NASCAR Power Rankings: Shane van Gisbergen Continues to Reign at Sonoma

Shane van Gisbergen would not be denied at Sonoma Raceway. The Trackhouse Racing driver started sixth, cycled to the lead at the start of the second stage, and never looked back after that. He led a race-high 74 laps and held off a late charge from Chase Briscoe in the closing laps to win his second race of the season and his second straight at Sonoma. The victory was a much-needed boost to his championship hopes after crashing out early at San Diego two weeks ago. With no more road courses left on the calendar, SVG and the No. 97 team will need to keep improving on ovals to maintain their spot among The Chase contenders.

Next week, the series returns to the ovals with its first trip to Chicagoland Speedway since 2019. It will be the NASCAR Cup Series' 20th visit to the 1.5-mile oval, but the race may feel more like a track debut than a return. A new generation of cars and tires will wipe away much of the old notebook, which could make the coming week's race pivotal as Chevrolet and Ford look to break Toyota's recent domination.

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NASCAR Power Rankings After Sonoma

1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 1

Despite a spin that dropped Hamlin to the back of the field, he was able to work his way back to the 26th finishing position before the end of Sunday's race, which gave him enough points to finally overtake Tyler Reddick in the championship standings. That was the culmination of many weeks of strong performance on ovals and avoidance of major mistakes on road courses. Now finishing the remainder of the season on ovals, Hamlin will be working to ensure he loses none of the advantage recently enjoyed. He is a former winner at Chicagoland in 2015. Most everything will be different this coming week, but Hamlin and Toyota's confidence will be flying high.

2. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 2

A power-steering issue forced Reddick to pit road unexpectedly Sunday. After coming into Sunday's race with the points lead, the issue forced Reddick out of contention to finish last in the field and four laps behind the leaders. Sunday's 36th-place finish was his third finish of 25th or lower from the last five races, which allowed Denny Hamlin to ultimately overtake him in the championship standings. The No. 45 team is in a rut at the moment and work will have to be done to make sure more ground isn't lost as the last eight races of the regular season approach. A return to oval racing this week at Chicagoland could help. Reddick's best NASCAR finish there was a runner-up finish in the trucks.

3. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 3

Ryan Blaney's run of maximizing his chances extended another week in Sonoma. He qualified 16th for the race and avoided mistakes throughout the distance, adding a stage point in the second segment, and finishing sixth for his 13th top-10 finish of the season. He now leads that category among all drivers and retains the third spot in the championship standings. Blaney and team are remaining in contention at the top of the standings with clean execution and no mistakes every week, ensuring they do not lose any ground. Blaney has four prior Chicagoland starts with 28 laps led and an average finish of 9.8.

4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 5

Fourth-place Sunday at Sonoma was Larson's fourth straight top-five finish. With that result, he now has eight total this season and has led laps in the last six races. Hendrick Motorsports has visibly improved their competitive package from the start of the season, and it seems like Larson is inching his way closer to a long-awaited return to Victory Lane. Next week's return to Chicagoland Speedway could be a boost for him in that quest. too. Larson has six prior starts at the track with four top-five finishes including back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two races. Larson and the No. 5 team will hope to pick up right where they left off in next week's return to Chicago.

5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 4

Chase Elliott continued his slight slide backward with another finish outside of the top 10 at Sonoma. The Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified 18th, missed out on stage points, and finished the race 17th, which was his fourth consecutive finish outside of the top 10. That small dip in form hasn't been enough to affect his position in the championship standings, but the results have certainly been less than what the team expects. With eight races left in the regular season, there is still time to make small improvements and return to race-winning form, though. Elliott has some past Chicagoland success to look back on, too. He has two top-fives there from four starts with 117 total laps led.

6. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54

Last Week: 6

The Sonoma race weekend was a very encouraging one for Gibbs and the No. 54 team. They qualified on pole Saturday and went on to win both race stages to amass as many points possible before landing a third-place race finish for their first top-five since Watkins Glen. The points haul helped Gibbs climb to fourth in the standings, tightening up the battle between him and Ryan Blaney for third. Last weekend's performance could signal the beginning of the end of their small recent slump, but the unknowns of a return to Chicagoland await in next week's race. Toyota's continued strength and a good Sonoma weekend should help this group bring some momentum into the weekend, though.

7. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 8

One week after having to exit the car due to his broken wrist, Bell stormed back to form with a top-five finish at Sonoma. The Toyota driver had been knocking on Victory Lane's door before successive problems at Michigan, Pocono, and then San Diego left him with a three-race streak of finishes outside of the top 25. Despite a cast on his wrist, Bell proclaimed he would not be getting out of the car early last week, and he went on to finish second in both race stages before landing fifth in the race. It was a statement race from the No. 20 team as they work to get back to Victory Lane and harness as much energy as possible with 10-race Chase approaching. 

8. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: 7

Sonoma's results didn't match what many expected of Buescher. The RFK Racing driver's previous road course results and recent run of form all indicated he should be fighting for a top-10 finish last week, but he qualified 15th, missed stage points, and finished the race 19th. That was the No. 17's lowest result since Nashville, ending a three-race streak of top-10 finishes. Buescher still hangs on to seventh in the championship standings with Chicagoland next on the schedule, but points continue to tighten throughout the Chase positions. It will be important that the No. 17 squad makes a quick return to top-15 finishing form. However, Buescher's average finish at Chicagoland from four career starts is just 23.8.

9. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77

Last Week: 10

Carson Hocevar added another front-row start to his credit last week at Sonoma. His second-place qualifying effort was his third front-row start from the last three races and his second consecutively on a road course. That single-lap pace is impressive and could be a harbinger of greater road course achievements yet to come. As it was, Hocevar scored stage points in the first segment of the day and then went on to finish the race 11th. That was his third finish of 11th or better from the last five races and his fifth straight top-20 finish. Stretches of results like that will keep him in the fight for one of the spots in The Chase, and he heads back to the ovals next week eighth in the standings.

10. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: N/A

Despite slipping a spot to 11th in the championship standings, Chase Briscoe is putting the pieces together to mount a charge toward the end of the regular season and the 10-race Chase. On Sunday, he started seventh and finished the race in second, chasing down Shane van Gisbergen in the closing laps. The result was Briscoe's third top-10 and fourth top-12 finish from the last five races, which is exactly the type of form that will put him into The Chase for a chance to race for the championship. One thing that would add more fuel to his charge would be race wins, though. Briscoe has yet to visit Victory Lane this season but has finished third or better five times so far, including last week.

Knocking on the Door

Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports No. 7

Last Week: 9

Last week was a challenging one for the No. 7 team. Suarez, a past Sonoma victor, qualified 21st and finished toward the back of the lead-lap cars in 31st position. It was a disappointing result for the team that has had its share of success already this season. Suarez slipped one position in the standings to ninth due to the poor finish, and it will be important for him to recover quickly as the points battle heats up and the regular season winds down. The return to oval racing could help that matter. Suarez has three prior starts at Chicagoland with two finishes of 12th or better. That should be the finishing range the No. 7 has their sights set on again next week.

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97

Last Week: N/A

Shane van Gisbergen put his early San Diego exit in the rearview mirror quickly with another dominating road course race at Sonoma. While his victory Sunday wasn't as comprehensive as the year prior's there was still little doubt that SVG wouldn't come out on top once racing was underway. The road course ace never put a foot wrong, opting for track position over stage points in both segments, before leading the final 23 laps en route to his second win of the season. Van Gisbergen now holds a 36-point advantage over Erik Jones, the first driver on the outside looking in at The Chase positions in the standings. He and the team now must focus on managing that through the next eight oval races before The Chase commences.

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: N/A

After an impressive runner-up finish at San Diego, Wallace seemingly returned to a more typical output at Sonoma with a 22nd-place finish. The finish was Wallace's sixth finish of 20th or lower from the last eight races, but the other two finishes in that same span were a third and a second. Those top finishes are indicative of the No. 23's potential if they can uncover the consistent week-to-week execution that is holding them back from greater success. Fans might expect some of that consistency to unlock with more oval races and the coming race at Chicagoland could be a good barometer for their ability to deliver. Wallace has two series starts at that track, both for Richard Petty Motorsports.