Tyler Reddick dominated another NASCAR race this week, earning his fourth win of the season and we’re just six points shy of the race on the year. Reddick is clearly the best driver in NASCAR at the moment, so the question really is, who is chasing him this season?
Let’s dive into our NASCAR Power Rankings right now, evaluating the 10 best drivers after Darlington.
1. Tyler Reddick (First: 1)
The No. 45 car was clearly the fastest all weekend at Darlington Raceway. What stood out about Tyler Reddick’s performance in the Goodyear 400 was his ability to overcome electrical issues that required a new battery and left him at the back of the field, allowing him to race back through the pack to reach Victory Lane for the fourth time this season. It should come as no surprise that Redick leads the Cup Series in average starting position (7.33) and average finishing position (4.17), while boasting the second-most quality passes in the series (664). With a 95-point lead over second, it seems inevitable to win the regular season championship, which would be Redick’s second in three years.
RELATED: The state of the NASCAR Cup Series right now
2. Ryan Blaney (1st: 7)
Frustration is growing in the number 22 car. For the second time in three weeks, Ryan Blaney had to drop to the back of the lead-lap field because his tire changer did not have the left wheel securely in place, forcing him to pit in a teammate’s stall. As Fox noted, Blaney’s pit crew was ranked 33rd among the 36 full-time teams coming into Sunday’s Goodyear 400, and their performance at Darlington will likely drop them further. It’s a testament to Blaney that he continues to get the hang of it, most recently with a third-place finish and 42 points on Sunday. Blaney has claimed an average finishing position of 5.6 over the last five races and has earned 194 points during that span. He has two finishes in the top 10 (four) and is one of only three drivers to record stage points in all six races this season.
RELATED: Goodyear 400 winners, losers, including Ryan Blaney’s pit crew
3. Bubba Wallace (First: 4)
Moving Bubba Wallace up a spot after his worst finish of the season (34th) at Darlington will surely seem absurd to some. However, take a closer look at what happened last weekend. Wallace finished second in the No. 23 car and then finished fourth in Stage 1, positioning himself for another top-five points day. Unfortunately, during a pit stop under caution after Stage 1, the No. 23 team’s pit crew made a mistake changing the left-front tire. Wallace had to return to his stall halfway through the exit to secure the tyre. This dropped him out of the top 15, and as he started climbing back up – showing the car’s speed – Denny Hamlin ran into Erik Jones and then the No. 23 car and he hit the wall. There was no real control of the car after that, but Wallace still finished with the fastest lap of the race, he leads the Cup Series in stage points (60), and he has the second most top 10 finishes.
Connected: Bubba Wallace addresses NASCAR fighting penalty after Daniel Suarez incident
4. William Byron (1st: 8)
It hasn’t exactly been a banner start to the season for Hendrick Motorsports. However, William Byron and the No. 24 team are at least trying their best to get things back on track. While the car setup was obviously never good enough to win the Goodyear 400, Byron still came away from Darlington with his third consecutive top 10 finish, earning 115 points during that span. Let’s also keep in mind that he was the only HMS driver to make the top 10. Through six races, Byron ranks in the top five in both average finishing position (11.83) and average mid-race position (10.5), while ranking seventh in stage points (40).
RELATED: Goodyear 400 results from Darlington, total points and stage results today
5. Denny Hamlin (1st: 3)
After three consecutive top-10 finishes, including a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the No. 11 car had to settle for an 11th-place finish at Darlington without any stage points. Denny Hamlin was fortunate that the No. 11 suffered minimal damage when he arrived behind Erik Jones. However, they later reported a rattling noise coming from the car, and required an extended pit stop to investigate. An 11th-place finish is good enough, and it certainly won’t hurt Hamlin too much on a day when Kyle Larson finished behind. Still, Hamlin might want to consider himself lucky to come out of it with 26 points.
RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series stage winners 2026, full season stats
6. Ty Gibbs (1st:9)
The hot streak continues for Ty Gibbs, and it’s an incredible feeling for Joe Gibbs Racing and the No. 54 team. After a poor performance in qualifying, Gibbs improved from his 28th-place starting position to 16th in Stage 1 and then ninth in Stage 2. He continued to climb from there, using the closing quarters of the Goodyear 400 to finish sixth, narrowly missing out on making four consecutive races inside the top 5. While that streak ended, JGR will happily take the 156 points and 4.75 average finishing position. He scored a combined 15 points in the last four races and finished 23rd or worse in the first two races.
7. Christopher Bell (First: 2)
Whatever was planned for the No. 20 car at Darlington failed miserably and adjustments to the race did not help. It may not have been up to Joey Logano’s level, but it certainly felt like it considering how well the other Joe Gibbs Racing cars performed this weekend. Christopher Bell finished 22nd, just ahead of teammate Chase Briscoe. In Stage 1, Briscoe finished 14th and Bell finished 18th. In Stage 2, Briscoe finished fourth and Bell finished 14th. Briscoe ultimately finished the day in 12th place, while Bell finished 19th. It was a huge disappointment after three consecutive races where the No. 20 finished fourth or better.
8. Chase Elliott (First: 5)
For the second time in three races, the No. 9 team found a way to keep Chase Elliott from breaking into the top-10. Elliott finished 3rd at Darlington and he scored 4 points in Stage 1, but whatever calls crew chief Alan Gustafson made with the No. 9 did not work. Elliott struggled to finish only 15th on Sunday, losing a promising starting spot. We can’t really blame Elliott here, but it feels like every few weeks something happens to the team that costs him.
9. Kyle Larson (1st: 6)
Kyle Larson looked strong early on at Darlington, finishing fifth in Stage 1 and third in Stage 2 and going into the final 50 laps of the Goodyear 400 to secure himself the third-most stage points (14). Unfortunately for the No. 5 team, something went wrong again. Larson, in 11th place, suffered a right rear injury in the closing stages and had to nurse it around the track before eventually pitting. By the time the checkered flag waved, a potential top-12 finish changed to 32nd. The issue broke a three-race run of top-10 finishes and took away more than 20 points from him. Between the tire issue and the crash a few weeks ago, Larson has lost so many points that he is currently 10th in the standings.
10. Brad Keselowski (Previously: Unranked)
Brad Keselowski didn’t have the fastest car at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, but the veteran certainly made the most of his trip to the iconic track. The No. 6 took his first two stage wins of the season, with both great strategy and some lucky timing helping him do so. He has now finished in the top 10 in each of the last two races, and has a pair of top five finishes on the year. Now heading to one of his best tracks, another top five could be on the way for Keselowski.
#drivers #Darlington
