Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Speedway was a very competitive race with 11 different leaders and 21 lead changes. Though Kyle Larson commanded most of the day with 129 laps led, Denny Hamlin's No. 11 team overcame adversity and gave their driver the best car for the final laps. On the final restart, Hamlin passed both Larson and Chase Briscoe in the final 10 laps to seize control and claim the first of the four spots that will have a shot at the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix. His No. 11 Toyota was not the dominant car through the race, but it was best when it mattered, which may have answered some of the questions about Hamlin's title chances after he finished the last race of the prior round just 23rd. As it stands, Hamlin is the only driver assured of a spot in the finals and claiming that spot early gives his team the advantage of extra preparation time.
Two races remain to fill the other three positions alongside the No. 11. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have the most work to do while William Byron and Chase Elliott also have to make up ground. Next on the quest is imposing Talladega Superspeedway where anything could happen and disaster lurks in every mile. Only 15 points span the cutline to make the championship four and every point in the next two races will matter as the remaining seven playoff contenders fight to
Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Speedway was a very competitive race with 11 different leaders and 21 lead changes. Though Kyle Larson commanded most of the day with 129 laps led, Denny Hamlin's No. 11 team overcame adversity and gave their driver the best car for the final laps. On the final restart, Hamlin passed both Larson and Chase Briscoe in the final 10 laps to seize control and claim the first of the four spots that will have a shot at the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix. His No. 11 Toyota was not the dominant car through the race, but it was best when it mattered, which may have answered some of the questions about Hamlin's title chances after he finished the last race of the prior round just 23rd. As it stands, Hamlin is the only driver assured of a spot in the finals and claiming that spot early gives his team the advantage of extra preparation time.
Two races remain to fill the other three positions alongside the No. 11. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have the most work to do while William Byron and Chase Elliott also have to make up ground. Next on the quest is imposing Talladega Superspeedway where anything could happen and disaster lurks in every mile. Only 15 points span the cutline to make the championship four and every point in the next two races will matter as the remaining seven playoff contenders fight to join Hamlin with a chance to race for the championship at Phoenix.
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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Las Vegas
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 6
Hamlin rocketed back to the top of the power rankings with a vital victory at Las Vegas to earn the first of four spots in the championship finale. The win was the 60th of Hamlin's career and his sixth of the season, reversing Toyota's win drought at the track. Most importantly, it gives the No. 11 team two extra weeks of preparation for the championship race compared to the competition, though. At Phoenix, Hamlin has two career victories with the most recent being 2019. He finished second at the track earlier this season when he finished behind teammate Christopher Bell. That finish was also his first Phoenix top-five since 2021. With six wins and one of the four championship spots already in hand, this year's title chance could be shaping up to be one of Hamlin's best.
2. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 3
Despite an excellent race, Larson left Las Vegas short of what he hoped to achieve. After starting sixth and winning the second stage, Larson led a total of 129 laps in a confident performance but missed out on the race win. That shortcoming may come back to haunt him, but the points taken from Sunday's race put the No. 5 team in good position with two races remaining to finalize the remaining championship spots. Heading to Talladega, Larson sits second in the standings with 35 points separating him from the cut zone. Larson has also been improving on superspeedways, too. He has just three top-five finishes from 21 Talladega races, but two of those came in the last two races. He finished second there April and was sixth at Daytona in August. The next two races will be tricky, but Larson's return to form continues at the perfect time.
3. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 2
Sunday's third-place finish was the third in a row for Bell as he continues his quest to be one of the four championship contenders still standing at Phoenix. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver qualified third for Sunday's race, scored points in both stages, and claimed his 13th top-five finish of the season. After one race in the elimination round, Bell sits third in the standings, 20 points to safety. Despite not spending a ton of time leading races, Bell's consistency is a difference maker. He has not finished lower than seventh since Darlington, and that could be enough to see him through to the championship race. First, he will have to navigate Talladega's unpredictability, though. Despite having two poles at the track, his best finish was fifth in 2021. He crashed out of the race there earlier this season but finished sixth there last fall.
4. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 5
With a spot in the championship finale up for grabs, Briscoe stepped up his aggression in a bid to claim one. The driver of the No. 19 started Sunday's race on the front row and had his elbows out as he fought hard to be at the front throughout the race, even attempting a two-tire stop at the end in a bid to win. He led 57 laps in total and scored points in both stages on his way to the fourth spot at the finish. It was his 14th top-five finish of the season, which ties him for most so far with teammate Denny Hamlin. After Las Vegas, Briscoe holds the final transfer spot with a 15-point gap between he and William Byron in fifth. Every point could make a difference in making it to Phoenix in contention or not, but with one race in the round complete, Briscoe is taking the advantage. He might need it, too. From nine Talladega visits, Briscoe has just two top-10 finishes.
5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 4
Winning a championship requires consistency and very few, if any, mistakes. Elliott has had both of those traits most of this season, but issues on pit road Sunday at Las Vegas put him in a hole to start the final round of playoff eliminations. Elliott started the race on the second row and scored stage points in the race's first segment. A penalty for an uncontrolled tire put him a lap down and derailed his day, though. By the end of the race, Elliott was just 18th, which ended a three-race run of top-10 finishes. He now has two races to recover and claw his way forward from sixth in the standings, but he must overcome a 23-point deficit to be one of the four championship finalists. Elliott does have wins at both tracks to come, though. At Talladega, he finished fifth earlier this season, too. While it isn't over yet, the mistakes from Las Vegas will make the task more difficult.
6. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 1
An early tire failure and crash Sunday at Las Vegas severely dented Blaney's championship hopes. The Team Penske driver was the first driver out of Sunday's race, losing significant ground in the playoff battle. After one race in the final elimination round, Blaney now sits last among the remaining competitors without a top-10 finish since his win at New Hampshire three races ago. Blaney is now 31 points behind the championship positions, and any further missteps are likely to put him in a must-win situation to be one of the four Phoenix finalists. The good news is that Blaney is one of the best superspeedway drivers in the series with Talladega the next stop on the schedule. Blaney is a three-time winner at that track, but he crashed out of the last two races there. A win would instantly change his trajectory, though.
7. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: 7
While the No. 24 was a contender to win Sunday's visit to Las Vegas, a miscue on the final pit cycle ended the team's day prematurely. While Byron was racing for the lead, Ty Dillon slowed on his way to pit road with Byron behind. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was caught off guard and slammed into the back of Dillon's car, taking both drivers out of the race. Byron's stage win and 55 laps led amounted to just 19 points on the day, leaving him fifth in the standings and 15 points behind the championship four. The No. 24 team must recover quickly and capitalize on every opportunity in the next two races to get to Phoenix as a title contender. At Talladega, they have a great chance to do that, too. Byron hasn't finished lower than seventh in his last five visits to that circuit with his last two races being third-place finishes.
8. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: 8
The No. 22 squeaked into the final eight in the playoffs two weeks ago at Charlotte and went on to claim their 11th top-10 finish of the season at Las Vegas. It wasn't an ideal outing, but they avoided mistakes and took advantage of the problems of a few other playoff contenders. That outcome is a nice platform to build from as they head to a track they have been very powerful at. Logano is a four-time winner at Talladega, and he has been very quick at superspeedways all season. While the race results haven't come at those tracks yet in 2025, Logano has led a combined total of 228 superspeedway laps this season including Atlanta. By maintaining that speed and avoiding trouble next week, Logano could be in position to win his way to Phoenix. That task is certainly easier said than done, but Logano and team have demonstrated the speed to do so all season.
9. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 9
Reddick may no longer be a 2025 championship contender, but he continues to demonstrate race-winning pace as the season draws to a close. Sunday at Las Vegas, Reddick was one of the faster machines throughout the distance, claiming stage points in both segments and a fifth-place finish when all was said and done, the only non-playoff contender to finish in the top five. That result was his third top-10 in a row and it puts him ninth in the standings, best of the rest after the eight remaining playoff contenders. He may not have a win yet this season but Reddick may still get one before the year is out if he continues to run as he has. He is a former winner at Talladega and finished 14th there earlier this season. He and the team will continue to race for a win to carry into the winter as they begin working toward 2026.
10. Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48
Last Week: N/A
Bowman and the No. 48 team scored their 16th top-10 of the season Sunday at Las Vegas. After flirting with breaking back into the power rankings in recent weeks, Bowman made the breakthrough with Sunday's admirable outing. He qualified 12th for the race and made the right decisions throughout the race to work his way into a confident finish and his second top-10 in the last five races. Unfortunately, his championship hopes came to a premature end with a horrible start to the playoffs, but Bowman and team have worked to right the ship since and are showing progress for their efforts. The question is whether or not that progress can continue at Talladega. Bowman was a top-10 finisher there earlier this season, which will give him belief for the week ahead.
Knocking on the Door
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: 10
The South Point 400 was shaping up to be a good result after failing to advance the playoff battle. The No. 23 was generally among the top 10 throughout the day, but slipped backward in the final stage to finish a disappointing 22nd. That was the third finish worse than 20th from the last five races for him and doubly so considering how competitive he has been on those types of tracks in his career. He should still have reason to be optimistic, though. Wallace has also been very competitive at superspeedways and Talladega is on deck. He is a former winner there and his last two visits ended with top-10 finishes. Repeating that next week could push him back into the top 10 of these power rankings.
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88
Last Week: N/A
Prior to crashing in the final laps of Sunday's visit to Las Vegas, Van Gisbergen showed continued progress on the ovals. He qualified 13th for Sunday's race, beating out both Trackhouse Racing teammates as the grid was set. Throughout the race's 400 miles, he raced among the top 15, easily better than his average oval finish so far this season. Then, a late caution gave his team the chance to gamble on a two-tire stop that set him up with a top-five position with a little over 20 laps remaining. All that work came to an end when contact with Ty Gibbs on the resulting restart took SVG out of the race. Still, it was an encouraging day for the No. 88 team as they continue to progress on ovals. Adding that piece to their arsenal for 2026 could push them deeper into the playoffs in the seasons to come.
Austin Cindric, Team Penske No. 2
Last Week: N/A
Cindric recovered from a terrible starting spot at Las Vegas to finish 11th as one of the biggest movers in the race. It was an encouraging day after being eliminated form the playoffs the week before. The No. 2 team should be optimistic about their chances next week, too. The Team Penske Fords have been powerful at the superspeedways all season, and Cindric can put that strength to use to grab another top finish, or potential win, before the season concludes. Cindric won the spring race at Talladega in April and has been one of the better drivers in the draft throughout his NASCAR career. His success next week could also take a top finishing spot away from his teammates' playoff competition, too. There is still a lot for the No. 2 team to race for in the coming weeks.
