The final race of the second round of playoff eliminations was a strategic affair at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Tyler Reddick narrowly edged out Shane van Gisbergen for pole and the race was a competitive affair with varying strategies and close racing to the line. Somewhat unsurprising was Van Gisbergen leading the most laps and winning, but it wasn't as easy for him as many expected it to be. Six different drivers led laps and SVG had to come from behind multiple times to get the job done, taking the lead from Kyle Larson for the final time with just 12 laps remaining. The victory, coming too late to keep the No. 88 in the playoffs, was the team's fifth of the season, tying for most so far alongside Denny Hamlin. The race also saw the elimination of Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric from the playoffs.
The coming week sets the stakes higher than at any point yet in the season with a spot among the final four championship contenders on offer to any of the eight remaining playoff drivers to claim via victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Josh Berry took victory at the track in March, and the highest-placed playoff contender in that race still eligible for the championship this week was William Byron in fourth. The fight to be one of those four championship contenders at Phoenix promises to be one of the tightest battles of the season with just 28 points separating Denny Hamlin at the top of the standings from defending champion Joey Logano in eighth.
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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Charlotte
1. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 1
Sunday's ROVAL race was a quiet but productive one for Blaney. Having already advanced in the playoff battle, Blaney and team entered the weekend with the luxury of not needing a result. A smooth and productive day, with a stage win, should give him and the team some momentum heading into the final three-race elimination round, though. While Blaney does have a ROVAL victory, he is not known as one of the best road racers. He did well and qualified 11th and finished the race 13th, though. It was a productive outing that preserves momentum and reinforces the team's confidence as they head to Las Vegas looking for a spot in the final four. Blaney's Ford compatriot Josh Berry won there earlier this season while the No. 12 crashed out. Heading back to the track second in the standings, with an improved result from Kansas, is good news as Blaney and team now focus on advancing to Phoenix as soon as possible.
2. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 6
Bell continues his climb up the power rankings with back-to-back third-place finishes and a fifth consecutive top-10 to close out the second round of playoff eliminations. Despite starting the playoffs behind his teammates, Bell and his No. 20 team have found their stride and are picking up momentum when it matters most. Sunday, Bell started seventh and was in the mix of leaders throughout the race distance to be the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver to finish in the top 10. A new playoff round leaves him fifth in the standings and four points behind the top four positions. Bell's goals will be bigger than just pointing his way to Phoenix, though. He wants to win. The No. 20 was 12th at Las Vegas in the spring but started on pole and finished second in the race last season. An all-important win could be within their reach.
3. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 7
A third straight top-10 finish pushes Larson up the power rankings with three races remaining to gab a spot among the final four championship contenders. At Charlotte, the Hendrick Motorsports driver had a confident weekend, qualifying fourth and then leading 27 laps on his way to a runner-up finish. Larson took the challenge directly to SVG, the best road racing driver in the series, battling fender to fender in a display of his hunger to get as much as he can out of the remaining races as he works to advance to Phoenix. With points reset for the next playoff round, Larson sits third and tied with teammate William Byron. Up first is a trip to Las Vegas where Larson finished ninth in March and has three career victories. Sunday was a statement that the No. 5 is back to race-winning form and Larson could be tough to deny in the coming weeks as he hunts one of the four championship spots up for grabs.
4. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 4
Like Larson, Elliott successfully kept the ball rolling at Charlotte. The Hendrick Motorsports driver had a confident weekend with an eighth-place finish after qualifying just 15th. Sunday's top-10 finish was Elliott's 17th of the season and third on the trot. With the new standings for the final round of eliminations, Elliott will start below the cutline with a 14-point deficit to teammate William Byron in fourth. Each round of the playoffs get harder to navigate, and Elliott will have to be at his best these next three races to do so. However, 14 points isn't the biggest gap to overcome, and Elliott has been one of the most consistent drivers all season. The main question remaining for the No. 9 team is not whether they can get top results, but whether or not they have the edge to win when it matters most.
5. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 2
Sunday's 14th-place finish at the ROVAL was Briscoe's lowest of the playoffs so far. It was still a top-15 result and it was enough to keep Briscoe among the final eight championship contenders, though. However, the momentum the No. 19 showed with a win and a run of top-10s to start the championship rounds is now showing some signs of weakness. Now isn't the time they can afford that either. To advance to the finale at Phoenix, Briscoe and the No. 19 team will need to be at their absolute best and in race-winning form. They have proven themselves capable in the playoffs, but can they call that strength up on demand? The next three races will be pivotal in their season. Briscoe has just one career top-10 finish at Las Vegas from 2022. He finished 17th there earlier this year and was 26th in the fall race last season. The team will need more than that to get the final playoff elimination round started on the right foot.
6. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 3
The points reset with the start of the final three-race round of playoff eliminations puts Hamlin atop the playoff standings, but the story under the numbers may not be quite as strong as it seems. After getting the playoffs started with a top-10 and a win in the first two races, Hamlin now has three finishes outside of the top 10 from the four races since. With three races left to determine which four drivers will race for the title at Phoenix, Hamlin holds an 18-point advantage over teammate Christopher Bell, but it is Bell who has more momentum heading into the round. All it takes is one victory in the next three races to turn it around, though. That should be within the No. 11 team's reach. At Las Vegas, Hamlin has a win and 14 top-10 finishes from 27 career tries. He finished 15th there earlier this season, though. Hamlin's 23rd-place finish Sunday at the ROVAL isn't the confidence booster he was hoping to head to the next race with either.
7. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: 5
Sunday's 11th-place finish at Charlotte was Byron's fourth playoff finish outside of the top 10. He did enough to advance among the final eight drivers, but he and his No. 24 team will need to improve if they hope to be one of the final four championship combatants. Heading into the next round, Byron sits fourth among the contenders, tied with teammate Kyle Larson and just 4 points ahead of Christopher Bell, who enters the round with consecutive top-five finishes at his back. However, Byron has reason to be optimistic. He finished fourth at Las Vegas in March and was third at Talladega in April. Replicating those results in the next two races would give him a strong hand heading into the final transfer race at Martinsville. The pressure is at its highest right now and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 team must rise to occasion.
8. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: 8
Logano survived a nip and tuck battle to stay alive in the playoffs with a 20th-place finish in Sunday's race, coming in one position ahead of rival Ross Chastain. The pair swapped places in the standings multiple times as last week's race progressed, but Logano had just enough standing to get the job done at the finish. However, Sunday's finish was his second of 20th or worse in as many races. The No. 22 team can't afford any more results like that if they hope to make it to Phoenix with a chance to defend their title. With Team Penske Ford's speed at superspeedway tracks, Logano may be looking ahead to Talladega, but anything can happen there and Logano will hope the coming trip to Las Vegas gives him a boost to start the round with. He finished 13th at the track earlier this season and led 40 laps in that race. He is a four-time Las Vegas winner who could use a turn in fortune this week.
9. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 9
Reddick's 2025 playoff hopes came to an end Sunday at Charlotte. Despite qualifying on pole and finishing 10th, it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit he had in the standings. There is some good to take from the situation, though. Reddick and team qualified for and advanced in the playoffs despite not scoring a race win this season. They even advanced further than a few teams who did, too. With some improvements to regain winning form, they could have achieved even more, and that is what they will be working on this winter ahead of next season. For now, a race win before the season is over isn't an impossibility. Reddick was a runner-up finisher at Las Vegas in 2024 and he started on pole there in 2022. The team doesn't need much to improve their situation and work to find those small improvements ahead of next season can begin this week.
10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: 10
Sunday's 15th-place ROVAL finish officially closed the door on the No. 23 team's 2025 playoff run. In reality, late contact with team owner Denny Hamlin the week before at Kansas was the bigger culprit, though. It would have taken a big surprise from Wallace to overcome and win at Charlotte, but Wallace still has a lot to be proud of with Sunday's performance. As competition and skill has steadily progressed on road courses in this series, Wallace's 15th-place finish Sunday shows him to be keeping pace. Add his top-10 finish at Watkins Glen to that and you have a driver who is showing more all-around competitiveness. It has been a good season for the No. 23 with a win, five top-fives, and 13 top-10s so far. There is still much for Wallace to race for, too. He led 20 laps at Las Vegas earlier this season and could have multiple top finishes still to claim in these last four races of 2025.
Knocking on the Door
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88
Last Week: N/A
Shane van Gisbergen delivered again on the road courses, leading 57 of 109 laps to overcome the field and win his fifth consecutive road course race. The win leaves him just one victory behind Jeff Gordon to tie for the most road course wins in a row in series history. Sunday's ROVAL win wasn't an easy one, though. The race was a strategic affair with SVG having to work his way into the lead on track multiple times, including banging fenders with Kyle Larson late in the running that could have ended either driver's day. However, the New Zealander proved to be too much to beat as he drove into the distance once clear to tie Denny Hamlin with most wins on the season thus far. With his first oval top-10 finish under his belt just the week prior, there is still room for growth and next season could be SVG's best yet.
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1
Last Week: N/A
Multiple mistakes Sunday kept Chastain and the No. 1 team from advancing in the playoffs. The Trackhouse Racing driver qualified inside the top 10 for the race, giving him a leg up on Joey Logano as the pair faced a points battle to advance. However, a penalty on pit road and then contact in the final turn sealed Chastain's fate. The fight had been a seesaw battle with both drivers swapping positions in the standings multiple times throughout the race. In the end, Logano did just enough to keep himself ahead of the No. 1, leaving Chastain to make a desperate lunge into the final corner in an attempt to change his fate. The resulting contact sealed it, though. The contact and spin let multiple cars past as Chastain reversed across the finish line. With just one victory it has not been the best season for Chastain who now has four races left to try for another before shifting focus to 2026.
Austin Cindric, Team Penske No. 2
Last Week: N/A
Cindric's playoffs hopes faced a must-win scenario at Charlotte. The miracle did not happen, though. Despite being a contender on many road course stops, Cindric's qualifying was sub-par. He started the race 19th, and poor track position from the start is what cost him in the end. While racing in traffic, contact broke the No. 2's rear suspension and Cindric was forced behind the wall for extensive repairs. In the end, Cindric finished 36th of 37 cars and was eliminated from playoff contention. The remaining four races will be spent trying to do whatever he can to help Team Penske's two remaining championship contenders. Cindric's first opportunity to make an impact could come as soon as this week, too. He led 47 laps and finished sixth at the circuit in March. Another top run this week to take points from playoff contenders could be a good thing for the organization if Cindric and the No. 2 team can manage it.
