By Noah Poser, Staff Writer
A little over a month ago, William Byron kicked off the 2025 NASCAR season with a second straight Daytona 500 victory.
Fast forward to now and Byron continues to lead the standings as he’s done since the series left COTA. Meanwhile, his Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson recently joined him in the win column, picking up a victory at Homestead behind a stellar display of driving at one of his most successful tracks.
Who did Larson pass late in the going to get the win? That would be none other than their other teammate, Alex Bowman.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise the trio makes up three of the top four spots in this week’s power rankings, and more importantly, the top three spots in the standings as the series heads to Martinsville.
1. William Byron (Previous: 1)
Season Stats: 1 Win, 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 111 Laps Led, 1 Stage Win
Byron had a top five car the majority of the day before a late speeding penalty took him out of contention. But he managed to drive from the back all the way to 12th, largely in green flag conditions, which was impressive to say the least. The comeback was just enough to allow him to maintain a tenuous grip on the No. 1 spot.
2. Kyle Larson (Previous: 3)
Season Stats: 1 Win, 3 Top 5s, 4 Top 10s, 92 Laps Led, 2 Stage Wins
It was tempting to move Larson to the top of these rankings after such a dazzling performance at Homestead. He chased down Bowman by riding the fence and forced his teammate into a critical mistake within 10 laps to go to secure the victory. A win was just a matter of time for the No. 5 team and it’s only a matter of time before win No. 2 follows.
3. Christopher Bell (Previous: 2)
Season Stats: 3 Wins, 3 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 114 Laps Led, 1 Stage Win
Bell was nowhere to be found in Miami. He spun early but never really had any speed to make up for it, anyways. He’s cooled off in the past two races and after finishing 29th and off the lead lap this weekend, the result is a further slip in the rankings.
4. Alex Bowman (Previous: 4)
Season Stats: 1 Top 5, 5 Top 10s, 62 Laps Led
This may be too low for Bowman, who is knocking on the door of a victory after a second-place finish at Homestead. The No. 48 bunch solved their qualifying issues in Miami, taking pole, and were up front all race, leading 43 laps in the process. In terms of pure pace, he’s closer to Byron and Larson than his other Hendrick teammate below.
5. Denny Hamlin (Previous: 8)
Season Stats: 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 24 Laps Led, 1 Stage Win
Stage win? Check. Top five? Check. Overall, it was a nice bounce back weekend from Hamlin after a race to forget in Vegas. Like Bowman, a victory appears to be on the horizon for Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing team.
6. Tyler Reddick (Previous: 6)
Season Stats: 2 Top 5s, 3 Top 10s, 43 Laps Led
Reddick had a fine day at Homestead, which keeps him from falling any in this week’s rankings, but this result almost feels like a missed opportunity. He finished eighth, which was better than he ran most of the day, so from that standpoint it was a success. However, this was a race he and his team likely had circled in terms of contending for a win, so just a fine day indeed.
7. Josh Berry (Previous: 7)
Season Stats: 1 Win, 2 Top 5s, 2 Top 10s, 76 Laps Led, 1 Stage Win
The positives are he started second and collected stage points in Stage 1. On the flip side, he messed up on pit road and put a dent in both his and Joey Logano’s day. Overall, he finished 17th and that was still better than the guys who came into this week directly behind him in these rankings, so he stays put.
8. Chase Elliott (Previous: 5)
Season Stats: 1 Top 5, 3 Top 10s, 2 Laps Led
Yes, the No. 9 was faster than where it finished, which has actually been the opposite of how things have typically gone for them this year. But the 18th-place finish isn’t the only reason for this drop. Elliott committed a pit road penalty for the second straight race and more alarming is the fact that this team isn’t on par with the other Hendrick cars in terms of raw speed. Now, there’s no need to panic just yet, as Elliott is still sixth in the standings, but the team has pretty clearly been fourth-best among the four Hendrick cars so far this season.
9. Bubba Wallace (Previous: NR)
Season Stats: 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 98 Laps Led, 1 Stage Win
Wallace has to be breathing a huge sigh of relief leaving Miami, as he finally was able to secure the finish he deserves. Speed has not been this team’s problem this year, but finishing races has been a definite struggle. Leading 56 laps and finishing third is an incredible result and is enough to boost Wallace up into the rankings.
10. Chris Buescher (Previous: NR)
Season Stats: 1 Top 5, 4 Top 10s
Meanwhile, Buescher has had the opposite issue of Wallace. Buescher always seems to be in the mix late in races even on days he hasn’t showcased the speed to be running up front. Case in point? He ran outside the top 10 for much of the day at Homestead, but when it was all said and done he crossed the line sixth. He’s tied for second in the series with four top tens, and with a bit more speed at the drop of the green flag, could be in contention for wins down the road.
11. Ryan Blaney (Previous: 10)
Season Stats: 1 Top 5, 2 Top 10s, 147 Laps Led, 2 Stage Wins
Another race, another fast car, and yet another DNF. Blaney led a race-high 124 laps at Homestead and won the opening stage, but once again it just wasn’t meant to be as a blown engine relegated him to a 36th-place finish. It’s his third straight finish of 28th or worse, and even more worrying, his third straight DNF. On the bright side, his Penske team has the speed to win races and he remains 10th in the standings. He just needs better luck.
Dropped out: Ross Chastain and Joey Logano
Next up: A.J. Allmendinger, Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece