NASCAR Power Rankings: Ty Gibbs Finding Rhythm, Making Moves

Ty Gibbs has entered the Top-10 power ranking chat while one of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates has left it. While Chase Briscoe has shown speed, he already has three races where he has either not finished or finished several laps down. He’ll be back on this list with a solid finish or two. But right now, he isn’t showing a lot of power — at least not in the standings where he’s currently 33rd. Here are my power rankings heading into the first traditional 1.5-mile track of the year at Las Vegas. Dropped out: Chase Briscoe (Last Week: 4) On the verge: Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez 10. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 5) Elliott got caught up in an accident. But he also started 26th, which is an indication that — like other Hendrick drivers — his team still struggles some at Phoenix. 9. William Byron (Last Week: 9) Byron started ninth and finished seventh. That’s nothing spectacular but it’s also not awful for the Hendrick driver. The organization has to be looking forward to Las Vegas. 8. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: Not Ranked) Gibbs has back-to-back fourth-place finishes and has himself above the playoff cutline. He’s showing signs of having found the rhythm he had in his first couple of Cup seasons. 7. Shane van Gisbergen (Last Week: 10) An 11th-place finish at Phoenix is a sign of progress for van Gisbergen, who remains fifth in the Cup standings. He just might be getting the hang of oval racing. 6. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 8) Wallace finished a respectable sixth at Phoenix. While that dropped him to third in the standings, rattling off top 10s is what this 23XI Racing driver needs to continue doing. 5. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 7) Hamlin didn’t dominate at Phoenix like he had in November, but a fifth-place finish was a good points day. And sometimes you need to have just that when you don’t have the dominant car. 4. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 6) Larson will be the first to tell you he didn’t feel all that great, despite a third-place finish. But finishes like those will put him in position to capitalize on strong runs in the Chase. 3. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 3) Bell felt he let Phoenix slip away. This was the second straight week when he was a contender but ended up with no trophy. The JGR driver hates to lose but he can’t let it eat at him. 2. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 2) Blaney won at Phoenix. He held off Bell, who had four fresh tires, while Blaney had two near the end. It was a great drive by the Team Penske driver and he’d be No. 1 on this list if Tyler Reddick had not won the first three races. 1. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 1) All streaks must end at some point, and Reddick’s winning stretch ended at three. He started eighth and finished eighth at Phoenix, and the 23XI Racing driver still has a comfortable points lead.