the season stage, Keselowski was third. That was the high-water mark of his afternoon, but the team's 13th-place finish was still productive given the pitfalls many of his championship rivals suffered. Keselowski leaves last week's race inside the top 10 in the championship standings with the team's potential still fully on display. 

Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: N/A

Logano's miserable season persisted last week. After narrowly missing an accident on track, Logano slammed into the back of a slowing car on the crowded pit road under caution. That contact ripped the front-left wheel off of Logano's car and ended his day early in the second stage. The former champion now finds himself on a three-race run of finishes worse than 30th that have dropped him out of the championship positions and dug a seven-point gap to Chase Briscoe in 16th. Logano and team have to stop the bleeding and then start methodically working their way back into contention. The next race at Watkins Glen could be the first step on their journey. Logano has finished 15th or better in the last four races there.