NASCAR Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin Back On Track, Back On Top
Denny Hamlin has three "podium" finishes in his last three starts.
OK, so none of them actually had a real podium for a top-three finish. That only occurred at Mexico City, where Hamlin didn't race in the days following the birth of his son.
But with a third-place finish, a win and a second in his past three starts, that's good enough to launch him at the top of this list.
Here's how the latest rankings shake out as Cup Series drivers enter a three-week stretch of some wild-card-type tracks, with the first being Atlanta race this weekend — a high-banked 1.54-mile oval that now races like drafting tracks Daytona and Talladega.
Dropped out: 9. Ross Chastain (Last Week: 9).
On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick.
Preece finished eighth at Pocono for his fourth top-10 finish in the last six races. The RFK Racing driver continues to find his way to race among the leaders.
A brake rotor failure ruined Wallace's day Sunday at Pocono, and a starter issue stymied him in qualifying. But the 23XI driver had speed, as shown in the previous three races, where he had an average finish of 7.3.
Briscoe's big victory at Pocono vaulted him into the playoffs and up a couple spots in these rankings. As a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, he should expect more wins and more weeks in these rankings.
Buescher placed fourth at Pocono for his third consecutive top-10 finish. The RFK Racing driver had the speed as he qualified on the front row.
A solid fifth-place finish for Elliott was his fifth top-five finish this year. The Hendrick driver knows running in the top five often enough will lead to him competing for a win relatively soon.
Bell finished second a week earlier at Mexico City but never seemed to have the speed at Pocono. He qualified ninth and finished 17th, having been involved in a wreck in the second stage.
Blaney rebounded from qualifying 20th to finishing third at Pocono. That's a good day for the Penske driver, making the most out of what could have been a bad day.
Byron might have had the fastest car at Pocono on Saturday until he wrecked it during qualifying. He went for the stage points (he still has a 54-point lead on Kyle Larson as far as the battle for the regular-season title) and then got mired in traffic, losing spots to avoid a wreck and finished 27th.
Larson finished a respectable seventh after starting 24th at Pocono. The Hendrick driver has seven top 10s in his last nine starts.
Hamlin takes the top spot with three awesome finishes (third, first, second) in his last three starts. The JGR driver sits third in the standings despite having missed a race.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
recommended
Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
NASCAR at Atlanta live updates: How to watch In-Season Challenge race
An exciting night of racing is on tap in Hampton, Georgia, as EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) hosts a prime-time NASCAR Cup Series race that will also serve as the first round of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Priority No. 1 for the full field of drivers on the high-speed, high intensity oval: take the checkered flag in the Quaker State 400 and celebrate in victory lane. But for the 32 drivers that are participating in the in-season tournament, there is a second priority: outduel your head-to-head opponent and advance to the second round. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe earned the top two seeds in the In-Season Challenge and will face the No. 32 and No. 31 seeds, respectively, but there are 14 other intriguing matchups to follow during the race as drivers endeavor to finish better than their opponent and compete again next week on the streets of Chicago in the tournament's Sweet 16. IN-SEASON CHALLEGE: Bracket, seedings, matchups, how it works In the meantime, there are stages to win, regular-season and playoffs points to amass and a burnout to be had for the winning driver. USA TODAY Sports will have coverage of the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. Follow along for all the action and results: How to watch NASCAR Cup race at Atlanta: TV, stream Stream the Quaker State 400 on Sling The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
NBC Sports
4 hours ago
- NBC Sports
23XI Racing still seeks first Cup win of year as season reaches its midpoint
HAMPTON, Ga. — As the NASCAR Cup Series reaches the midpoint of the 36-race season tonight at EchoPark Speedway, 23XI Racing continues to search for its first victory of the season. 'I just know the resources that we've put in at 23XI and all of our drivers should win,' co-owner Denny Hamlin said Friday at EchoPark Speedway. 'That is the expectation that I have of them. Obviously, it is a result-based business, and if you don't over time, you consider your options.' Dustin Long, The organization's season totals are down from this time a year ago. Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst have combined for six top-five finishes, 11 top-10 results and 197 laps led this year. Last year Reddick and Wallace combined for one win, nine top-five finishes, 15 top 10s and 375 laps led. Reddick has the organization's last win, taking the checkered flag 19 races ago at Homestead in last year's playoffs. Wallace is winless in his last 96 starts, dating back to Kansas in September 2022. All three 23XI Racing cars had brake rotor issues last weekend at Pocono. That led to Herbst and Wallace crashing. Reddick was called to the garage briefly to examine his brake package. 'Without getting too in depth with it, it was a team oversight,' Hamlin said. 'If that's – just too aggressive. I don't know how else to say it. They knew what they had, but they didn't think about the implications of what they were doing set-up wise.' That made for a difficult weekend for Wallace. He was second quick in practice but never got a chance to qualify when his car didn't start. 'We were really fast,' Wallace said. 'The confidence of getting out of the car from practice going into qualifying, hadn't had that in a really long time. So right as I'm about to climb in, (crew chief) Charles (Denike) is like, 'Hey, the car won't start.' … We didn't get to qualify. That was the most frustrated I've been in a long time. 'That was like a gut punch. It was really hard to swallow it. Yes, it's qualifying but whatever. But it took me back to a few years ago Bubba to where it's like here we go. You ride on the momentum high and get excited and have some optimism and then you're just smacked in the face with some BS. I woke up Sunday it was a new day.' Nate Ryan, Wallace started at the rear and then crashed in the race due to the brake rotor issue. ' … Long story short, it was a frustrating week,' Wallace said, 'super frustrating Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.' Wallace said his mindset changed in a sponsor golf outing Thursday. 'I had a lot of fun and I was able to escape from racing for a little bit and that helped,' he said. 'But we're back at the track, so I got to keep saying it, fresh set of downs. You can't change the past. Focus on what's ahead.' While there have been some challenges, Hamlin said he sees progress with Wallace and his team. 'I've seen enough progression, specifically, from the the 23 standpoint, that I can see where this can go,' Hamlin said of Wallace's team. 'Obviously, putting himself in a playoff position year after year is good, but winning makes it better. It makes it good for the team; it makes it good for your sponsorships. 'The progression is smaller, but it is still happening with Riley (Herbst) as well. We started at the bottom of the cellar, and it is slowly but surely getting a little bit better. 'That is what I'm looking at as an owner, but certainly, I need all my cars winning at some point. There are just too many resources, too many good people over there not to win more races, and certainly, I think we've underperformed as far as actual winning this year. We expect more, but a lot of it – I think we carry that burden.'
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
How to Watch LiUNA! 150: Live Stream NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. For the first time, Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, is set to host one of NASCAR's top three racing series as the Craftsman Truck Series heads to the track for the LiUNA! 150. This is a standalone event as the Cup Series and Xfinity Series are in Atlanta this weekend. Which Truck Series driver will get the win? Tanner Gray, driver of the #15 Place of Hope Toyota, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series LiUNA! 150 at Lime Rock Park on June 28, 2025 in Lakeville, Connecticut. Tanner Gray, driver of the #15 Place of Hope Toyota, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series LiUNA! 150 at Lime Rock Park on June 28, 2025 in Lakeville, Connecticut. Photo byHow to Watch LiUNA! 150 Date: Saturday, June 28, 2025 Time: 1:00 PM EDT Channel: FOX Stream: Fubo (Try for free) Last week at Pocono, Layne Riggs led 25 laps on his way to the win in the MillerTech Battery 200. Corey Heim looked to be on his way to another dominant victory after leading 48 laps, but he was tangled up in an incident and finished 23rd on the day. Heim still leads the overall point standings by 124 points over Chandler Smith. Daniel Hemric sits third in the standings at the moment, followed by Riggs and then Gran Enfinger in fifth. Kaden Honeycutt, Tyler Ankrum, Ty Majeski, Jake Garcia, and Stewart Friesen round out the current top 10. In addition to the series regulars, a number of new drivers will be racing this weekend. That includes Brent Crews, Ben Maier, William Lambros, and Wesley Slimp making their NASCAR debuts, while road course veterans Jordan Taylor and Cameron Waters will race as well. Tune in to FOX on Saturday for the LiUNA! 150. You can live stream this race on Fubo. Start your free trial now to get started watching the racing action. Live stream the LiUNA! 150 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
