This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Denny Hamlin managed the fuel mileage best to drive to his third win of the season in Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The victory was a just reward for the competitiveness he has shown in recent weeks, and it ties him atop the winner's list alongside Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell at three each. All the momentum drivers have been trying to build will be put to the test this week, though. The weekend's battle will be the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez, a road course situated high above sea level in Mexico City, giving teams and drivers a whole new challenge to conquer. It will be the first road course outing for the series since Bell won at Circuit of the Americas in March, too. With 11 races remaining in the regular season, time to get the job done is running out and the race to perfect a playoff challenge is nearing.
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NASCAR Power Rankings After Michigan
1. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24
Last Week: N/A
Byron finished outside of the top 20 for the fourth time and in the double digits for just the sixth time this season. However, he was the dominant contender throughout Sunday's race before succumbing to fuel mileage. Byron finished second in the first stage and won the second before fuel mileage caused him to pit a lap from the finish. Byron is still the series points leader and continues to knock on victory's door. He also finished second at the only road course race run so far this season.
2. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: N/A
Last week's win was Hamlin's third of the season, capping off a climb back to the front after a four-race stretch of finishes outside of the top 10 between Talladega and Kansas. With a third-place finish two weeks ago at Nashville, it looked as though another race win would be coming shortly, and he delivered with a fuel-mileage effort at Michigan. Hamlin is now tied for most wins on the season with Kyle Larson and teammate Christopher Bell. Hamlin finished 21st at Circuit of the Americas back in March and hasn't won on a road course since Watkins Glen in 2016.
3. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: N/A
Larson had a productive afternoon at Michigan, moving past the troubles of the past few weeks and scoring his second consecutive top-10 finish. His most recent downswing started with the Indy 500 and flowed into Nashville before a gritty performance there recovered a top-10 finish from an otherwise difficult race. Larson remains a win or bust driver, which is great for the current format of the NASCAR Cup Series championship but less appetizing for fantasy rosters. Looking ahead, Larson can be a contender on road courses. He won on Charlotte's ROVAL last season but finished 32nd at COTA earlier this year in more evidence of his inconsistency.
4. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: N/A
Bell's 16th-place Michigan finish marked his third straight declining finish since Kansas. His three race wins have him in an enviable position for the playoffs, but fantasy players were expecting his All-Star Race win to be the start of a streak of top finishes. Even more disappoint is that he failed to score stage points Sunday. However, maybe we just have to wait one more week. Bell is the most recent winner at a road course, and Mexico City's road course is next on the schedule. Bell was also runner up at the Charlotte ROVAL in the last road course outing of the 2024 season.
5. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: N/A
An overdue win a week ago at Nashville didn't carry forward to Michigan for Blaney. The Team Penske driver spun off of turn 4 with 12 laps to go in the second stage and wound up with another finish outside of the top 30, which was already the fifth of his season. The speed to win races is there, but lacking clean races with no mistakes on track or pit road continue to thwart him. Blaney isn't exactly known for his road course skills, either. He has one win at the ROVAL but was 19th at COTA in March.
6. Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1
Last Week: N/A
Chastain continues to scoop up top finishes regardless of qualifying success. Sunday's sixth-place finish at Michigan was his second top-10 finish from the last three races when starting 20th or lower. He remains a driver that can tune his car throughout a race to move forward, but getting those settings right early in the weekend would make his life a bit easier. The lower starting spot at Michigan cost him points in the first stage, but Chastain was solidly in the top 10 by the end of the season. Coming to the front from behind will be even more difficult on Mexico City's road course this week, too. However, Chastain is a road course winner. He took the checkered flag at COTA in 2022.
7. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: N/A
Elliott continues to hang out on the periphery of the top 10. His consistency keeps him in contention, but holding him back is his ability to get out front and lead races. His 15th-place at Michigan was his fourth top-15 in a row, but he isn't yet showing the edge that would suggest a race win is imminent. Perhaps that could change this week, though. Elliott was once the dominant force at road courses, but his strength there has waned since the new generation of car was introduced. He has been improving, though. Elliott finished fourth at COTA earlier this season.
8. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: N/A
Sunday's 22nd-place finish at Michigan was Logano's worst result since Talladega. The former champion was able to get toward the front of the field at times on Sunday, but he wasn't able to turn that into a top finish and it ended his run of consecutive finishes inside the top 10. He has the race win that assures him of a spot in the playoffs with time to get everything worked out before the knockout rounds begin, though. A road course this week will be another test. Logano has one career road course victory from 2015 at Watkins Glen. He was 24th at COTA in March.
9. Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing No. 21
Last Week: N/A
Berry continued to impress last week at Michigan. The Las Vegas winner has been showing race-winning pace frequently this season and on Sunday he finished better than all the three Team Penske Fords again, too. His 12th-place finish was his third top-15 finish since the All-Star Race and he scored stage points in the first segment. For a smaller team, Berry is getting a lot out of his efforts and another race win in 2025 isn't a far-fetched idea. Fantasy players may want to temper their expectations of him this week, though. Berry's series average road course results is just 28.0.
10. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last week: N/A
Hocevar backed up his second-place Nashville finish with another impressive showing at Michigan. Were it not for a flat rear tire with just under 20 laps remaining in the race, Hocevar might have had his first win or another top finish. As it is, he is climbing quickly up the standings and sits just 18 points out of the playoff positions after last week's race. It would not be a surprise to see Hocevar in Victory Lane at some point this season, and it seems that may happen sooner rather than later. Even more, Hocevar was the 13th-place finisher at COTA in March. Fantasy players should also keep in mind that he finished third at Watkins Glan last season, too.
Moving Up
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing No. 8
Last Week: N/A
Michigan was a venue Busch should have been expected to perform, and he did. His eighth-place finish from the front row with stage points in the first segment will help keep him among the playoff positions in the standings. Sunday's finish was also his third top-15 in a row. He and the team just need to keep those finishes coming. Busch finished fifth at COTA in March, which suggests he should be able to keep that momentum rolling through Mexico City.
Ryan Preece, RFK Racing No. 60
Last Week: N/A
Preece left Michigan tied with Kyle Busch for the 16th and final playoff position with his second ninth-place finish in the last three races. Preece is a new man with his new team and should continue getting even better every week in the No. 60. The coming week will be a test, though. Preece was just 33rd on the only road course run so far this season. His only top road course finishes are a pair of ninth-place finishes at Daytona and Watkins Glen in 2021 and 2024.
Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing No. 6
Last Week: N/A
A 10th-place finish at Michigan was just Keselowski's second top-10 of the season so far. The year has been a horrible run of bad luck, but Sunday's result was a rare glimmer of hope. With a 101-point gap to the playoff positions in the standings, it looks already like only a win will get Keselowski into the championship battle. Another top-15 on a road course this week at Mexico could be another sign of things changing for the better for Keselowski.
