NASCAR Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney Can't Be Stopped at Phoenix

Ryan Blaney could not be denied at Phoenix Raceway, overcoming multiple problems to capitalize on an extremely quick car, winning his first race of the season and ending Tyler Reddick's perfect start to the season. The battle started quietly with a caution-free first stage, but incidents piled up as the laps wound down. In all, Sunday's 12 caution periods tied the most at the circuit and left several cars on the sidelines at the finish. However, the weekend was all about Team Penske, which swept victories at the track after Josef Newgarden completed an impressive charge to the front in IndyCar's Saturday turn at the circuit.

With the first 1.0-mile oval under the belt, the NASCAR Cup Series looks next to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as more tracks that make up the bulk of the schedule begin to appear. Josh Berry and Denny Hamlin took wins there last season, and plenty of contenders could make their presence felt next week. Everyone continues to chase Tyler Reddick's No. 45 team who leave Phoenix with a commanding 60-point lead in the championship standings after four consecutive top-10 finishes, three of which were wins, though. The 2026 pecking order will continue to mature over the next few races.

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NASCAR Power Rankings After Phoenix

1. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 1

Reddick's three-race win streak may have come to an end Sunday at Phoenix, but he was fast enough to qualify and finish in the top 10 to remain the only driver to have four top-10 finishes from the first four races. Reddick is the first driver to tally more than 200 points in the standings with the help of stage points in both of Sunday's segments, too. This team's consistency and competitiveness across all different types of tracks is a real statement to the rest of the field. It is a long season with many race to come, but the 23XI Racing No. 45 crew are in a perfect position to get their championship effort rolling with no signs of slowing. Fantasy players might expect more of the same next week at Las Vegas where Reddick led 34 laps last spring and finished fifth last fall.

2. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 3

For the second time in a row, Ryan Blaney started fifth and won at Phoenix Raceway. It was his second win at the circuit but it was anything but straightforward. The No. 12 had a very challenging day, including having to stop in a teammate's pit stall to secure a loose wheel, but worked his way through the field multiple times and would not be denied the checkered flag. It was apparent that Blaney's Team Penske Ford was the fastest in the field, and won the first stage, but only made it back into the lead for the final time with 10 laps remaining in the race. In total, Blaney only led 28 laps, but perseverance and a never-give-up effort from the team got him back in position to seize the moment to become the second winner of the 2026 season.

3. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: 4

Wallace and the No. 23 team's impressive start to the 2026 season kept rolling in Phoenix. Although the 23XI Racing driver qualified a modest 28th, Wallace quickly proved his car was more competitive than expected once the race began. He pushed into the top 10 by the end of the second segment, earning valuable stage points, and crossed the line sixth despite a bit of contact during one of the race's many late incidents. This marked Wallace's fourth top-10 finish at Phoenix in 17 career starts, highlighting the steady progress of both him and his team. Now, Wallace heads to Las Vegas, a track where he led 25 laps across two races last season, sitting third in the championship standings and determined to keep his confident momentum going.

4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 5

Larson's streak of strong performances at Phoenix continued Sunday, marking his third straight third-place finish at the track. In his last eight starts there, he's secured seven top-10 results. Adding in a few stage points from the second segment, Larson wrapped up a productive day. His effort Sunday propelled him up five spots in the championship standings and gave him back-to-back top-10 finishes over the past two races. Larson appears to be finding his early-season stride and will look to maintain that momentum in the weeks ahead. At Las Vegas, where he's a three-time winner, he led 129 laps last fall en route to a runner-up finish. Across both races there last year, he led a total of 190 laps, setting up Larson to once again be a top fantasy choice next week.

5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 2

Chase Elliott slides down the rankings this week after a challenging afternoon in Phoenix. Although the Hendrick Motorsports driver has previously claimed victory at the track, he struggled throughout the weekend, qualifying and finishing outside the top 20 on Sunday. Elliott's chances worsened when contact during the second stage caused damage to his car. Collecting only 14 points from the race, Elliott slipped one spot in the championship standings and now trails Bubba Wallace by 25 points. The team will be pushing hard to help Elliott regain momentum next week at Las Vegas. Last year, the former champion finished 10th in the spring race and qualified in the top five for the fall event before finishing 18th. 

6. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 6

A top effort turned sour for Joey Logano when an accident in the final stage ended the No. 22's effort early. The day was set up to be a promising one for the former champion after starting on pole and appearing to have one of the fastest cars early in the race. Logano led 73 laps and finished third in both stages before the incident. With the contact, Logano's race was over and he fell a spot in the early-season standings to the surging Christopher Bell. The good news is that Logano, like teammate Ryan Blaney, does not seem to be lacking speed. Race execution and getting to the finish need to be the immediate focus. Las Vegas could be the venue those pieces come together. Logano is a four-time winner at the oval, started on the front row last spring, and finished sixth in the fall.

7. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 9

Bell flexed his Phoenix muscle once again last week, starting 12th but charging forward quickly to finish second in the first stage and winning the second. When all was said and done, Bell led a whopping 176 of 312 laps but just didn't have the pace in the final miles to chase down Ryan Blaney's Ford. Sunday's finish was Bell's second top-three result in a row, and he now finds himself sixth in the standings with some more good tracks yet to come. One of those tracks is Las Vegas. Bell has two poles at the track with a pair of runner-up finishes as his best results. This season's championship format change should reward consistency more than the past, and that is something that could play into Bell's hands as he continues to build momentum.

8. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 8

Sunday was a productive day for Byron as he avoided some of the race's calamities to land his first top-10 finish of the season. The caution-free first stage benefitted the No. 24 as Byron held station inside the top 10 and and grabbed some points at the end of the segment. The work became a little more difficult in the final two stages, but Byron and team fought through and claimed a seventh-place finish. The result was enough to move Byron up two positions in the standings with Las Vegas next to race. Byron won at the track in 2022, leading 176 laps. He also led 55 laps there last fall, but a crash late in the race ruined what could have been another top finish. Byron finished fourth in the spring race.

No. 9 Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: N/A

A second top-10 finish in as many weeks has moved Hamlin up 11 places in the championship standings to 12th. After a hard end to the 2025 season, and an even rougher winter, Hamlin is starting to show he is able to keep those things off of the track. His 10th-place finish at COTA was better than expected and Sunday's fifth-place finish at Phoenix is what we've come to expect from the No. 11. Put all of the pieces together and Hamlin has three top-15 finishes from the first five races and he should have more more in the bag yet to come, too. Hamlin is a fixture among top-10 finishers at Las Vegas and he won the last race there from pole. Hamlin and team are just getting things rolling, and fantasy players should expect their momentum to continue building.

No. 10 Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: 10

Buescher's 14th-place finish Sunday masks what potential he actually had. He qualified 17th for Sunday's race, but the car raced much better as he and the team worked on adjustments throughout the race. He was an established face among the top 10 drivers, claiming stage points in the second segment. A speeding penalty on pit road later in the race thwarted his progress, though. Despite restarting deep in the field after the infringement, Buescher climbed all the way back into the top 15 for the finish. Had that penalty not occurred, Buescher might have had another top-10 finish, or better, in hand. As it is, he is ninth in the standings with an admirable start to the new year with some good tracks yet to come for the team.

Knocking on the Door

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 7

Phoenix continues to be a thorn in Briscoe's side. While his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates have found success at the track, Briscoe has struggled since switching to the Toyota team and Sunday was more of the same. He started Sunday's race 20th but was the first driver out of the race after a single-car crash with the outside wall. It was Briscoe's second crash in his last three visits to the track and, despite winning there in a Ford in 2022, he hasn't finished better than 18th since making the switch to JGR. Better things may be on the horizon, though. Last fall, Briscoe led 57 laps in a fourth-place Las Vegas finish. Replicating that form next week will be a necessity to reverse his slide in the standings and begin moving into contention for the season-ending championship battle.

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97

Last Week: N/A

Shane van Gisbergen was not immune to the late-race incidents that piled up Sunday afternoon, but his speed and work from the team got him over the pitfalls and into 11th place for the finish. The result is just more evidence that SVG is improving his game on the ovals and it backs up his sixth-place finish a few weeks ago at Atlanta. If the road course ace can continue this type of form on the traditional NASCAR ovals that make up the majority of the schedule, he could find himself in the championship hunt without just relying on his road course dominance. Van Gisbergen and team are rapidly making as case for most improved from last year and sitting fifth in the standings after four races is convincing evidence of that.

Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77

Last Week: N/A

The No. 77 showed early speed at Phoenix with a top-10 qualifying effort. However, that starting spot was forfeited due to unapproved adjustments and Hocevar started the day at the back of the field. Despite having to work through traffic, Hocevar moved into the top 10 and scored stage points in the second segment, which makes him one of just two driver to score stage points in every race so far this season. A two-tire call late in the running left him with an ill-handling car in the final miles, and that struggle saw him slip backward to finish the race 20th. Last weekend's issues are the things Hocevar and team need to work on to live up to the race-winning potential they've shown glimpses of.