NASCAR Power Rankings: Austin Dillon Gets Richmond Redemption

Austin Dillon is extended his reputation as a clutch winner with another trip to Victory Lane at Richmond Saturday night to force his way into the playoff positions. The triumph comes with sweet redemption, too. Last season, in the same race, Dillon was one of the top performing cars when things started slipping away late in the running. An aggressive drive forward, knocking multiple contenders out of his way, led him to Victory Lane but NASCAR stripped his playoff entry as a punishment for crossing the line with the forceful driving. This time, Dillon left no ambiguity in the situation, driving away from the other top contenders in the final miles to assure himself of competing for this season's title. That victory took away one more of the 16 playoff spots, though. Only two remain with Daytona the only race left for drivers to win their way into the playoff conversation. William Byron won there earlier this season, and he returns next week with the regular-season championship locked up after his 12th-place Richmond finish, too. 

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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Richmond

1. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 1

Richmond wasn't the greatest race out of William Byron this season but it was enough. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started the night 14th and finished 12th, with some stage points, despite getting caught in the biggest accident of the race. The team worked through the inconvenience and had enough in them at the end to clinch the regular-season championship, too. It may not have been the smoothest race, but not giving up gave the team yet another jewel in their 2025 season's crown. Up next is a return to where they grabbed their first - Daytona. Byron won his second Daytona 500 to start the 2025 season and now he returns as regular season champion. It doesn't get much better than that, and the playoffs are yet to come.

2. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 2

Multiple mistakes made Saturday night at Richmond a atypical one for Hamlin. The Virginia native has been one of the best at the circuit, but an issue on pit road put him back in traffic relatively early in the race. That loss of track position compounded his trouble when a multi-car accident collected him late in the second stage. From there, Hamlin and team played damage control, and their 10th-place finish was an admirable escape from what could have been a complete disaster. Making the most of adverse situations can be the difference between advancing or not once the playoffs arrive, and Saturday's trouble may be a silver lining in that the team gained some more muscle memory of how to recover in the face of adversity.

3. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 3

Never before had Blaney scored a top-five finish at Richmond, but Saturday he led home the Team Penske trio from third. Not only was it Blaney's best finish at Richmond, but it was also his fifth straight finish of eighth or better. The current championship format requires drivers to be at their best at the perfect moment, and Blaney and his No. 12 team seem to be achieving that standard now. Even better is that they have a superspeedway separating them from now and the playoffs, a track format they know they can win at. Blaney won at Daytona in 2021 and led 23 laps on his way to a seventh-place finish there earlier this season. This could be the team to watch when the championship battle truly gets underway at Darlington.

4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 5

Larson has not been the same since his attempt at the Memorial Day weekend double at Indianapolis and Charlotte. His last victory came two weeks prior to that double attempt at Kansas. Since then, he has been a bit more inconsistent and not often in contention for race wins. That situation wasn't drastically different Saturday night at Richmond, but his sixth-place finish stopped a two-race slide of results outside of the top 25. That turnaround was great timing considering the next race is at a track he has had his share of struggles at. His runner-up finish at Talladega in April and third-place finish at Atlanta will make him feel he can get something out of the coming week's trip to Daytona, which is a necessity with the playoffs getting underway just one week later at Darlington.

5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 4

After an incredible run of consistency throughout the regular season, Elliott recorded his first DNF of the year Saturday night. While racing in traffic in the second stage, Elliott nearly cleared the biggest accident of the race but was clipped from behind just when he was nearly clear. One DNF wouldn't normally be anything to be concerned about, except that Saturday's result comes just one week after Elliott's incredible run of top-20 finishes all season came to an end, too. This is now two weeks of adversity that the No. 9 team has not yet experienced this season with only one race to go to get everything shored up before the championship battle begins. Elliott and his No. 9 team have to turn things around quickly to be a championship threat and their momentum is heading the wrong direction.

6. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 6

Contact while battling deep in traffic left Briscoe spinning with contact. It wasn't shaping up to be a bad night for the No. 19 before that incident, though. Briscoe qualified 19th and then soldiered on after the second stage accident to rally for a 13th-place finish in the race. The result wasn't what fantasy players were hoping for, but it wasn't s bad as it could have been given the circumstances. Briscoe still has four top-15 finishes from the last five races with one more race to go before the playoff battle gets underway. Compared with other playoff contenders, that isn't a terrible place to be. However, Briscoe will need to tread carefully at Daytona. It may be a throwaway race given his position in the standings, but momentum can be a valuable thing, especially on the eve of the championship fight.

7. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 8

Saturday night's race was a relatively quiet one for Logano, which wound up being a bonus considering the excitement of other championship contenders. Logano, a former Richmond winner, started 38th after a flat front tire sent him into the wall in practice and kept him from turning a qualifying lap. The team recovered from another flat tire in the race and marched through the field to finish fourth as the biggest movers on the night. It was a complete reversal of fortune on the weekend and gives the No. 22 a little taste of much needed momentum with one race remaining before the playoffs begin. Logano and team should be very confident ahead of the final race, too. The No. 22 has been consistently competitive at Daytona and could be top contenders for the win with a bit more good fortune.

8. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 7

Saturday night wasn't going poorly for Bell after starting eighth and adding stage points in the first segment. His biggest trouble came on a late stop when the team failed to secure the left-front wheel before Bell left the box. Catastrophe was averted when Bell backed back up into the box to make sure the wheel was attached, but the damage was already done. He restarted at the back of the pack and wasn't able to move forward after the incident and picked up another pit road penalty later in the race, too. Bell's 21st-place finish was his third finish worse than 15th from the last five races and first outside the top 20 since Chicago. However, Bell's playoff confidence will remain high. The team has another week to shore things up and ensure they can make it all the way to Phoenix in contention, where Bell scored his first victory of the season.

9. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: 9

Wallace's run of four straight top-10 finishes came to an end after a problem in the pits that resulted in a loose wheel. That trouble didn't come before the playoff entrant finished second in the first stage, first in the second stage, and led 123 total laps, though. Wallace and his No. 23 team had significant pace Saturday night at Richmond, but fell prey to a pit mistake that cost them the ability to capitalize on it. Mistakes like Saturday's must be avoided in the coming weeks if they hope to advance through the championship eliminations. However, the car appears to have the speed to compete on a regular basis. If issues like Saturday's can be avoided in the coming weeks, Wallace could be looking at a long stay in playoff contention.

10. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 10

A front-row qualifying effort led to Reddick's second stage victory of the season as he outdueled Denny Hamlin for the segment win. In total, Reddick led 41 laps but an accident in the second stage proved to be his undoing, forcing him into a 34th-place finish. Reddick's points throughout the regular season still have him in a comfortable position despite Austin Dillon disrupting the playoff standings, though. With just one race remaining to finalize the 16 championship contenders, Reddick sits 15th in the standings with a 29-point advantage over Alex Bowman in 16th. Barring a major disaster at Daytona, or a combination of unlikely scenarios in a single race, Reddick remains poised to be one of the championship contenders. Improvement will be needed to remain in contention to the end, though.

Knocking on the Door

Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing No. 3

Last Week: N/A

Last year. Dillon won at Richmond, but NASCAR stripped his playoff qualification due to his aggressive driving to the victory. This season, he righted the perceived injustice and pieced together another clutch victory in the dying embers of the regular season to claim a spot among the championship contenders. Prior to Saturday night's race, Dillon was 25th in the standings with a best finish seventh at Texas in May. However, his results have been improving in recent weeks with a 10th-place finish at Iowa and two 15th-place runs at Dover and Watkins Glen. This team needs significant improvement to advance in the playoffs, but their convincing win Saturday bought them a ticket to the dance.

Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48

Last Week: N/A

A new winner Saturday night threw a little shade on Alex Bowman's second-place finish, but the Hendrick driver remains in a confident position to advance to the playoffs. In fact, Bowman's fourth top-10 finish from the last five races and sixth from the last eight. That type of finishing form is worthy of a playoff contender and Bowman needs to survive just one more week to make that a reality. Even better is that the Hendrick Chevrolets have had the upper hand at Daytona. Bowman's teammate won the Daytona 500 in February and Bowman finished sixth himself. The Hendrick teammates are likely to be among the favorites to win next week's race, and as long as there is no new winner again next week, Bowman should be one of your playoff participants.

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: N/A

A 30th-place finish and a new winner was the worst-case scenario for Buescher's playoff hopes. Saturday night's race at Richmond should have been a chance to pad his points cushion ahead of the playoff bubble. Instead, Buescher now faces a must-win situation next week at Daytona in order to have a chance to compete for the title. With Austin Dillon's vault into the playoff positions, Buescher now sits 60 points out of the playoff spots with no path forward other than a trip to Victory Lane next Saturday night. While it has been a valiant season's effort from him and the team, a race win has proven to be elusive and that looks to be the difference between being part of the championship fight or not at the moment.