NASCAR Power Rankings: Shane van Gisbergen Goes Back-to-Back

Shane van Gisbergen won his second race in a row and third of the season Sunday at Sonoma Raceway in another commanding road course performance from pole position. The Trackhouse Racing driver led from the start, dictating the race as it unfolded, leading 97 of 110 laps to tie Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell with three wins each so far this season. Van Gisbergen's potential on these tracks has been known since his stunning debut at Chicago in 2023 and his race execution is earning him victories now as a NASCAR Cup Series rookie. He still has much ground to cover on ovals, which comprise the majority of the schedule, though. 

Next up is a return to oval racing with the daunting Dover Motor Speedway looming large. While SVG got the job done where he needed, fantasy players should expect a return a more normalized running order this week. Denny Hamlin is the returning Dover victor, but the Hendrick Motorsports teammates will be lining up to unseat him as the race to the conclusion of the regular season marches on next week.

To keep up with all your favorite drivers and get updates throughout the race weekend, head to RotoWire's latest NASCAR news or follow @RotoWireNASCAR on X.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Sonoma

1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 1

Two road course races in a row with Shane van Gisbergen dominating both means little has changed at the top of the power rankings. Denny Hamlin had a mid-pack weekend, qualifying 16th and finishing Sunday's race 20th. Hamlin's strength doesn't come from road courses, though. The next few races go back to the ovals, which is where Hamlin has been top of the heap. With three top-five finishes from the last five races, he should be poised for more success at Dover and therefore remains atop the power rankings. Hamlin is a two-time winner at that track, and he led 136 laps there last season in the second of those victories.

2. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 3

Byron stopped his slide with his eighth-place finish Sunday at Sonoma. Prior to last week's race, Byron tallied three consecutive finishes outside of the top 25 as competitors ate into his points lead. Sunday's top-10 finish was Byron's 11th of the season and he still has a 14-point lead atop the standings. The No. 24 has been locked out of Victory Lane since winning the Daytona 500 in February, but peaking during the playoffs is the primary goal and continuing to land top finishes like Sonoma's will keep him on that path. He should have a good chance at Dover, too. Byron led 193 laps there in 2023 when he finished fourth.

3. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 5

A third-place finish Sunday at Sonoma gave Elliott his fourth top-five finish from the last five races and his seventh of the season so far. To date, Elliott still has not failed to finish in the top 20 this season, too. With a win in his pocket, this type of consistency is a good sign coming from the No. 9 camp as the playoffs inch nearer. Elliott leaves last week's race second in points just 14 behind teammate William Byron and gaining ground. That trend looks set to continue next week at Dover, too. Elliott is a two-time winner at that track with his last four visits all producing finishes of 11th or better. Elliott was fifth in that race last season despite starting 29th.

4. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 2

Defending Sonoma winner Kyle Larson should have had a chance to close the gap at the top of the standings Sunday, but it was ultimately a race to forget. Larson slipped backward once racing was underway and lost track position for the final stage after opting to stay out to collect stage points in the second segment. While racing in that final stage deep in traffic, Larson was caught up in multiple late-race incidents and limped to the checkered flag to finish a disappointing 35th. Larson has been in a tough patch with just one top-10 finish from the last five races. He needs to stop that slide at Dover, where he finished second last season, to retain his regular-season championship hopes.

5. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 5

Bell stopped his three-race slump of finishes 17th or worse Sunday at Sonoma with a fifth-place result from the 10th starting spot. Sunday's finish was his eighth top-five of the season, which is just one less than series leaders Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. Bell is tied at the top of the heap with Larson at 12 top-10s so far, too. Bell made a statement early in the season with three consecutive wins but hasn't visited Victory Lane since (excluding the All-Star Race). However, Sunday's top-five ended his worst three-race stretch of the season and puts wind in his sails for Dover where he has two top-10 finishes from six series visits.

6. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 6

What appeared to be another encouraging road course outing for Blaney turned for the worse late. After qualifying seventh and running inside the top 10 for most of the afternoon, Blaney was caught in one of the race's late crashes and exited early with a 36th-place finish. His two stage finishes comprised the majority of his points for the day. Expectations would have been tempered the last two races, but Sunday's DNF after an otherwise positive afternoon is a body blow. The next portion of the calendar should raise expectations again, though. Blaney led 47 laps and finished seventh at Dover last season and came home third the year before. 

7. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 7

Logano scored an 11th-place finish at Chicago and improved upon that last week at Sonoma with a finish of ninth. That was an improved two-race stretch for the No. 22 team that hadn't had back-to-back top-15 finishes since April. It still isn't where the defending champion would like to be, but results that match the car's competitiveness are beginning to come more frequently. There is still time to improve and expectations should be increasing over the next few races. Dover hasn't been Logano's strongest track, but another top-15 finish this coming week would be a sign the team is on the right track.

8. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 9

Briscoe elevated his road course status with a front-row qualifying effort at Sonoma. That effort was his second top-five start in a row after qualifying fifth at Chicago, and his runner-up finish in the race was his second road course top-10 of the season. While he didn't have anything for Shane van Gisbergen, Briscoe had enough to score stage points in both segments before claiming his seventh top-five of the season. The No. 19 team will be hoping that momentum carries over next week to Dover, too. Briscoe's best finish at that track was 13th in 2022, but the No. 19 won the race in 2023 and finished third last season with Martin Truex Jr. behind the wheel.

9. Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1

Last Week: 8

A top finish at Sonoma was the minimum expectation from Chastain. Despite qualifying fourth and winning the first stage, Chastain failed to capitalize on one of his best road courses and finished 24th, which was his worst finish at the track since his first in 2019. It was also the third time from the last four races that Chastain finished outside of the top 20. Perhaps even more frustrating was the fact that Chastain made contact with teammate Daniel Suarez early in the race, denting both drivers' hopes while teammate Shane van Gisbergen drove away at the front. Chastain heads to Dover needing to turn things around as the playoffs approach.

10. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: N/A

Last week's sixth-place finish was Reddick's third top-10 in a row, which is his longest top-10 streak of the season so far. The 23XI Racing driver remains in the playoff positions with the largest point total of non-winners. As regular-season races wind down without any new winners making the breakthrough, Reddick's playoff future will continue to solidify. However, a win would give him and the team some breathing room and assure the No. 45 of a shot at the championship. This week's trip to Dover could be a good barometer of that potential, too. Reddick finished 11th there last season, which was his third finish of 11th or better from the last four track visits.

Knocking on the Door

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88

Last Week: N/A

Another impressive road course outing earned Shane van Gisbergen his third race win of the 2025 season. There is no question that he is the best in the series at those types of tracks, but the playoffs don't feature a road course until the end of the second round. While SVG's average road course finish this season is 2.3, his average oval finish is just 26.8. His best was 14th at Charlotte in May. Unfortunately for the No. 88 team, only two road courses remain to be run this season. Last year, he finished 18th at Dover in the Xfinity Series, and fantasy players should expect his chances of visiting Victory Lane again to decrease heavily until Watkins Glen.

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: 10

Not only did Buescher's streak of top-10 finishes at road courses come to an end two weeks ago at Chicago, Sunday's 16th-place finish was Buescher's ended his three-race streak of top-10 finishes at Sonoma, too. The last two races were an opportunity for Buescher and the No. 17 team to put some more ground between themselves and the other teams fighting for one of the four remaining playoff spots. As it stands, Buescher now heads to Dover with a two-point margin over Alex Bowman. Just one more first-time winner this season not named Tyler Reddick would put Buescher in the thick of the battle on the cutline. Buescher and team must be careful but quick the rest of the regular season. 

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: N/A

Maximizing points every week is what Wallace has to do in order to be part of this season's championship playoffs, and that is exactly what he did Sunday at Sonoma. Wallace isn't known for success on road courses, and he didn't have the speed to compete at the front of the field. However, he and the team played their cards well and scored top-five finishes in both stages despite starting the race 30th. Wallace's 26 points earned Sunday was one more than playoff rival Ryan Preece, and Wallace heads to Dover 16th in the standings in the final playoff position with a three-point advantage over 17th.