It has been a few rough weeks in a row for the NASCAR Cup Series. After getting off to a hot start with exciting races, the past 4 weeks have been less than stellar. While online discourse may see disagreement, it is difficult to argue that Martinsville, Darlington, Bristol, and now Talladega have been subpar races. Once again, the Gen7 demonstrated issues on a superspeedway. When a fuel only pit stop in the final stage essentially determines the winner, that makes it difficult to find great enjoyment in that. Alas though, the Cup Series did race and there are still the power rankings to reveal. Week 9 was a couple of weeks ago, so time to get caught up for the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 10 Power Rankings.
#10 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 9
Some of these race breakdowns for the drivers are going to be difficult. With how the drafting currently works, drivers who did not lead laps or net many stage points will fall victim to being memory holed. For example, Ross Chastain. Chastain led 11 laps, mostly during Stage 2’s fuel saving 3-wide extravaganza. Outside of that run, Chastain did little of note other than throwing the race-losing block on Carson Hocevar and the Toyota line. For that, he was honored with the Rich MARVelous Move of the Race.
#9 – Joey Logano
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
While officially Joey Logano is credited with a last place finish, these power rankings are only going to consider where he actually finished on track. Prior to the disqualification, Logano was set to pick up his first Top-5 of the season. Much like every other superspeedway race, Logano heavily featured near the lead throughout the race. Most notably, Logano finished second in Stage 2 and followed that up with some endearing remarks about eventual race winner Austin Cindric.
#8 – Bubba Wallace
Previous Ranking: 8
Here is where the stagnation of the power rankings will begin. With how the race played out Sunday, it was difficult to justify many moves up or down for these drivers. Despite winning Stage 2, Bubba Wallace remains in 8th in the rankings. His Top-10 continues a strong 2025 season thus far though, which could see him move forward in the coming weeks.
#7 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 7
Decked out in new sponsorship from Amazon Prime, Chase Elliott once again found himself the third or fourth best Hendrick driver on the day. Still, it was solid enough to pick up a Top-5 (post Joey Logano DQ). Also, Elliott managed to nab 7 points in Stage 1.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 6
After winning this race last year by benefitting from Ford’s incompetence, Tyler Reddick followed it up with a nothing burger of a race. He scored 6 points in Stage 2. Other than that, Reddick was simply there all race long. He did little to factor into anything major, other than helping push the pace when Toyota linked up in Stage 1 and the final stage.
#5 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
Heading to the finish of Stage 1, Christopher Bell looked to be in prime position to pick up stage points. However, an ill-advised push from a teammate sent Bell spinning from the outside lane to the inside wall with a RFK car involved for good measure. Bell’s DNF is his first since the Daytona 500 and breaks a streak of 3 straight Top-10s.
#4 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 4
Ryan Blaney wrecked out of the race before anything too memorable could happen. Early on, Blaney rode near the back of the pack before heading to the pits for the first stop of the day. Unfortunately, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch spun out on their entry. In attempting to avoid the two, Blaney clipped the 6 car and gathered too much damage to continue.
#3 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 1
Down goes number 1 for the fourth straight week. Denny Hamlin falls to 3 this week after a mediocre run at Talladega. Ross Chastain’s block after the pit cycle mostly led to his 21st finish, but Hamlin never got momentum going other than Stage 1. However, that strong track position turned ugly as Hamlin pushed the 20 out of Turn 2 and into the 17 on the restart, wrecking two cars at once. This push led to Scott Graves (crew chief of the 17) to post to X for the first time since Watkins Glen.
This team works so hard every week, had our driver in position for the end of stage 1, and the guys that would consider themselves some of the best drivers in the world can't even get through a restart. I see why you have an insurance sponsor @dennyhamlin, can I file a claim?
— Scott Graves (@scott_r_graves) April 27, 2025
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Another strong run for William Byron leaves him sitting second in the rankings this week. While he has yet to claim a Talladega trophy for himself, Byron usually finds a way to put together a solid finish. Sunday was no exception, as the Hendrick driver bags himself a Top-5 along with a second place finish in Stage 1. With another good finish, Byron still remains at the top of the points standings.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 3
While Bristol domination is to be expected from Kyle Larson, a strong run (and good finish) at Talladega is a surprise. On the strength of his past 2 races, Larson jumps ahead into the top spot of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Scoring 114 points over the past 2 races, Larson is finding momentum as the summer months approach. In a season where the championship tides sway weekly, Larson will look to establish himself at the top of the field. Also, Larson took care of his Talladega week wreck early with his incident during IndyCar practice.
Honorable Mention
Chris Buescher – Dropping out of the rankings this week, Chris Buescher looked to have a promising day ahead of him. Instead, he crashed out hard into the inside wall after Christopher Bell swept into him.
Ryan Preece – Ignoring the disqualification from postrace inspection, Ryan Preece looked to be prime Brad Keselowski behind the wheel of the 60 car. Almost thankfully in retrospect, Preece barely missed out on his first Cup win.
Alex Bowman – After a string of bad luck ruined potentially solid races, Alex Bowman ran well at Talladega and picked up a Top-10.
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!
