FitStop Performance 2026 Week 2 Power Rankings

EchoPark Speedway has quickly become one of the most popular tracks on the schedule. Despite the initial backlash to the reconfiguration, it is difficult to argue that the former Atlanta Motor Speedway is not putting on the best of superspeedway racing. Even the lower series are starting to bring the fun, as the track wears down and allows the O’Reilly cars and Craftsman trucks to work the 1.5 mile track in better packs. The Cup Series is still the crown jewel of the weekend, recreating what old-Daytona used to be. NASCAR is off to another strong start in 2026 with 6 well-regarded races. Specifically for the Cup Series, the back-to-back superspeedways have offered plenty of drivers highlighted near the front. Will it be enough to jostle the rankings around compared to Week 1? Check out the FitStop Performance 2026 Week 2 Power Rankings.

#10 – Chase Briscoe

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

After a no-good week at Daytona, Chase Briscoe bounced back with a second place finish at EchoPark Speedway. Additionally, Briscoe finished Stage 2 in third, giving him a good points day. Briscoe pushed Tyler Reddick to the win, unable to mount a charge on his own through Turns 3 and 4. With more traditional tracks coming down the pipe, expect Briscoe to rise in the rankings.

#9 – Zane Smith

Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention

Only 3 Cup Series drivers have 2 Top-10s to their name. The lowest of the three on this list, Zane Smith features properly in the Power Rankings for the first time in his career. Smith has masterfully handled the draft at both Daytona and Atlanta to put himself in position for a strong finish. While he did not find himself pushing for the win this weekend, he certainly had the 38 near the front all race long. Also, he wound up as the best finishing Ford in the field. Hopefully, he can continue the momentum to COTA and beyond to become a regular in these articles.

#8 – Denny Hamlin

Previous Ranking: 7

Another week, another lackluster superspeedway experience for Denny Hamlin. The 11 team has not started well this season at tracks Hamlin usually runs well. Once again, Hamlin got near the front during the final stage, but spun out in front of the field. He managed to finish 13th, so hats off to the team and driver for pulling a respectable finish. However, more is expected of this unit.

#7 – Kyle Larson

Previous Ranking: 5

Kyle Larson has cruddy luck at superspeedways. Sometimes though, it is self-inflected bad luck. Coming to the green-and-white checkered flag for the end of Stage 2, Kyle Larson decided blocking the bottom lane from the top lane was a good idea. Unfortunately for him, Shane van Gisbergen occupied that space. Larson wrecks out for the first time in 2026. Luckily for him, the superspeedways go away for a bit.

#6 – Chris Buescher

Previous Ranking: 6

The first stagnant driver in this week’s rankings, Chris Buescher certainly was there at EchoPark Speedway. He did not score any stage points but mostly avoided trouble. He got clipped by Connor Zilisch in an incident that prevented him from being able to drive in clean air. Still, the 17 team were in contention for a Top-10 before the bottom line fizzled out on the final overtime restart.

#5 – William Byron

Previous Ranking: 4

Until the end of the race, the Autotrader 400 would have been considered a success for William Byron. He was running in the Top-10 after collecting 16 stage points. However, Byron smacked the outside wall in Turn 2 before losing all momentum. Trying to get to the bottom of the track, the 24 clipped Austin Cindric and started the final multi-car melee of the evening.

#4 – Bubba Wallace

Previous Ranking: 9

Most likely, Bubba Wallace would like those final 2 laps back. Restarting as the leader with his teammate hellbent on pushing him, Wallace went for an ill-advised block on Carson Hocever. Leaving the middle lane open, Wallace was sent by himself to the top of 3-wide as Hocevar drove around him. After another block from Hocevar, the 23 team would have to settle for an 8th place finish. Still, winning Stage 2 for the second straight week and running as the best car in field is enough to boost Bubba Wallace to 4th in the rankings.

#3 – Ryan Blaney

Previous Ranking: 1

Until the final stage, it was a quite afternoon from Ryan Blaney. The 12 car struggled to build up momentum to run near the front. Often, Blaney would attempt aggressive 3-wide moves to only get stuck on the bottom without any help. Despite this, Blaney still picked up a few stage points and finish in the Top-10.

#2 – Chase Elliott

Previous Ranking: 2

Being leapfrogged for the top spot, Chase Elliott still put together a solid race. Scoring points in both stages and barely missing out on a Top-10 was enough to keep his second spot. Plus, he led 11 laps. Not too much to report about Elliott’s day, which could foreshadow how the 2026 season will go.

#1 – Tyler Reddick

Previous Ranking: 3

For the first since 2009, a Cup Series driver has kicked off the season by winning the first two races. Tyler Reddick’s accomplishment boosted him to the #1 spot in this week’s FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Despite missing the right front fender, Reddick managed to recover from his incident with Denny Hamlin. During the course of 2 laps, Reddick knifed through the field to go from 20th to 3rd. It was an impressive bit of driving that was rewarded with another trip to victory lane. Now, Reddick will be going for history at COTA. No Cup driver has won the first 3 races of the season. Based on his history at COTA, Tyler Reddick could be the first.

Honorable Mention

Christopher Bell – Give an assist to Carson Hocevar as to why Christopher Bell has dropped out of the rankings. To be fair though, Bell did not have an impressive race before that wreck anyway.

Joey Logano – A few too many incidents on track prevented Joey Logano from being in contention and staying in the power rankings.

Daniel Suarez – A strong start for Daniel Suarez with his new team. A Top-10 at EchoPark Speedway after an impressive run in the Daytona 500.

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