The Pennzoil 400 marked the fifth factors race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Collection season, delivering a 3rd winner so far. We additionally noticed a few of the finest NASCAR drivers carry out very effectively at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading to a bit nearer to a return to normalcy within the weekly rankings.
Let’s dive into our newest NASCAR energy rankings popping out of Las Vegas.
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1. Tyler Reddick (Beforehand: 1)
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Tyler Reddick completed outdoors the highest 10 for the primary time this season, putting thirteenth within the Pennzoil 400. He did, nonetheless, file factors in each phases, earlier than there gave the impression to be a little bit of a drop-off within the No. 45 automobile following the ultimate pit cease. Even after a season-worst end, Reddick continues to be tied for the Cup Collection lead in top-10s (4) and top-5s (three) with the fourth-most laps led (112) and the highest common ending place (4.8) within the Cup Collection. Reddick retains the No. 1 spot within the NASCAR energy rankings proper now, however he’s now in a spot the place he may very well be overtaken after Darlington.
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2. Christopher Bell (Beforehand: 4)
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Make it three consecutive top-four finishes for Christopher Bell. The No. 20 automobile didn’t fairly have the identical velocity as teammate Denny Hamlin, however Las Vegas marked consecutive weeks with Bell scoring 50-plus factors and getting a stage win. Bell doesn’t simply lead the Cup Collection in laps led (225); he’s the primary driver to clear 200 laps led this season and he’s tied Reddick for the longest streak of top-5 finishes (three) this 12 months. The disastrous displaying at Daytona (thirty fifth place, 3 factors) appears like a distant reminiscence and it won’t even take a month earlier than Joe Gibbs Racing has two race winners in 2026.
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3. Denny Hamlin (Beforehand: 6)
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Nobody was beating Denny Hamlin within the Pennzoil 400. After ending third in Stage 1, he needed to drop to the again of the sector (thirty first) on the restart for rushing (50.03 mph) on pit street. It didn’t take the No. 11 automobile a lot time to work his approach again into the highest 15, and he completed Stage 2 in fifth place. It was clear at that time who had the quickest automobile on Sunday, with Hamlin cruising his option to a victory. After racing close to the entrance of the sector at Daytona and Atlanta, solely to fall again because of injury to the automobile from wrecks attributable to his friends, Hamlin now has three consecutive top-10 finishes with a mean ending place of and 145 complete factors scored throughout that stretch. Oh, he’s additionally now headed to Darlington the place he’s the reigning spring winner.
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4. Bubba Wallace (Beforehand: 3)
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We’re by 5 races this season and Bubba Wallace nonetheless has the second-most factors within the Cup Collection. A part of that’s actually due to the phases, as he turned the primary driver to eclipse 50 stage factors this 12 months. With that mentioned, it’s additionally value acknowledging that Wallace ranks sixth in laps led (86), he’s tied with Kyle Larson for the very best common place mid-race (7.60) and he leads the game in high quality passes (690). That’s the way you get a driver who’s tied for essentially the most prime 10s (4) with a season-worst end of eleventh place on a street course.
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5. Chase Elliott (Beforehand: 7)
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The one driver who made Denny Hamlin sweat a bit on the ultimate stage was Chase Elliott. That claims loads about the place this No. 11 automobile is, as a result of Las Vegas Motor Speedway hasn’t been significantly variety to the staff lately. Whereas Elliott didn’t fare significantly effectively on the phases Sunday, (3 complete factors), the changes made put him able to problem Hamlin on the finish. Heading to Darlington, Elliott has 4 finishes eleventh or higher with 33-plus factors in every of these races. Phoenix (twenty third) was clearly an occasion of only a flawed sport plan, however Elliott is again on monitor and firmly within the combine to win the regular-season championship.
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6. Kyle Larson (Beforehand: 5)
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Kyle Larson gained his first NASCAR race in 2026, it simply got here within the O’Reilly Auto Elements Collection. At a monitor he’s traditionally dominated, Larson completed second in each phases (18 factors) and had the second-most laps led (62), however the stability with the automobile fell off a bit within the remaining stage and he completed seventh. Larson does have a mean ending place of 5.333 in his final three races, however the No. 5 staff is arising simply quick on the end line. It’s solely a matter of time earlier than that modifications, and his OARS win on Saturday confirmed that he can steer his option to victory even when he doesn’t have one of the best automobile.
7. Ryan Blaney (Beforehand: 2)
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Coming off a win at Phoenix, Workforce Penske simply didn’t have it at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s a testomony to Blaney’s driving that he certified sixth on the identical day when Joey Logano certified twenty first, and we noticed that carryover into Sunday. Blaney picked up two stage factors (ninth in Stage 1), however wound up dropping to the center of the pack to complete sixteenth within the Pennzoil 400. By 5 races, Blaney has completed outdoors the highest 15 twice with a victory and two top-10 finishes.
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8. William Byron (Beforehand: 8)
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William Byron delivered a season-best efficiency at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, snagging his first top-5 end of the 12 months and placing up 49 factors within the course of. Whereas the No. 24 didn’t fairly have the velocity to catch Hamlin on the long term within the remaining stage, there was some nice battling earlier within the race. Byron and Hendrick Motorsports appear to be righting the ship after three consecutive races outdoors the highest 10, and he’ll seemingly be climbing up the NASCAR energy rankings in brief order.
9. Ty Gibbs (Beforehand: Unranked)
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It actually looks as if the commentary surrounding Ty Gibbs within the Spire Motorsports-Joe Gibbs Racing authorized battle has lit a hearth for the younger driver. Within the first two races of the season, Gibbs netted 15 complete factors with a mean ending place of 30.0. The No. 54 automobile is now coming off a three-race stretch with 123 factors and a mean ending place of 4.333. Gibbs, at 23 years previous, is actually beginning to appear like the driving force that his grandfather all the time believed he might change into. The primary profession Cup Collection win stays elusive for Ty, nevertheless it’s not possible to disregard how effectively he’s carried out as of late.
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10. Chase Briscoe (Beforehand: Unranked)
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Chase Briscoe managing to complete eighth within the Pennzoil 400 is really probably the most spectacular performances from the weekend. Due to his tough begin to the season, impacting the metric for qualifying order, he was a part of the primary qualifying group and began 18th on Sunday. Issues solely acquired worse for the No. 19 staff, as a result of Briscoe had a rushing penalty in Stage 1 after which a penalty for pitting outdoors the field in Stage 2, leading to him spending a majority of this race a lap down. He managed to claw his approach again for a top-10 end. There are nonetheless two DNFs on his file this season, however Briscoe’s driving when the automobile isn’t getting severely broken has felt harking back to final season.
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