NASCAR Power Rankings: Shave van Gisbergen Sweeps Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen flexed his road course muscle last week on the streets of Chicago, winning Sunday's race from pole position and sweeping the weekend's victories by winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday, too. It was the New Zealander's second win of the season, which ensured that no new first-time season winners claimed one of the four remaining playoff spots. With seven races remaining in the regular season, only four spots remain for drivers to win their way into the championship fight. They'll have to contender with Van Gisbergen this week to do so, though. Next week the series heads to Sonoma Raceway for another road course battle where SVG is certain to be the favorite. Kyle Larson hoisted the trophy there last season and will hope his two wins at the track give him the edge to take the fight to Van Gisbergen next weekend.

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NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings After Chicago

1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11

Last Week: 1

The Chicago race weekend started poorly for Hamlin and the No. 11 crew when the car's engine gave up on his first practice lap. The failure not only left Hamlin with no practice, but also meant he would start from the back of the field after having to change the engine. By the end of the second stage, Hamlin was inside the top 10, though. From there, he continued to claw his way forward and landed a fourth-place finish despite starting the day 40th. He was the biggest mover of the day and earned his ninth top-five finish of the season, which ties him with Kyle Larson for most of the year so far.

2. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5

Last Week: 3

Chicago wasn't the best of races for Larson, but avoiding the pitfalls and getting to the finish keeps him alive to fight another day. Larson qualified 14th and finished one place higher, which was a marginal improvement from his 17th-place run at Atlanta. The coming week at Sonoma should be better for him, too. He won for the second time at the track last season and started on pole five consecutive times between 2017 and 2022. Larson can be a force on both ovals and road courses and Sonoma Raceway is one of the venues where he could be a contender for the victory.

3. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24

Last Week: 2

Byron was one of 10 drivers to start from the rear of Sunday's race after getting loose and hitting the wall in practice forced his team to make repairs. As if that wasn't bad enough, Byron suffered mechanical issue at the start and immediately retired with a clutch failure. His 40th-place finish was his second finished in a row outside of the top 30 and fourth from the last five races outside of the top 20. Byron's once massive point lead at the top of the standings has been reduced to just 13. The No. 24 team have seven regular-season races left to turn this backward slide around.

4. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9

Last Week: 5

One week after winning his way into the playoffs, Elliott put his road racing skill to good use, moving from the last row at the start to the 16th-place finishing position. It may not have been the top result the No. 9 team was hoping for, but after Elliott hit the wall in practice, battling back for a top-20 finish was a big effort. In fact, it preserved Elliott's record of not having finished outside of the top 20 in any race so far this season. Another road course race this week should be good news for the former champion, too. At Sonoma, Elliott has six top-10 finishes from eight tries. He finished fourth there last season, which was his fourth consecutive finish of eighth or better at the track.

5. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20

Last Week: 4

Bell was unable to live up to expectations Sunday and recorded his second consecutive finish outside of the top 20. Sunday's 24th-place Chicago finish was also Bell's third in a row outside of the top 15. He led a combined 51 laps in the prior two street course races, but was unable to make an impact last week aside from a single point collected in the second stage. Bell is definitely in a difficult patch, but there are still seven regular-season races to turn things around. With his spot in the playoffs secure, he and the team have their sights on being at their best when the championship rounds commence. Sonoma could offer a lifeline, though. Bell finished ninth in the last two races there.

6. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12

Last Week: 6

Road racing isn't Blaney's strong suit, but he did enough Sunday at Chicago to keep his momentum toward the playoffs rolling. He qualified just 17th for the race, but avoided missteps throughout, winning the second stage and finishing the race in 12th position in what was a nice recovery from an early exit the week prior at Atlanta. Doing something similar next week at Sonoma would set him up well for the upcoming return to oval racing. Blaney has been pretty good at Sonoma, too. His best finish at the track is third and he finished inside the top 10 in four of the last five visits.

7. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22

Last Week: 7

Logano's 11th-place finish at Chicago his first top-15 result since a protracted slump that began at Michigan. His win at Texas assures him of a place among the playoff competitors, but the 2025 season has largely been one of poor luck for the No. 22 squad. Logano has often shown the speed capable of winning but has just the one victory to his credit so far. Sunday's improvement could be a good sign, though. Logano qualified on pole last season at Sonoma and led 16 laps before contact ruined his afternoon. A return to top-10 finishes before heading back to the ovals in two weeks would be a welcome boost to Logano as the trek toward the playoffs continues.

8. Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing No. 1

Last Week: 8

Tenth-place Sunday at Chicago was Chastain's first top-10 since Michigan. The Trackhouse Racing driver had a busy day ahead of him after qualifying 22nd, but he quickly moved forward and added some valuable stage points to his tally by finishing the first segment inside the top 10. From there, Chastain kept his nose clean and landed his ninth top-10 finish of the season. That timely finish should continue next week, too. Chastain has four top-10 finishes from five Sonoma starts, including a fifth-place finish there last season. Adding another top-10 finish this week will give Chastain valuable momentum in the run up to the championship playoffs.

9. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19

Last Week: 10

Stage points in both segments of Sunday's race were a good reward for Briscoe, who drove a respectable race before losing the lead and slipping down the order in the final laps to finish 23rd. While the finishing position wasn't what he and the team were aiming for, the stage points and 13 laps led were bright spots they can continue to build momentum off of. Briscoe will need it in the coming week at Sonoma, too. From four career starts, his best finish there was 13th in 2022. He retired from last year's race with transmission failure. Continuing to prepare for the playoffs is his current mission, though.

10. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17

Last Week: 9

Back-to-back road courses present an opportunity for Buescher to continue working his way forward in the playoff battle. However, his long streak of road course top-10 finishes came to an end Sunday at Chicago. The RFK Racing driver started well enough with an eighth-place qualifying effort, but no stage points and a race finish of just 18th feels like a missed opportunity. With seven races remaining in the regular season, Buescher now sits 15th in the standings, which is just one spot away from the bubble. Any more first-time winners in the remaining regular season races could put Buescher on the razor's edge. Buescher finished in the top five at Sonoma the last three races, and he'll need that again to continue building a cushion in the standings.

Knocking on the Door

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 88

Last Week: N/A

Shane van Gisbergen picked up his second road course win of the season Sunday in Chicago in his second series victory on the streets of Chicago. The New Zealander was on form all weekend, winning the Xfinity Series race, taking pole for Cup race, and then leading 26 laps in his second win to become just the fourth driver this season to score multiple victories. With his spot in the playoffs already secured through his win at Mexico, Sunday's victory was another feather in the cap as SVG works to become a consistent threat on all types of circuits. With two more road course races to come before the playoffs begin, SVG still has room to add to his spoils before fighting for championship advancement.

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45

Last Week: N/A

A third-place finish Sunday at Chicago earned Reddick his second top-five finish in as many weeks and his fifth of the season. This is the first time this season that Reddick scored back-to-back top finishes and the pair of results are his best since April. Despite the inconsistency, Reddick is still in good standing for the playoffs. He heads to Sonoma best among drivers without a win so far and holds a 41-point advantage over Bubba Wallace in 16th. With seven regular-season races remaining, Reddick has to keep his foot on the throttle. A win would give him the luxury of dedicating more resources to playoff preparation, though.

Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23

Last Week: N/A

Wallace was one of the many drivers to start Sunday's race from the back of the pack after making unapproved adjustments. That set up a long afternoon for the playoff hopeful as he carefully picked his way through traffic and tried to avoid any issues deep in the field. However, close racing with Alex Bowman sent Wallace around, losing the track position he had worked hard to gain. Stage points scored in the second segment of the race blunted some of that damage, though. Leading Chicago, Wallace sits on the playoff bubble with just a two-point advantage over Ryan Preece. The battle for the final playoff spots is heating up and Wallace needs to maximize his points every single week to be part of the championship battle.