There is not much to discuss after the Food City 500. A race where one driver dominates is one thing, but the stagnation throughout the field is difficult to bear. Saturday teased fans with great tire falloff due to the frigid conditions. However, Sunday heated the track too much, so the tire laid rubber and failed to fall off. With frustrations abound, conversations are to be had about what to do. However, those conversations can be had in a different article or forum. Now is the time to discuss the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 9 Power Rankings. Unfortunately, 3 straight dud races have been the predicate to the rankings recently. Darlington saw some movement for Week 8. What does Bristol have in store for this week?
#10 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
Barely holding on to the final spot in the power rankings, Chris Buescher and the 17 team simply missed the setup this week. Similar to Brad Keselowski in last fall’s Bristol Night Race, the car looked to be setup for slower speeds and massive tire wear. When that failed to play out, Buescher quickly fell a lap down. It was a minor triumph for Buescher to finish 25th, but this weekend will surely be quickly forgotten.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
After gaining the most spots on Sunday, Ross Chastain finds his way back into the rankings. A poor qualifying effort on Saturday saw Chastain starting in the rear. However, he managed to pick his way forward and remained on the lead lap throughout the race. Through strong perseverance, Chastain managed to pick up at Top-10 despite the issues with passing.
#8 – Bubba Wallace
Previous Ranking: 9
Bubba Wallace mostly ran in the teens throughout the Food City 500. Except during the final green flag run, Wallace seldomly threatened to be a Top-10 driver. The team went long on the final run, hoping to catch a caution at the right time. However, the strategy failed to work and Wallace wound up finishing 2 laps down.
#7 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 6
For the second straight week, Chase Elliott certainly was there at the race track during the Cup Series race. Similar to Bubba Wallace, Elliott rode in the teens all race long. However, the 9 team did not attempt a bold pit strategy on the final run. While he stilled finished off the lead lap, Elliott managed to only be the last car 1 lap down with a Top-15 finish.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 7
Entries 6, 7, and 8 all could be a quasi-copy of each other. Tyler Reddick only bumps up a spot this week due to scoring a single point in Stage 2. Outside of that one result, there was not much notable from Reddick’s time in the Food City 500. 23XI Racing attempted to catch that caution in tandem, as Reddick was the second to last car to pit to end the green flag cycle.
#5 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 4
After his 3-straight wins through the first 4 races of the season, Christopher Bell has certainly cooled off. Granted, Bell has 2 Top-5s and all Top-10s in the past 3 races. However, the speed has not been there for those entire races. Both Martinsville and Darlington saw Bell luck his way to the front of the field. As for Bristol, Bell ran around the Top-5 but could not compete with the two best cars of the day. With the recent performances, Bell is starting to lose ground in that championship favorite conversation.
#4 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 3
The NASCAR gods almost owed Ryan Blaney a caution during that final stint. After what happened to him at Darlington, it would have been cosmic justice for the yellow to fly with the entire field a lap down. Unfortunately for Blaney, his luck is still being stored away for Penske’s dominate portion of the season. However, the trend of Blaney having the best long run speed remained this weekend. Despite the significantly older tires, the 12’s lap times were not too shabby compared to Kyle Larson’s on fresh tires.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 5
A week after an embarrassing outing during throwback weekend, Kyle Larson whooped the field in Bristol. Had tire wear not been a concern early in the race, Larson likely would have bolstered his already impressive 411 laps led count. Once he grabbed the lead in Stage 1, only green flag pit stops were going to take it away from him. Simply put, Larson dominated the race. That said, Larson putting the hurt on the field is not the reason why this year’s Food City 500 was unpleasant to watch.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 1
Down from the top spot this week, William Byron brings home a somewhat surprising Top-10. Starting 26th, Byron spent most of Stage 1 and 2 in the middle of the pack. Much like Ross Chastain, Byron methodically moved forward. Despite the Top-10, Byron drops from the top spot. Once again, it is tight between the Top-5 in the power rankings. A Top-10 could still lead to dropping a spot or two.
#1 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 2
For the first time this year, Denny Hamlin sits atop the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Last year, Hamlin found himself at or near the top frequently. Will that be the same this year? On Sunday, the only driver to ever pose anything resembling a threat to Kyle Larson was Hamlin. Although it never became close, Hamlin did lurk near the 5 when Larson would get marred in lapped traffic. However, Hamlin would then too get stuck in the same traffic while Larson drove away. Still, riding second most of the race was enough to earn Hamlin the top spot heading into the Easter break.
Honorable Mention
Chase Briscoe – After some bad luck early in the season, Chase Briscoe and the 19 team are finding momentum with his third Top-10 in the past 4 races.
Joey Logano – Wrecking the car in qualifying pretty much sealed Joey Logano’s fate at Bristol this weekend.
AJ Allmendinger – Picking up his third Top-10 and stealing the fastest lap point, AJ Allmendinger continues a nice season at Bristol.
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!
