NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Elliott Takes Last-Gasp Kansas Win

Toyotas dominated Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The manufacturer led a combined 235 of 273 laps, sweeping both stage victories at the hands of Denny Hamlin. Late restarts also had Toyota in prime position to win the race, but a charge for the lead from Hamlin resulted in last-lap contact between he and Bubba Wallace. The contact scrubbed the pair's momentum, leaving the bottom of the track wide open for Chase Elliott to storm through to claim the race win at the line. 

It was a bitter pill to swallow considering how competitive Toyota was, but for Hamlin it was especially difficult. It was the second week in a row he had contact with a fellow Toyota driver, and Sunday's incident handed victory to a Chevrolet at a critical moment in the championship. 

With one race remaining to finalize the field of eight drivers that will race for a spot in the championship finale, Ross Chastain -14, Bubba Wallace -27, Tyler Reddick -35, and Austin Cindric -49 are all facing elimination. Only Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott have their fates secured. The remaining playoff contenders will all have to do some work to do next week at Charlotte's ROVAL to claim one of the six remaining playoff spots. Kyle Larson won there last season, but Shane van Gisbergen's road course dominance this season could leave the door open for some playoff surprises.

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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Kansas

1. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 1

The Kansas race weekend didn't start well for Blaney when a tire failure in practice put him in the wall and into a back-up car for the race. The issue left him to start the race last, and it was an uphill fight for the team all afternoon. However, with perseverance, Blaney moved forward and was able to score stage points in the race's second segment. That decent recovery fell apart late in the race when Blaney was penalized for speeding on pit road, though. In the end, Blaney finished 24th as the last car on the lead lap. While it would have been preferable to maintain momentum with a top finish, the weekend has no impact on the team's playoff standings. Blaney is one of the final eight championship contenders and still has one more week to continue his preparation for the fight to be one of the final four contenders at Phoenix.

2. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 3

Briscoe's string of excellent results continued Sunday at Kansas. Despite not being as dominant as as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Briscoe still qualified on pole, led 19 laps, and scored stage points in both opportunities. His fourth-place finish in the race was his third top-five and fifth top-10 in the last five races, too. While not fully secure in advancing, the No. 19 team is giving themselves every opportunity to do so. With one race remaining in the round, Briscoe is 26 points clear of drop zone. Nothing is assured yet, but the double-digit advantage is a nice one to have. They may need every inch of that advantage, too. The Charlotte ROVAL has not been a good track for Briscoe in the past. From four series tries, his best finish was ninth in 2022 and his average result there is just 23.8. 

3. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 4

Sunday was a dominant afternoon for Hamlin and his No. 11 team. The playoff contender qualified on the front row and went on to lead 159 of 273 laps, winning both stages along the way despite suffering steering issues. Sunday's points will be crucial considering the disappointment that Hamlin's race will be remembered for, though. In the closing laps, Hamlin was racing for the win amongst JGR teammates and fellow 23XI Toyotas. In the final corners, while racing for the lead against Bubba Wallace, Hamlin understeered up the track and made contact with the car he co-owns, scrubbing speed from both drivers and opening the door to Chase Elliott, who went on to win. It was the second week in a row where controversial contact involved the No. 11, which is distraction Hamlin could do without as he continues searching for his first series title. 

4. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 8

After failing to capitalize on a quick car at Kansas in May, Elliott used four fresh tires and some aggressive moves to push his way to Victory Lane Sunday. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was consistently among the top runners throughout the afternoon but lost time on the race's longer fuel runs. Before the final restarts, the No. 9 team opted for a four-tire stop that gave Elliott the grip advantage he needed in the final short runs to the checkered flag, though. With some aggressive passes and a little luck, Elliott sailed into the lead, hip-checking Hamlin to the line to win and advance to the next round of the playoffs. With pressure to get a result off of his shoulders this week, Elliott can focus on building momentum for the next playoff round at one of his best circuits. He is a two-time winner at the Charlotte ROVAL, and he finished fifth in last year's race.

5. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 2

Last week's race was one to endure for Byron. He started 11th but struggled through much of the race. The team dug deep and worked through the problems to salvage a ninth-place finish, though. It was Byron's second top-10 finish of the playoff round, but the day's struggles show how much work is left to be done in the No. 24 camp to be championship finalists. First, they need to ensure they advance next week at Charlotte, though. Byron missed out on stage points Sunday but retains a 45-point margin to safety heading into the final race of this playoff round. At that track, Byron has five finishes of 11th or better from seven tries including second- and third-place finishes in the last two races, but the team must find pace from the car quickly to have a say in the title battle.

6. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 7

Bell's third-place finish Sunday was his fourth top-10 finish in as many races. After starting the playoffs feeling a step behind his teammates, Bell has now closed the gap and is in good position to advance among the final eight contenders. Throughout Sunday's race, Bell ran inside the top five, scoring valuable stage points in both segments. It was a confident afternoon that leaves Bell fifth in the playoff standings with one race remaining to decide the final eight. Bell is 59 points clear of the elimination zone heading to a track where he won in 2022 and finished second at last season. Everything seems to be on track for the No. 20 team right now with room to continue improving. While there is still work to do, the No. 20 team have put themselves in an ideal position to have a chance to race for a place among the final four.

7. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 5

After dominating at Kansas in May and qualifying third for Sunday's return race, Larson drove to a sixth-place finish. It wasn't a bad result for the former champion, but the Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolets were a step behind Toyota and time to regain the advantage is running out. Larson remains in a strong position in the standings, and should comfortably advance to the final round of eliminations before the championship race. However, Larson remains winless since that first Kansas race in May. The coming week's trip to Charlotte could be an inflection point, though. Larson is a two-time winner at Charlotte's road course, including last season's race. While there is work to be done to get to the finale, Larson and team have themselves in good position to advance with one of their best tracks ahead and time to turn up the competitiveness.

8. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 6

Last week's stop at Kansas cost Logano some of his advantage in the battle to advance in the playoffs. That slip will make Charlotte a more nervous weekend than it should have been. Damage during practice forced Logano to the back of the pack to start Sunday's race. While he was able to move forward once racing got underway, a late restart crash collected the defending champion and dropped him to the 21st-place finishing spot. Looking ahead to next week's cutoff race, Logano sits eighth in the standings with just 14 points separating him from safety. That is a fine margin to manage with the season on the line. The good news is that Charlotte has been good for Logano in the past. He has two top-fives and six top-10s from seven series tries. However, the team cannot afford any mistakes.

9. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: 9

Reddick and the No. 45 crew put together a convincing showing Sunday at Kansas, but the result they were aiming for was too far out of their reach. Reddick qualified 12th for the race and worked his way to the front as the finish approached. However, his seventh-place finish and a lack of stage points leaves him in a difficult position heading to Charlotte. Reddick is 11th in the standings and needs to overcome a 35-point deficit next week to advance. That isn't insurmountable for him, though. Reddick is typically competitive at road courses and has never finished lower than 12th at the ROVAL. He started on the front row the last two visits to the track, too. Elimination from the championship fight isn't a foregone conclusion for Reddick this week, but he will still need to use all of his strength, and get a little luck, at Charlotte to pull through.

10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: 10

Contact with team owner Denny Hamlin in the final turns of Sunday's playoff race may have ruined Wallace's best chance at advancing in the title fight. The 23XI Racing driver started the race seventh and put himself at the front of the field in the final miles with a chance to win, but two subsequent overtime restarts were too much to endure. While racing side-by-side in the final turns, Hamlin and Wallace made contact and Wallace lost his momentum against the outside wall, letting Elliott through for the win and dropping Wallace to a fifth-place finish. While the finish was Wallace's third top-10 from the last five races, he heads into the final race of the elimination round 10th in points and 27 points behind the top eight positions. Wallace has his work cut out for him this week at the ROVAL where his best prior finish was seventh in 2022.

Knocking on the Door

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1

Last Week: N/A

Chastain backed up last week's ninth-place finish with an 11th-place run Sunday at Kansas. He scored points in both of the race's stages, too. As a result, Chastain has a fighting chance to advance even further in the playoff battle if things go his way at Charlotte. Just 14 points segregate him from Joey Logano and a spot among the final eight championship contenders, and that is a gap Chastain and his No. 1 team will feel they can overcome. Chastain has finished in the top 10 at both Watkins Glen and Chicago already this season, and he finished 10th at the ROVAL in the 2023 race. This year hasn't been the best for the No. 1 team, but finding a way to advance next week would be an encouraging sign that gives the organization even more momentum to finish the season with.

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88

Last Week: N/A

With a road course next up on the schedule, fantasy players would naturally start talking about Van Gisbergen. After his 10th-place finish at Kansas Sunday, they're talking about him anyway. SVG has been dominant on road courses this season and could have advanced in the playoffs if his oval finishes were a bit better. Sunday's race shows that he is figuring that piece of the puzzle out. While he is already out of the championship picture this year, SVG is improving on all types of circuits and could be an even bigger face in the championship picture if that trend continues. As it is, the coming week's ROVAL race should be another good one for the New Zealander. He qualified on pole at the track for last year's race and finished seventh. He has four road course wins already this year and will be favorite to add one more to that tally next week.

Austin Cindric, Team Penske No. 2

Last Week: N/A

Cindric and his No. 2 Team Penske team are facing playoff elimination next week at Charlotte after a miserable race weekend at Kansas. Unapproved adjustments forced Cindric to start the day 26th, and he was not able to overcome the disadvantage. Cindric missed out on stage points as he struggled to find his way in the race, and a late accident collected him to make things even worse. The 30th-place finish with just seven points taken from the day leaves the No. 2 in a must-win situation this week at Charlotte. From three prior ROVAL efforts, Cindric's average finish is 16.7. His best finish at the track came last season when he finished fourth. He will need an even better day than that next week in order to keep his playoff hopes alive.