Pit road became the central focus throughout the Pennzoil 400. While track position was king, avoiding costly pit road issues turned into the pathway to victory. Speeding, loose tires, and strategy factored heavily into who ran upfront versus being stuck in the back. As for the actual racing, the Pennzoil 400 offered a bit more stagnant event than the usual Gen7 intermediate races. Although a solid race, it lacked some of the pizzaz that usually greets fans on the mile-and-a-half tracks. Still, it is difficult to complain about the racing, especially considering a feel-good story for both driver and team picked up the win. Turning our attention to the Fitstop Performance 2025 Week 5 Power Rankings, the mess caused by pit road Sunday could throw a wrench into the list. Week 4 saw a new number 1, what will Week 5 have in store?

#10 – Ross Chastain

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

Breaking through into the Power Rankings for the first time this season, Ross Chastain grinded his way to a Top-5 finish. After being the fastest car in practice, Chastain’s middling qualifying run kept him in the mid-pack for the early part of the race. A 2-tire call during Stage 2 gave Chastain the needed track position to keep him upfront for the remainder of the race.

#9 – Alex Bowman

Previous Ranking: 10

As has been the case for the past couple of seasons, Hendrick Motorsports has two sets of drivers. Alex Bowman (and Chase Elliott) fall into the “consistent results without winning speed” set. Similar to Phoenix, Bowman found himself running in the teens most of the race until the final stages. Strategy helped propel Bowman forward for a Top-10, but it was another race where the 48 lacked speed to lead.

#8 – Chris Buescher

Previous Ranking: 7

The spring Las Vegas race has proven to be unkind to Chris Buescher. Last year, a loose tire ruined his day at the start of the race. This past Sunday, restarts were his big enemy. After firing off with an evil car, Buescher rebounded as Stage 2 was coming to a close. Sitting in 8th when the Lap 148 caution flew, the 17 lost all of those regained positions on the following restart. Playing the fuel mileage strategy in the final stage looked to have Buescher set up for his fourth Top-10 of 2025, but the last caution/restart shuffled him back to 13th.

#7 – Chase Elliott

Previous Ranking: 8

Copy and paste Alex Bowman’s write up here for Chase Elliott. The 9 and 48 share the same race template seemingly every week nowadays. Elliott secures another Top-10, but found himself running mid-pack for the entire race minus the end of Stage 1. While he moves up a spot this week, Elliott fans should be concerned that the 9 car has firmly shifted away from the front of the pack once again to start 2025.

#6 – Ryan Blaney

Previous Ranking: 5

If there is anybody who was ready to leave Las Vegas Sunday night, it certainly had to be Ryan Blaney. After hitting the wall in practice, Blaney started from the rear after failing to post a qualifying lap. With his repaired 12 car, Blaney also had to overcome a problematic pit stop that put him 2 laps down. However, the former Cup champion bounced back wonderfully and got as high as 5th during the running. That is where the good feelings end though, as Blaney wrecked out of the race in the final stage.

#5 – Denny Hamlin

Previous Ranking: 6

Almost by default Denny Hamlin jumps up one spot this week. It was another underwhelming day for the 11 team as Hamlin had to overcome an early speeding penalty. Mired in traffic all race, a 2-tire call in Stage 2 gave Hamlin improved track position for the remainder of the race. On the second to last caution, the 11 team decided not to play the fuel strategy came. Instead, they elected to pit for tires halfway through the potential final green flag run. That backfired as a caution came out shortly after Hamlin pitted, eliminating any chance at a solid finish.

#4 – Tyler Reddick

Previous Ranking: 4

Similar to Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick found his day spoiled by the final caution as he had pitted right before Noah Gragson spun. Before that, Reddick was enjoying a solid day running in the Top-5. Leading 34 laps in the Pennzoil 400, the 45 team has a second straight race where the result does not match the overall performance.

#3 – Kyle Larson

Previous Ranking: 3

Kyle Larson felt like the driver to beat for most of Sunday’s race. Larson did lead the most laps (61) and became the first driver to win his second stage of 2025. Cliff Daniels decided to play the fuel strategy game after the Lap 196 caution, as the fuel window was open enough for them to go for it. When the final caution came out, Larson on equal tires looked to be a promising venture. However, Larson struggled to fire off in traffic and finished in a disappointing 9th.

#2 – Christopher Bell

Previous Ranking: 1

After 3 straight wins put him at the top of the Power Rankings, Christopher Bell falls back down to second after Las Vegas. Maybe this is an overreaction, but Bell (and the 20 team) struggled throughout the weekend. The expectation was a repeat of his fall performance from last year. Instead, the 20 team’s sloppy side revealed itself for the first time this year. Even with the constant trips to the back of the field, Bell still managed to pilot the 20 car to a 12th place finish.

#1 – William Byron

Previous Ranking: 2

Back in a familiar place, William Byron reclaims the number 1 spot in this week’s FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Sitting as the current points leader of the Cup Series, Byron has been the most consistent driver in the field. He has the most stage points scored to go along with his series best 8.0 average finish. For the Pennzoil 400, Byron looked to be his teammate’s biggest threat for the win. The untimely cautions prevented Byron from having a shot at the win late. However, he did make an impressive run on the final restart to pick up a Top-5.

Honorable Mentions

Joey Logano – Still knocking on the door of the Power Rankings, Joey Logano’s poor last pit stop spoiled his chance to play upset winner on Sunday.

Kyle Busch – After 3 Top-10s in the first 4 races, Kyle Busch has an ugly day at his home track as he wrecks early in the race.

Josh Berry – The feel-good winner of the weekend, Josh Berry continues an impressive start to the 2025 season with his Las Vegas win.

The brainchild of Hunter Smith, FitStop Performance is dedicated to training the toughest around – from motorsports athletes to multi-tasking soccer moms. He desires to help everyone who walks through the doors of his gym to perform optimally throughout life. FitStop Performance is in its second season sponsoring the weekly FitStop Performance Power Rankings which tracks the highest-performing NASCAR Cup Seires drivers throughout the season. Give them a follow (Facebook, Instagram, X) and thank them for their sponsorship!