SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Power Rankings

Pete Pistone will unveil Power Rankings each week of the NASCAR season. Check out this week’s edition of NASCAR Power Rankings below, and listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) on the SXM App now. Revisit previous editions of our Power Rankings here.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 came to a conclusion Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. Here’s a look at the Power Rankings after the Xfinity 500:

1. Ross Chastain

An insane move to run wide open against the wall through turns three and four will put Chastain on the NASCAR highlight reel for as long as there is a NASCAR. The spectacular move also was instrumental in getting Chastain into the Championship 4 as the storybook season for Trackhouse Racing rolls on.

Playoff Grid: 3rd
Last Week: 1st

2. Christopher Bell

For the second time in this year’s Playoffs Bell found himself in a must win situation to stay alive. He pulled it off at The Roval to get to the Round of 8 and then did it again Sunday in Martinsville. His third win of the year puts him into the Championship 4 with an opportunity to earn his first career Cup Series crown.

Playoff Grid: 2nd
Last Week: 9th

3. Joey Logano

No worries for Logano going into Martinsville with his Championship 4 berth already locked up thanks to his Las Vegas win to open the round. Logano didn’t lead any laps but came out of the race with a decent sixth place finish.

Playoff Grid: 1st
Last Week: 4th

4. Kyle Larson

Admittedly Martinsville is not one of Larson’s best tracks but he put that to rest over the weekend winning the pole, leading 68 laps and finishing second in the Xfinity 500. Larson has a win and a runner-up finish in the last two weeks as he ends the season strong.

Playoff Grid: 7th
Last Week: 3rd

5. Chase Elliott

A very average Round of 8 for Elliott ended with a top-10 Martinsville finish on a day when Elliott did pace the field for 54 laps and for the most part was in the front of the running order during the day. It wasn’t spectacular but good enough for Elliott to have a shot at Cup Series championship number two in Phoenix.

Playoff Grid: 4th
Last Week: 5th

6. Denny Hamlin

For a fourth straight year Hamlin will miss the Championship 4. He led a race-high 203 laps at Martinsville on Sunday and added a pair of stage wins to his resume. However it came down to execution and Hamlin’s team came up just short of earning a berth to run for the title Sunday at Phoenix.

Playoff Grid: 5th
Last Week: 2nd

7. Ryan Blaney

Time finally ran out for Blaney in his quest to run for a championship. There was speed in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford but even a third place finish wasn’t enough to keep Blaney’s title hopes alive and he was eliminated from the Playoffs when the checkered flag flew.

Playoff Grid: 8th
Last Week: 8th

8. Chase Briscoe

A bold pit strategy to not pit for tires gave Briscoe the lead late as he tried to keep his Cinderella story going in the Playoffs. However it wasn’t to be as a caution flag late derailed that strategy and the Stewart-Haas Racing driver ultimately came home ninth at Martinsville.

Playoff Grid: 10th
Last Week: 10th

9. William Byron

Some speed early kept Byron in the hunt for a Championship 4 Playoff berth. But despite his seventh place finish a top-10 Martinsville performance wasn’t enough to move the Hendrick Motorsports driver to the title race.

Playoff Grid: 6th
Last Week: 7th

10. Tyler Reddick

He left the race early complaining he just did not feel well inside the race car. Hopefully it’s nothing serious but Reddick’s day ended after just 188 laps with damage to the nose of his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and a 35th place finish.

Playoff Grid: 13th
Last Week: 6th

Dropped Out: None