Who’s the very best NASCAR driver proper now? Tyler Reddick simply made NASCAR Cup Collection historical past by turning into the primary driver ever to win the primary three races of the season. Reddick’s dominance is the most important story in NASCAR proper now, whereas a couple of of the opposite prime drivers are both off to scorching begins or making an attempt to dig out of a factors gap as we head to Phoenix.
Let’s dive into our newest NASCAR energy rankings, evaluating the ten greatest NASCAR drivers after COTA. Of be aware, these rankings give attention to general efficiency within the final three races along with different elements. These should not thought-about season-long rankings of the very best NASCAR drivers.
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1. Tyler Reddick
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
It must be put into perspective simply how a lot of a bonus Tyler Reddick has in factors proper now after COTA. The second-closest driver behind him is teammate Bubba Wallace, who’s 70 factors again of the Cup Collection chief. That’s the identical factors hole because the one between Wallace and Chase Briscoe (46 factors) in twenty seventh place. Reddick () is the one Cup Collection driver with 100-plus laps led this season and he has practically as many laps led as Briscoe (58, third-most) and Kyle Larson (55, fourth-most) mixed. Two extra stats for good measure: no different driver has a number of top-5 finishes this 12 months and Reddick has as many wins this season as he did within the final two years mixed. There’s an extended season forward, however Reddick has put himself in a unbelievable place to win the regular-season title.
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2. Chase Elliott
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
Chase Elliott didn’t have a very nice automobile at Circuit of the Americas, with speeds within the No. 9 that realistically gave him no shot at a win. It’s a credit score to probably the greatest NASCAR drivers that he nonetheless wound up ending the day seventh, netting 33 factors on a day when the likes of William Byron (26 factors), Joey Logano (22), Chris Buescher (19) and Chase Briscoe (1) fared far worse. Elliott hasn’t led many laps this 12 months (13, T-Thirteenth most), however he’s one in all simply six drivers with a number of top-10 finishes. He at the moment ranks second in common ending place (7.3) and first in common beginning place (4.3), too. A victory is coming for Elliott this season, and with the best way he’s been driving, it’ll seemingly be a number of wins.
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3. Ryan Blaney
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
Early within the DuraMax Texas Grand Prix, it actually regarded like Ryan Blaney had the quickest automobile. He blew previous pole-sitter Tyler Reddick and the remainder of the sector, getting out to an enormous lead earlier than strategically pitting earlier than the top of Stage 1. The No. 12 staff performed for the win on Sunday, leading to him snagging simply 4 stage factors by ending seventh in Stage 2. Sadly for Blaney, the pit technique within the closing stage backfired. Not solely did he fall behind Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen, however he later acquired handed by Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Michael McDowell, too. He completed with a modest 33 factors and left with some frustration over the staff’s technique. Nonetheless, Blaney will head to Phoenix fourth in factors, tied for the second-most prime 10s with two, and he now will get to race at one in all his greatest tracks.
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4. Bubba Wallace
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
How are you going to ignore the numbers at this level? Bubba Wallace ranks second in NASCAR in factors (116) and laps led (86) whereas in a tie for essentially the most top-10 finishes. The No. 23 automobile’s worst end of the season? It got here on Sunday at COTA, once they went for factors in Stage 2 (5 factors) after which needed to begin close to the again of the sector for the ultimate stage. Nonetheless, he navigated his manner by wrecks and different drivers to complete eleventh on the day, popping out of COTA tied with Kyle Larson for the ninth-most factors (33). Wallace will virtually actually get overtaken in our NASCAR energy rankings within the weeks to return by Larson and William Byron, however he’s firmly established himself as one of many 10 greatest NASCAR drivers since final summer season, and his torrid begin is unimaginable to look previous as a credit score to him.
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5. Kyle Larson
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It’s a testomony to Kyle Larson that he completed sixth within the DuraMax Texas Grand Prix contemplating the problems with the No. 5 automobile. Earlier than the race, per Jeff Gluck, the pc confirmed irregular readings associated to Larson’s engine. Nonetheless, Hendrick Motorsports needed to roll the cube since NASCAR’s guidelines meant plugging it in for additional analysis would drop him to the rear. As soon as within the automobile, Larson’s cool swimsuit quickly malfunctioned with monitor temperatures over 100 levels, and he then had points getting water. Whereas he didn’t get any stage factors, he nonetheless acquired out of the No. 5 along with his greatest end of the season (sixth), and he racked up practically as many factors (31) as he had within the earlier two races mixed (34).
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6. William Byron
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It actually hasn’t been a banner begin to the season for William Byron, who nonetheless hasn’t scored even 28 factors in a race this 12 months. The motive force of the No. 24 automobile additionally doesn’t have a top-10 end in 2026 after having a victory (Daytona 500) and a second-place end (COTA) by three races a 12 months in the past. With that stated, Byron had to make use of his backup automobile this season at Daytona, after which the No. 24 seemingly broke down within the closing laps at Atlanta when he had a shot at a top-five end. On Sunday in Austin, he hung across the prime 10 for many of the day and even led a lap earlier than falling to Thirteenth. Issues will ultimately go proper for the No. 24 staff and we’re assured Byron will win a number of races this season, however he’s at the moment 110 factors again of Reddick.
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7. Denny Hamlin
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Denny Hamlin lastly secured a top-10 end at COTA. It wasn’t precisely a fairly day for the No. 11 staff and Joe Gibbs Racing’s prime drivers, however Hamlin salvaged it with a stage level (tenth in Stage 1) after which working his well beyond a number of the discipline to complete tenth within the Texas Grand Prix. Hamlin has truthfully been operating effectively this season by three races, however he’s then been concerned in wrecks within the closing stage when he’s been within the prime 10, and every time they’ve been attributable to one other driver (Justin Allgaier then Joey Logano). The highest-five finishes are coming, however Hamlin is in a little bit of a tough spot for The Chase contemplating he’s 54 factors behind the third-place bonus factors and 126 again of the massive benefit for the regular-season title factors.
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8. Shane van Gisbergen
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
That is about extra than simply his end at COTA on Sunday. Shane van Gisbergen comes out of the primary three races of the season with the fifth-most factors (90) within the Cup Collection, and he’s in uncommon firm with two top-10 finishes this season. SVG demonstrated at Daytona and Atlanta that he now has a a lot better dealing with of find out how to drive on ovals—sufficient in order that extra top-10 finishes are coming. Now mix that with the truth that he completed second at COTA regardless of having an inferior automobile that began Thirteenth; he’s acquired a fantastic shot at making The Chase this season.
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9. Christopher Bell
Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Photos
Kudos to crew chief Adam Stevens for the distinctive pit technique utilized by the No. 20 staff within the closing stage. It allowed Christopher Bell to work his manner from twelfth with 25 laps to enter a third-place end, driving previous the likes of Larson, Elliott and Blaney. It marked Bell’s first end inside the highest 20 this season. Getting 34 factors was notably essential contemplating a wreck at Daytona (3 factors, thirty fifth place) and an terrible beginning place at Atlanta (16 factors, twenty first place) had him effectively exterior the highest 16 coming into March.
10. Joey Logano
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Joey Logano was largely a non-factor at COTA. He struggled in qualifying, leading to a twentieth beginning place after being within the first two rows at Daytona and Atlanta. Logano fell again to twenty ninth on the finish of Stage 1 and needed to combat simply to complete 18th in Stage 2. Contemplating the place he was at Stage 1, ending fifteenth is frankly an accomplishment for the No. 22 staff. Logano’s nice day at Daytona – third-place end and 36 factors – is absolutely doing the heavy lifting for him proper now, as he’s completed fifteenth or worse with 22 factors in every of the final two races. Thankfully for Staff Penske, Phoenix is up subsequent and that’s a possibility to push Logano into the highest three for factors.
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