FitStop Performance 2025 Week 36 Power Rankings

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has come to a close. With the potential end of a one-race Championship Round to determine the season-long winner, it was only fitting for this format to twist the knife in a unique way. In previous seasons, the Team Penske champion was not a fitting one for those who follow the sport weekly. This year though, Kyle Larson scored the most points and deserves to hoist the trophy. However, Denny Hamlin got robbed this year by bad luck and a flawed system. A nightmare scenario occurred when a last second caution brought the race to overtime and non-playoff drivers determined the outcome. All that said, the Phoenix race was an enjoyable one. Now time to figure out the FitStop Performance 2025 Week 36 Power Rankings.

#10 – Chase Elliott

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

Breaking back into the rankings for this week, Chase Elliott managed to lead 30 laps during the Championship Race. Outside of those 30 laps, Elliott’s time in this race mostly remained in the back-half of the Top-10. Nothing too notable to report from the 9 team this week. Still, it was enough to plop him back into 10th.

#9 – Tyler Reddick

Previous Ranking: 7

Another weekend where Tyler Reddick did little to factor into the story of the race. Reddick failed to score any stage points and struggled to break into the Top-10 for most of the race. Phoenix was a fitting end to a strange season for Reddick, who went winless for the first time in the Gen7 era.

#8 – Chris Buescher

Previous Ranking: 10

Chris Buescher never could get a long run to demonstrate the speed the 17 car had on Sunday. Restarts and short runs were bad for Buescher, as he consistently lost multiple spots. However, the longer the run went on, the faster the 17 would go. Unfortunately for the team, only Stage 1 featured a green flag run that lasted more than 34 laps. Also, Buescher again runs as the best RFK Racing car all race to be the only one not to Top-10.

#7 – Joey Logano

Previous Ranking: 8

A two-tire call during the last caution propelled Joey Logano to his 7th Top-5 on the season. Before that caution, Logano featured heavily in the latter half of the Top-10. His speed did not rival his teammate’s, but was respectable enough to keep him within shouting distance of the front. Surprisingly, ranking 7th this year is an improvement from where he ranked in Week 36 last year when he won the championship.

#6 – Christopher Bell

Previous Ranking: 6

Usually, Phoenix Raceway is a strength for Christopher Bell and the 20 team. However, Sunday did not demonstrate that this year. Perhaps the attention at Joe Gibbs Racing/Toyota was paid too highly with the Championship Four drivers than Bell. Still, it was surprising to see Bell not breakthrough into the Top-5 and be a nuisance for the championship competitors.

#5 – Chase Briscoe

Previous Ranking: 3

If there was an award for perseverance, Chase Briscoe would have certainly won it. While the other Championship Four drivers had issues, few were sent to the back as much as Briscoe. Two tire issues almost ruined Briscoe’s shot at the championship. In both instances though, the 19 team rebounded and Briscoe made his way through the field. On the second-to-last restart, James Small gave Briscoe track position with a 2-tire stop. It failed to hold off any of the Championship Four though before the final caution sealed his fate.

#4 – William Byron

Previous Ranking: 4

William Byron looked to be Denny Hamlin’s only true competition throughout the race. While Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe had tire failures, Byron remained cleaned up until the end. Denny Hamlin drove away from Byron and got to a 3 second lead. Byron looked destined finish second, but his first (and last of the Championship Four) tire failure brought out the final caution. A sour note to end on after leading 52 laps.

#3 – Kyle Larson

Previous Ranking: 1

As mentioned in the introduction, Kyle Larson is a deserving champion. Not only in the sense of he won in the current format that everyone is racing under, but his 2025 season was worthy to be called a champion. Sure, he has not won a race since spring Kansas, but the consistency has been there. Still though, Larson’s Phoenix race was certainly underwhelming for a “Game 7 performance”. Even before tire issues, Larson could not contend with Denny Hamlin and William Byron. However, a 2-tre call on the final pit stop and a great restart led Larson to his second championship.

#2 – Denny Hamlin

Previous Ranking: 5

Whether you love or hate Denny Hamlin, you have to feel for the man. Hamlin had the best race of his season on Sunday. Leading 208 laps and cruising to a 3 second lead with 3 laps to go, the championship seemed to finally be coming to Hamlin. After a career of crucial mistakes leading to missing out on the Cup Series Championship, Sunday looked to be his crowning moment. Then William Byron crashes into the wall and brings out a caution. People can debate the call for 2 or 4 tires, but the simple fact is that the actions of those around Hamlin and Larson determined the championship. Hamlin had a career race, but fate was not on his side.

#1 – Ryan Blaney

Previous Ranking: 2

If you did not realize that Ryan Blaney won Sunday’s race with a last turn pass, you would not be to blame. The hyper focus on the championship took away from superb battle for the win. After taking 2 tires, Blaney managed to drive up to second heading into the final lap. Battling Kyle Larson for second heading into the final turn, Blaney managed to get his car to stick and slide under Brad Keselowski for the win. The Phoenix win marked the first time Blaney has won more than 3 races in a season. For that, Ryan Blaney is the final weekly FitStop Performance Power Rankings #1 driver.

Honorable Mention

Brad Keselowski – What a fitting end to a tough season for Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing. Holding the lead into the final corner, Keselowski overdrove the corner to play defense and watched his tires not stick when he accelerated.

Ryan Preece – Despite the Top-10, Ryan Preece had a tough day at Phoenix. For the majority of the race, the 60 car sat in the 20s.

Josh Berry – After picking up his first career win this year, Josh Berry ended his season on a high note with back-to-back  Top-10s.

This does not mark the end of the FitStop Performance 2025 Power Rankings. Next week will be the finale, which will be the rankings for the whole 2025 season. This is based on every drivers’ average ranking from this year. Check back in at Pit Pass Network next week to see final rankings of the season.

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!