Charlotte Motor Speedway once again put on an amazing race for the Coca-Cola 600. Over the past 4 seasons, the Coca-Cola 600 has been one of the best races on the schedule. While the weather did tarnish the opinion of last year’s race, the action prior to the rain compared to what was seen this year. The spectacle of the oval has bolstered the argument for a second Charlotte oval race on the schedule. Perhaps NASCAR could make the Championship Weekend on the oval as part of the rotating locations. However, it is great to have a race that could be enjoyed. Plus, the new Amazon Prime broadcast was a breath of fresh air. With 600 miles raced on Sunday, how will this impact the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 13 Power Rankings?
Of note, the last power rankings was Week 12 after Kansas.
#10 – Ryan Preece
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
The Coca-Cola 600 turned out to be a very similar race as Kansas was for Ryan Preece. After a poor qualifying effort, Preece had to climb his way through the field. The long run speed certainly featured prominently though. However, two early mishaps on pit road reset Preece during pit cycles. Still, Preece’s Top-10 boosts him into the power rankings.
#9 – Joey Logano
Previous Ranking: 6
The fact that Joey Logano managed to finish inside the Top-20 on Sunday might confirm his 2024 voodoo magic is back. Prior to the final stage, Logano was bogged down in the upper 20s. Consistently, he ran a lap down from the field. However, the attrition of the race as well as cautions allowed Logano to get his lap back and finish 17th.
#8 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
What a drive by Ross Chastain. After wrecking out in practice, Chastain started last for the Coca-Cola 600. From there, he slowly drove forward to put himself into contention. It was nearly a flawless race for the 1 team. A couple of restarts saw Chastain fall a few spots, but he found the race winning speed when it mattered most. While Trackhouse Racing as whole is missing speed, Chastain has dragged the organization into relevancy this season. If this win can help build more momentum for Chastain, then he should remain a mainstay in the power rankings.
#7 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 8
Tyler Reddick’s 2025 has mostly consisted of two types of races. Type A: strangely missing from the Top-5/10 with a middling finish in the teens. Type B, seen this past Sunday in Charlotte: a strong car that could contend for the win that is undone late in the race. Reddick mostly ran inside the Top-5 throughout the Coca-Cola 600. However, a speeding penalty during the final green flag stop ruined the race. Then, Reddick essentially wrecked in front of race leader William Byron.
#6 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 7
Once again, Chase Elliott had a solid but unnoteworthy race. Mostly running in the back half of the Top-10, the 9 team grinded out another race. Elliott scored points in every stage, but that only totaled 6 points. This race will keep him near the top of the standings while not silencing any murmurs about this team’s lack of speed.
#5 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 2
It was a rough race overall for Team Penske. Ryan Blaney never flashed that long run speed that has become the standard for this team. The 12 car struggled in the field early, but an adjustment was made heading into the second half. Once Blaney finally cracked the Top-10, he got tangled with Chase Briscoe and Daniel Suarez to wreck out of the event. This sends him tumbling a bit in the rankings.
#4 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 1
Another attempt at The Double, another nightmare day for Kyle Larson. His Indy 500 ended early due a wreck. Same for his Coca-Cola 600. However, Larson managed to wreck twice. During Stage 1, Larson lost control of his car while leading and spun into the turf. There was little damage from that spin, but it did pin Larson a lap down and deep in the field. Later in the race, Larson got his lap back and seemingly was driving forward. However, he got caught up in the same wreck that took Ryan Blaney out. Due to this, Larson falls from the top spot this week.
#3 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 4
Potentially the best car in the field, Denny Hamlin missed out on a Top-3 finish due to a fueling issue on his planned final pit stop. Before that, Hamlin consistently hounded William Byron from second. He managed to snag the lead from the 24 on a couple of occasions, but never drove away once getting the clean air. Although the fueling issue ruined a good finish, Hamlin likely would have missed out on the win due to Ross Chastain being the faster car late in the race.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 5
For the second time this season, William Byron dominates a race by leading over 240 laps but fails to lead the most important one. Unlike Darlington, this race was not lost on pit road. Some may argue that lapped traffic played the critical role in Byron losing this race. Sure, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick played a part in Byron losing some momentum. But lapped traffic is a factor that the leader has to overcome. Still, it was an impressive run by Byron. If not for some bad weeks before this race, he could have been number 1 in the rankings once again.
#1 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 3
Essentially by default, Christopher Bell finds his way back to the top spot in the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Early in the race, Bell looked to be one of the better cars in the field. However, the lose of track position hampered the speed in the 20. Bell managed to pick up stage points in Stages 1 and 3. However, Stage 2 saw Bell run outside the Top-10. Once a Top-5 contender, Bell never recovered fully. He did pick up a Top-10 though. Maybe an underwhelming pick for the top spot, but his recent string of races helped bolster him here. Will he hold on after Nashville though?
Honorable Mention
Chris Buescher – Bad luck continues to follow Chris Buescher around this season. After qualifying fourth, Buescher slowly faded during the race and ultimately got caught up in Carson Hocevar’s mess.
Chase Briscoe – Chase Briscoe put together another solid race this weekend, rebounding from early to trouble to finish third.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr – Consistency has been the calling card for Ricky Stenhouse Jr this year. His 11th place finish helps put him in the honorable mentions this week.
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