FitStop Performance 2025 Week 19 Power Rankings

Perhaps for the final time (for now), the Chicago Street Course hosted the Cup Series. However, this time the weather held off long enough to keep the track dry the entire time. What did the first dry Grant Park 165 give fans? Another schooling by Shane van Gisbergen mixed with calamity in the tight confines. Without the rain, the Cup Series drivers still found ways to bump into walls and ram into tires. Did that make for an entertaining race? Despite the subpar coverage from TNT, the action on track felt lively and never hit a drag in the running. However, the chaos throughout the race sent drivers up and down the leaderboard. That should mean more shuffling in the power rankings, similar to last week after Atlanta. Maybe. Time to find out where the Cup drivers wound up in the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 19 Power Rankings.

#10 – Christopher Bell

Previous Ranking: 7

The continuation of Christopher Bell’s struggles sees him almost fall out of the rankings this week. Largely a non-factor throughout Sunday’s race, Bell started to climb his way forward near the end. Unfortunately, Bell got spun late in the race with no time to make up the lost ground. Chicago marks Bell’s third straight finish outside the Top-10.

#9 – Alex Bowman

Previous Ranking: 10

Up a spot this week, Alex Bowman had an adventurous race. Pitting early, Bowman attempted to stretch his fuel as long as possible. Once he pit during the final stage, Bowman had a tire advantage over others playing the fuel game. This saw him with better tires battling inside the Top-10 against Bubba Wallace. For some reason, the fight for 8th became an intense one where the 23 constantly door slammed the 48. It ended with Wallace spinning out and getting damage. Meanwhile, Bowman managed to finish inside the Top-10.

#8 – Ryan Preece

Previous Ranking: 8

Started 7th, finished 7th, and remained 8th in the rankings. Talk about a consistent day for Ryan Preece. Preece continues to impress in his first season with RFK Racing. Where he has improved the most is on the road courses. Back-to-back Top-10 qualifying efforts met with strong performances is certainly evidence of that. With another Top-10, Preece now sits only 3 points below the cutline for the playoffs.

#7 – Tyler Reddick

Previous Ranking: 9

After a worrisome effort in Mexico City, it was refreshing to see Tyler Reddick run well at Chicago. As the race was winding down, Reddick looked to be a threat to SVG’s win. On fresher tires, Reddick was charging through the field. If the race lasted another lap or two, the 45 might have been able to catch the 88. However, a podium finish is nothing to sneeze at, especially when it comes with a bump up in the rankings.

#6 – Ryan Blaney

Previous Ranking: 6

Ryan Blaney certainly felt like an afterthought during the Grant Park 165. Honestly, all of Team Penske did outside of the Lap 63 restart. Since winning Nashville, it has been a bit of rough patch for the 12 team. Over the past 5 races, only the Pocono race has seen Blaney finish inside the Top-10. These mid-season struggles should not be too concerning, but it also hurts Blaney’s ability to move up in the rankings despite his 12th place finish.

#5 – Chris Buescher

Previous Ranking: 4

What a frustrating day for Chris Buecher. After a terrific start to the race, Buescher radioed to his team that something was wrong with the engine. While it did not turn out to be terminal, the 17 car was down on power for the entire race. Despite the massive disadvantage, Buescher still managed a Top-20 finish. If not for the ambulance caution, the 17 could have also advanced in the In-Season Tournament.

#4 – Kyle Larson

Previous Ranking: 5

Another race, another event where Kyle Larson fails to lead a lap. Joining his 3 other Hendrick teammates starting in the rear, Larson had to climb through the field from the beginning. The 5 car struggled to do so, getting up into the teens put seldomly rising higher than that. There could have been damage from contact with Bubba Wallace early in the race. Still, this team has not been the same since Kansas. With Sonoma on deck though, there could be a turn around occurring shortly.

#3 – William Byron

Previous Ranking: 1

The William Byron Summer Slump is officially here. In 4 of the past 5 races, Byron has finished 27th or worse. Chicago saw Byron’s day end before it got started. An issue with the clutch brought the 24 behind the wall on the first lap. The team was unable to fix it in the DVP area. What once was a significant points lead has shrank down to only a 13 point advantage. Plus, Byron falls from the top spot in the rankings.

#2 – Chase Elliott

Previous Ranking: 3

Chase Elliott’s streak of Top-20s to start the season looked to be in jeopardy on Sunday. Sustaining damage during the first Bubba Wallace spin, the 9 car could not drive the way Elliott needed during the race. The nose was punched in and Elliott could not make moves through the field. Despite that damage, Elliott did manage to pick up another Top-20 result. It might not have been pretty, but his performance did send Elliott up one spot in the rankings.

#1 – Denny Hamlin

Previous Ranking: 2

Once again, Denny Hamlin finds himself on top of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. His weekend started out in the worst possible way. Heading into Turn 6 on his warm up lap, the engine expire under the 11’s hood. No practice or qualifying laps for Hamlin as he would start the race from dead last. Using fuel strategy, the 11 team managed to put Hamlin inside the Top-5 during the final stage. Catching the right cautions, Hamlin stretched his fuel to secure his 9th Top-5.

Honorable Mention

Chase Briscoe – Chase Briscoe almost re-entered the power rankings this week. Leading 13 laps thanks to fuel strategy, Briscoe pitted before the caution that would have saved him.

Ross Chastain – While his teammate was winning the race, Ross Chastain finished 10th while angering Joey Logano.

Ty Gibbs – A second place finish might not be much to celebrate for Ty Gibbs, but his recent races has demonstrated the speed that many expect out of the young driver.

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!