What is the takeaway from the Wurth 400? While an improvement from the previous weeks, it is difficult to say that Texas Motor Speedway provided quality racing on Sunday. Passing was still difficult for the drivers as only two lanes were viable which led to aero blocking galore. At the same time though, it would be unfair to say that the race was not entertaining. Texas has become a wild card track, providing numerous cautions to alter strategies and bunch up the field. With 12 cautions in the race, the field saw comers and goers through a war of attrition. In theory, this should lead to more movement in the power rankings compared to last week’s Talladega train. How will the FitStop Performance Week 25 Week 11 Power Rankings shake out?
#10 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Despite cracking back into the power rankings, bad luck struck the 17 team again this weekend. Chris Buescher looked to be a Top-5 caliber car. Spending most of Stage 1 and 2 running third, Buescher could have been a contender for the win with good long run speed. However, a blown tire near the end of Stage 2 spoiled that potential. Still, the 17 team managed to keep the car competitive enough to bring home a Top-20.
#9 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 7
Chase Elliott is a conundrum in these rankings. On paper, his season is solid. He holds the third best average finish while tied for third in the standings. Thus far, Elliott has not finished outside the Top-20 in any race. However, his runs have been far from impressive. Usually, you can find the 9 car in the teens throughout a race. Through 11 races, Elliott has only led 45 laps. 42 of those laps were at Martinsville with the remaining 3 on superspeedways. Although the consistency is great, Elliott is lacking race winning speed almost every week.
#8 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 10
Although Daniel Suarez also finished with a Top-10 at Texas, Ross Chastain is dragging Trackhouse Racing to relevancy weekly. Sunday was no different. After another abysmal showing in qualifying, Chastain and the 1 team slowly plucked their way forward. By the end of the race, Chastain was sitting in the second row on the final restart. On the season, Chastain ranks second in positive difference between average start and finish (+10 positions).
#7 – Joey Logano
Previous Ranking: 9
All of the recent talk about Joey Logano’s woes this season suddenly turned around in Texas. Sunday felt more align with how Logano has succeeded in recent years. Throughout the race, Logano was never a factor near the front. However, the caution in the middle of green flag pit stops in the final stage set the 22 team up nicely. Using the newfound track position, Logano made his way toward the front until he was stalking Michael McDowell. Making the race winning move with 3 to go, Logano secures his first win of the 2025 season.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 6
Tyler Reddick was the top Toyota in the field on Sunday. Arguably, he might have been the fastest car on track. He never managed to snag the lead for more than a single lap during Stage 1 though. Reddick found his way to second plenty of times, but could not make the move to get the clear air. Unfortunately for Reddick, he brought out the second to last caution after contact with Daniel Suarez. He made the save, but it cost him a good finish.
#5 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
Christopher Bell’s hot start feels to be a generation ago. After rattling off 3 straight wins earlier this season, the 20 team has gone quiet. While they still have put together strong runs, Bell has failed to be the presence near the front in the same way. At times, Bell gets lost in the shuffle of the mid-pack. That is what happened on Sunday. Bell did not have a bad race, but a remarkable unnoticeable one.
#4 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 3
Never do the horns down sign at Texas Motor Speedway. If you do, you might end up on fire. Denny Hamlin decided to rile up the crowd by flashing the horns down during driver introductions. That jinxed Hamlin for the remainder of the day. To start, Hamlin apparently spoke over the initial pit call to bring him in on the first caution. This caused him to pit alone as the rest of the field were choosing their lanes. Following that up was Hamlin’s car bursting into flames as the engine expired in Stage 1.
#3 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Exiting his pit box during the Stage 2 caution, William Byron looked to be in great position to control the race. His crew got him out first, gaining the crucial clean air. However, contact with Cole Custer while leaving the pits led to front spoiler damage for the 24. Although Byron managed to hang on to lead 22 laps, the damage proved too great to remain upfront.
#2 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 4
The wrong Team Penske driver won on Sunday. Off the back of another poor qualifying effort, Ryan Blaney and the 12 team demonstrated again their best strength: long run speed. Not only did the 12 have long run speed, Blaney was able to make moves through the field. This felt reminiscent of Darlington when Blaney was one of few who could make passes while others remained stagnant. Blaney seemingly lost the race when he chose to line up behind Kyle Larson instead of on the outside of the front row. Michael McDowell capitalized on that, shooting out to the lead on the restart.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 1
Snapping the 5 week streak, Kyle Larson remains at the top of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Leading the most laps and picking up a stage win is an easy way to guarantee holding onto the number 1 spot. It looked to be Larson’s race to lose once he grabbed the lead. However, a perfectly timed restart by Michael McDowell saw Larson fall to second. That quickly sent Larson down the leaderboard a bit with the 5 car becoming ill-handling in the dirty air. Still, Larson managed to bring it home with a Top-5 finish.
Honorable Mention
Bubba Wallace – Slipping out of the power rankings this week, Bubba Wallace spun at the start of the final stage, resulting in his third DNF this season.
Austin Cindric – Using a two-tire stop, Austin Cindric led 60 laps and won Stage 1 after picking up the Talladega win last week.
Austin Dillon – Another strong finish for Austin Dillon sees him get his first spotlight within the 2025 Power Rankings articles.
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!
