Atlanta Motor Speedway is a Top-3 track on the current NASCAR schedule, especially for the Cup Series. Until the anti-climatic finish, Sunday’s race was everything the Daytona 500 should be (and more). Unless you are considering nostalgia, there is no argument that Atlanta is the top superspeedway on the circuit. Pack racing where drivers have control over their moves while runs come and go is always a pleasure to enjoy. At the end of the day, Christopher Bell prevailed with the race win. How will that impact him in the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 2 Power Rankings? What change will there be from Week 1?
#10 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 6
After successfully surviving Daytona Speedweeks without getting into an incident, Chris Buescher’s luck ran out in Atlanta. A solid qualifying effort quickly vanished as an ill-handling car saw Buescher ride around back during the first two stages. However, the strategy play worked and Buescher rode in the Top-10 during the start of the final stage. That did not go well though as Chase Briscoe bumped into Buescher, causing him to spin out in front of Alex Bowman. Effectively, this took the 17 out of the race.
#9 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 9
Wrong place, wrong time for Alex Bowman. Unlike Chris Buescher, Bowman did not ride in the back of the pack early in the race. Instead, Bowman picked up points in Stage 2 before driving back into the Top-10 after the break. Bowman remains at the number 9 due to his misfortune. However, he sees Buescher fall below him for maintaining better running position throughout the race.
#8 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 7
For the second straight week, Chase Elliott certainly was present at the track during the Cup Series race. He finished 5th in Stage 1 before fading a bit into the pack. From there, he rode in the hornets nest, which eventually led him to wrecking. After Chase Briscoe and Ricky Stenhouse Jr made contact, the 47 connected with the 9 to slam him into the wall. With damage to his car, Elliott spun out near the fence, being hit by an oncoming Brad Keselowski. To the team’s credit, they managed to finish on the lead lap.
#7 – Austin Cindric
Previous Ranking: 10
Although the race results do not reflect it, Austin Cindric has been the most dominant driver in the Cup Series thus far. To his credit, Cindric (along with Team Penske) has mastered the way of remaining upfront during these drafting races. Moreso than his teammates, Cindric found a way to be one of the front two in each row. Had it not been for a Kyle Larson block, there is a good chance Cindric finds his way to victory lane.
#6 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 8
Finally, Christopher Bell picks up a win on a superspeedway. All he had to do was lead a single lap to do so too. Bell becomes the first driver in Atlanta Motor Speedway history to lead only 1 lap enroute to victory. However, the 20 was a featured player throughout the back half of the race. Could this Atlanta win be the spark to a Christopher Bell dominate season?
#5 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 3
On one hand, Tyler Reddick dropping two spots in the rankings seems surprising. He was one of four drivers who managed to nab points in both stages. For the majority of the race, Reddick found himself near the Top-10. However, Reddick faded when it mattered most and never led lap. Despite dropping to #5, there should be little to fret about. The upcoming tracks on the schedule should see Reddick shoot back up the rankings again.
#4 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 2
Someway, somehow, Denny Hamlin finds himself in the Top-10 by the end of a superspeedway race. For a driver with an average running position of 18th, it is always impressive to see Hamlin put himself in good positions by the end of these races. However, the drivers behind him put together better overall races, which leads Hamlin to fall a couple spots this week.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 4
Time to check reality. Kyle Larson finished on the lead lap on a superspeedway. Not only that, but he finished second in the race. Additionally, Larson held the lead late and potentially could have won the race if not for the last lap caution. On top of that, Larson won Stage 2. Clearly, this is NASCAR’s Twilight Zone.
#2 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 5
Currently leading the points is Ryan Blaney. Similar to his teammate, Blaney simply understands how to perform well on the superspeedways. There are few drivers in the Cup Series who can weave through traffic and control lanes like Blaney. After saving his car from complete destruction on Lap 235, Blaney managed to return to the Top-5 for the last few laps. Blaney is only 1 of 2 drivers to accomplish back-to-back Top-10s to start the season. Despite this, he remains barely shy of nabbing the top spot in the Power Rankings.
#1 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 1
By a whisker, William Byron hangs onto the top spot in this week’s FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Late in the race, the odds of Byron going back-to-back to start the season looked good. Had he been able to pull off the accomplishment, it would have been the first time in Cup since Matt Kenseth did so in 2009. Ultimately, Byron found himself wrecked with 3 to go as his teammate gave a late block to Austin Cindric. However, Byron holds onto the top spot via 15 stage points and 6 laps led.
Honorable Mentions
Joey Logano – For the second straight week, Joey Logano sits on the outside looking in. Despite leading the most laps, Logano’s car struggled the most (out of the Penske cars) to regain track position after being shuffled back during the Stage 2 caution.
John Hunter Nemechek – John Hunter Nemechek is the other driver to Top-10 in the first 2 races of the 2025 season. Although it may not last, Nemechek deserves the recognition for getting Legacy Motor Club off to a strong start.
Carson Hocevar – After all the hype around Daniel Suarez’s win last year, Carson Hocevar must have felt inspired to have his own tremendous finish. Despite ruffling some feathers with his driving, Hocevar brings home the 77 in second.
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