FitStop Performance 2025 Week 26 Power Rankings

After 26 weeks, the regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series has come to a close. Daytona International Speedway hosted the regular season finale. Unlike other superspeedways races in the Gen7 car, this one thrilled with quality racing. Maybe the key to solid packing racing is eliminating about a third of the field. The big one struck in Stage 1, which allowed the draft to flow better than expected. While an upset winner could have thrown another wrench into the playoff picture, it was not meant to be. Still, a Top-10 driver does wind up missing out. However, playoffs do not factor here with the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. All drivers are still considered based on their performance on track. Did the draft upset the rankings as Richmond did for Week 25? Read below to see how Daytona altered the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 26 Power Rankings.

#10 – Christopher Bell

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

Back into the power rankings this week, Christopher Bell played a pivotal role in pushing Ross Chastain to the Stage 2 win. Outside of that, Bell managed to pick up a point in Stage 1. As for the final stage, Bell became another cog in the drafting machine. Still, it was enough to jump him back into the Top-10.

#9 – Bubba Wallace

Previous Ranking: 7

On International Blame Bubba Wallace Day, the driver of the 23 car kicked off the “big one”. While the exact blame is difficult to pinpoint, the only certain thing is that Wallace found himself turned on the nose of the 22. The damage led to another DNF for Wallace, marking his 7th on the season (which is tied for the most in Cup).

#8 – Brad Keselowski

Previous Ranking: 10

Last week, it was mentioned that Brad Keselowski was overlooked in the rankings. Afterall, his runs since the Coca-Cola 600 should have seen him reach the rankings before Richmond. However, it is never too late to make up for lost time. Despite Keselowski having an off night for him at a superspeedway, he bumps up a couple spots based on overall consistency in recent weeks.

#7 – Tyler Reddick

Previous Ranking: 8

Early on, it looked to be disaster for Tyler Reddick. Bringing out the second caution of the night, Reddick spun with Todd Gilliland off of Turn 4. The 45 car smacked the inside wall and bent the nose in. However, all turned out okay after Alex Bowman got collected in the big one. Clinching his playoff spot early, Reddick turned into a pusher for the remainder of the night.

#6 – Chase Elliott

Previous Ranking: 6

A familiar feeling is returning with Chase Elliott. After stringing together a summer of better results, the 9 team has fallen back to the malaise of not being noteworthy. His greatest impact on the race was following Kyle Larson to put Ryan Preece in the middle of 3-wide in the final laps. That cost him positions but helped lock his teammate into the playoffs.

#5 – Denny Hamlin

Previous Ranking: 4

A rough day for Denny Hamlin started after he got collected in the big one at the end of Stage 1. From there, Hamlin struggled to remain on the lead lap. Later in the race, the 11 car blew a tire and Hamlin “could not turn” onto pit road. Spraying debris everywhere, Hamlin brought out the caution and only lost one lap. However, it did not matter too much since the ending of the race remained unchaotic.

#4 – Kyle Larson

Previous Ranking: 5

At the end of the race, any new potential winner did not want to see the 5 car pushing them. Larson survived the early carnage to run second in line for the bulk of the final run. However, he punted Erik Jones out of the way before putting Preece in the middle of 3-wide. Larson accomplished his goal of helping his teammate point his way into the playoffs. Also, the cherry on top of it was finishing .001 seconds ahead of Chris Buescher for 6th.

#3 – Chase Briscoe

Previous Ranking: 3

Chase Briscoe managed to score 6 stage points while leading 6 laps on Saturday night. Outside of that, there is not much else to report from Briscoe’s race. He avoided the carnage but did not play a huge role in determining the winner.

#2 – William Byron

Previous Ranking: 2

The weekend got off to poor start for William Byron. After qualifying got lightninged out, the 24 got hit with a penalty for making unapproved adjustments. Crew chief Rudy Fugle got the boot as Byron was forced to do a pass through penalty to start the race. Luckily, early cautions helped prevent the penalty from becoming a multi-lap one.

#1 – Ryan Blaney

Previous Ranking: 1

Remaining at the top of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings is Ryan Blaney. After starting on pole, Blaney managed to finish third in Stage 1. From there, Blaney drifted to the back of the lead pack. Not wanting to end his night early, Blaney mostly round around for the middle section of the race. However, he charge in the final two laps should be remembered fondly. Going from 13th to the lead in two laps at Daytona (in this car) is an impressive feat. Now, Blaney has that much needed momentum for the playoffs.

Honorable Mention

Alex Bowman – Although Alex Bowman made the playoffs, his pathway there saw him wreck out early and wait to see who won the race.

Chris Buescher – Top-10 in points and not in the playoffs. What a shame for Chris Buescher and the 17 RFK Racing team.

Ryan Preece – Other than having Kyle Larson behind him, Ryan Preece ran the perfect race until 2 laps to go in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

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 Series drivers throughout the season. Give them a follow (Facebook, Instagram, X) and thank them for their sponsorship!