NASCAR power rankings 2025: 10 best NASCAR drivers after Homestead-Miami

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season rolled into Homestead-Miami this weekend, with Kyle Larson securing his first victory of the season. It proved to be a dominant weekend for Larson, nearly winning in all three series, with some of the best NASCAR drivers in 2025 finishing near the front of the field. Following Sunday’s race, our NASCAR power rankings are evaluating the 10 best drivers right now.

Let’s dive into our latest NASCAR power rankings after Sunday’s race at Homestead.

NASCAR power rankings after Homestead

10. Bubba Wallace (Previously: Unranked)

Bubba Wallace leaves Homestead-Miami seventh in the points standings and he picked up a point on Sunday for the fastest lap. The No. 23 car came out of the Straight Talk Wireless 400 with the second-most laps led (56) and the fourth-most points (41) on the day. While Wallace has already picked up two DNFs this year, one of them an accident caused by those around him. Wallace is consistently qualifying well – fourth-highest average starting position (11.2) – with small mistakes (flat tire and brake rotor failure) that have cost him late when he was near the front of the field. He’s overcome it and now heads to Martinsville, where he has the 11th-highest average finishing position (11.0) in the last six races.

Bubba Wallace stats 2025: 6 races, 166 points, 2 top 10s, 1 top 5, 98 laps led, 2 DNFs, 19.667 avg. finish

Related: NASCAR schedule

9. Chris Buescher (Previously: 9)

After a crash resulted in a poor showing in Atlanta – 30th place and 7 points – Chris Buescher has been on an excellent run over the last four weeks. He’s finished in the top seven three times and placed no worse than 13th (Las Vegas), boasting a 7.75 average finishing position and averaging 29.25 points per race over the last month. While Buscher’s car hasn’t ever been good enough this season to get clean air – 0 laps led in 6 races – he does rank fourth in average finishing position (11.8) and fifth in average starting position (12.2). A win certainly isn’t coming in Martinsville, but Buescher should at least snag another top 20.

Chris Buescher stats: 6 races, 164 points, 4 top 10s, 1 top 5, 11.833 avg. finishing position

Related: NASCAR standings

8. Chase Elliott (Previously: 7)

It certainly might feel like an underwhelming start to the season for Chase Elliott and he is sliding down a spot in our NASCAR power rankings. However, there are some numbers worth considering. He’s still tied with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for the fifth-most top 10s (three) and he’s never finished worse than 20th this season. The No. 9 car was doing well on Sunday at Homestead before a penalty for not entering pit road single file. He consistently remains one of the best drivers out there but there’s a high floor and lower ceiling with him right now. Specifically, Elliott has the second-fewest DNFs (two) among drivers over the last 36 races with the third-most top 10s (21), but he only has 1 win to show for it during that 36-race stretch.

Chase Elliott stats 2025: 6 races, 181 points, 3 top 10s, 1 top 5, 2 laps led, 12.833 avg. finishing position

7. Denny Hamlin (Previously: 8)

In his first race supported by Progressive, the No. 11 car delivered one of its best results of the year. Denny Hamlin recorded his first stage win (10 points and 1 playoff point) on Sunday and he did a great job managing his car to work his way toward the front of the pack. After starting 23rd on Sunday, Hamlin climbed into the lead late in Stage 2 and won the battle against Kyle Larson. The No. 11 ultimately finished a ways back from Larson at the finish, but he still placed 5th and recorded 42 points for his second 40-point performance in three races. After an early adjustment period, Hamlin and new crew chief Chris Gayle are starting to find a stride.

Denny Hamlin stats 2025: 6 races, 164 points, 3 top 10s, 2 top 5s, 24 laps led, 13.833 average finishing position, 17.333 average starting position

6. Tyler Reddick (Previously: 4)

After last year’s incredible win at Homestead-Miami, Tyler Reddick wasn’t heard from much on Sunday. He did claim a point in Stage 2, but he never got to the front of the field. While it wasn’t a notable day for the No. 45 car, he still finished eighth and recorded 30-plus points for the fourth time through six races. Reddick’s average starting position has dipped in the last two weeks – 17th – and Martinsville (20.8 avg. starting position) hasn’t been kind to him. The Cook Out 400 might be where Reddick loses some ground in the standings and a poor showing could result in his third finish outside the top 19 in the past four races.

Tyler Reddick stats 2025: 6 races, 189 points, 3 top 10s, 2 top 5s, 1 pole, 43 laps led, 12.667 average finishing position, 12.167 average starting position

5. Ryan Blaney (Previously: 5)

If Ryan Blaney didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all. Blaney dominated Stage 1 (10 points, 1 playoff point) and then picked up 8 more points with a third-place finish in Stage 2. With 124 laps led, disaster struck in Stage 3 when his engine blew for the second time this season. This is the first time in Blaney’s career that he’s had three DNFs in a season, two of which were caused by blown engines. He is showcasing why he is one of the best NASCAR drivers in 2025, but factors outside of his control keep failing him. Fortunately, Martinsville is up next, where Blaney – 3.5 average finish position with five top 5s and 2 wins – is the favorite.

Ryan Blaney stats 2025: 6 races, 162 points, 2 top 10s, 1 top 5, 1 pole, 3 DNFs, 148 laps led, 21.5 average finishing position

4. Alex Bowman (Previously: 6)

Any speculation of Alex Bowman being replaced in the No. 48 car looks foolish right now. He shined in the Daytona 500 – 42 points and sixth-place finish – and has recovered nicely after a rough trip to Atlanta Motor Speedway. Over the last four races, Bowman’s average finish position is 6.25 with 146 points (36.5 average per race) rocketing him up to third in the points standings. On Sunday, he was in position for the win at Homestead-Miami before making contact with the wall which allowed Kyle Larson to pass ahead of the checkered flag. Still, Bowman heads to Martinsville with the third-best average finishing position (9.5) and the most top 10s (five) this season.

Alex Bowman stats 2025: 6 races, 205 points, 5 top 10s, 1 top 5, 1 pole, 62 laps led, 9.5 average finishing position

3. Christopher Bell (Previously: 1)

Christopher Bell spun out late in Stage 1 on Sunday, resulting in some damage to the car that required work on pit road. Even without that, the No. 20 car just didn’t seem to be a factor at Homestead. He finished 29th (8 points), failing to ever even sniff his way into the top 20 in the final two stages. The three consecutive wins still demonstrate what Bell is capable of and there’s at least some hope he can rebound at Martinsville – 16.8 avg. finishing position and 1 win in the last six races there – but he’s lost some serious ground on William Byron in the standings.

Christopher Bell stats 2025: 6 races, 186 points, 3 wins, 3 top 5s, 1 DNF, 114 laps led, 12.5 average finishing position

2. William Byron (Previously: 2)

William Byron leads the Cup Series in points and for good reason. Outside of a 27th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Byron has been at the front of the field in every race this season. He ‘only’ placed 12th on Sunday, but he fared well on Stage 1 (sixth) and Stage 2 (fourth) and picked up the sixth-most points (37) on the day. Up next, a trip to Martinsville where Byron has multiple wins, the third-most laps led (351) and four top 10s. A top-five finish feels like a safe bet, which would only add to Byron’s commanding points lead.

William Byron stats 2025: 6 races, 244 points, 1 win, 4 top 10s, 3 top 5s, 1 pole, 111 laps led, 8.33 average starting position, 8.667 average finishing position

1. Kyle Larson (Previously: 3)

Kyle Larson would’ve pulled off the clean sweep – Xfinity Series, Truck Series and Cup Series wins – at Homestead-Miami if not for a late caution when he had a 16-second lead in the Truck Series with seven laps to go. He recovered from that on Sunday, overcoming some side damage from contact with Josh Berry to fight his way to the front of the field late in Stage 3 on Sunday. Larson’s will riding was executed perfectly and while he might’ve benefitted from Blaney’s blown engine, what matters is taking advantage of it. Larson earned his first Cup Series win of the season and simply dominated in all three races at Homestead over the weekend. A second victory is likely coming in April or it could come on Sunday for the reigning Cook Out 400 winner.

Kyle Larson stats 2025: 6 races, 208 points, 1 win, 4 top 10s, 3 top 5s, 92 laps led, 11.333 average finishing position, 14.5 average starting position