{"id":128858,"date":"2025-09-08T13:17:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T13:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/128858\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T13:17:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T13:17:07","slug":"how-all-36-cup-drivers-rank-after-wwt-raceway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/128858\/","title":{"rendered":"How All 36 Cup Drivers Rank After WWT Raceway"},"content":{"rendered":"

RACE RESULTS:\u00a0Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway<\/a><\/p>\n

Using an average of rankings between Racing America On SI’s Toby Christie and Zach Evans, here’s where all 36 full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stand heading into this weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

Estimated Reading Time:\u00a09 minutes<\/p>\n

1. Chase Briscoe<\/p>\n

Already locked into the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Chase Briscoe and crew chief James Small put together another stellar performance Sunday at WWT Raceway, finishing second to Denny Hamlin. Briscoe has 12 top-fives on the year, which is tied for the most in 2025. (Previously: 1st)<\/p>\n

2. Denny Hamlin<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can either hop on the bandwagon or get run over by it\u201d may be my favorite post-race quote ever. The fact of the matter, is you can say whatever you want when you\u2019re winning races. Hamlin looks to be in championship form in the Playoffs. Is this finally the year? (Previously: 3rd)<\/p>\n

3. Ryan Blaney<\/p>\n

Ryan Blaney stayed hot with his seventh top-10 in his last eight races (and fourth top-five in his last six) by finishing fourth on Sunday. Blaney also finished fifth in the spring race at Bristol, so don\u2019t be surprised if he keeps that momentum rolling in \u201cThe Night Race.\u201d (Previously: 2nd)<\/p>\n

4. Bubba Wallace<\/p>\n

It\u2019s back-to-back top 10 finishes to start the Playoffs for Bubba Wallace after an eight-place effort at World Wide Technology Raceway. Wallace led 73 laps early but lost some ground after an issue while shifting on a restart. (Previously: 6th)<\/p>\n

5. Kyle Larson<\/p>\n

Kyle Larson started on the outside pole and was hopeful that he would have something to celebrate at the end of Sunday\u2019s race. Instead, he was saying sorry to Ryan Blaney for spinning him mid-race. (Previously: 4th)<\/p>\n

6. Christopher Bell<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve heard Christopher Bell as mad as he was following Sunday\u2019s Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway. After finishing seventh, the Norman, Oklahoma-native felt like he had the fastest car all day, but could never get to a position to win the race. (Previously: 7th)<\/p>\n

7. Chase Elliott<\/p>\n

This was possibly the best performance for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team since their win at Atlanta back in late June. Could they be hitting their stride at the right time? (Previously: 12th)<\/p>\n

8. Willaim Byron<\/p>\n

Did he race on Sunday? Like, I know he finished 11th, I\u2019m just struggling to remember William Byron being shown on the broadcast at any point during the race. But, I guess that can be a good thing for a Playoff contender. (Previously: 5th)<\/p>\n

9. Chris Buescher<\/p>\n

Chris Buescher put forth a solid effort in Sunday\u2019s race at Gateway, and the end result was a seventh-place finish, which placed him second in class among the non-Playoff contenders. (Previously: 8th)<\/p>\n

10. Joey Logano<\/p>\n

Joey Logano was one of two Team Penske drivers to finish in the top five on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway. It was just Logano\u2019s fourth top-five finish of the 2025 season, but it pushed him 21 points above the cutline entering Bristol next week. (Previously: 10th)<\/p>\n

11. Tyler Reddick<\/p>\n

After qualifying seventh and showing speed early, Tyler Reddick struggled with no third gear late in the going. He salvaged a 16th-place finish, keeping him 37 points above the cutline in the Playoffs. (Previously: 9th)<\/p>\n

12. John Hunter Nemechek<\/p>\n

Could there be a future where we are talking about JHN taking a W-I-N in the NASCAR Cup Series? He\u2019s more frequently putting in top-tier results, and this week at Gateway, he was the highest non-Playoff driver in sixth. (Previously: 19th)<\/p>\n

13. Ryan Preece<\/p>\n

While Ryan Preece has cooled significantly from his hot performances earlier in the season, the RFK Racing driver showed up with a respectable 13th-place result at Gateway. (Previously: 16th)<\/p>\n

14. Ross Chastain<\/p>\n

There were times in Sunday\u2019s event when Ross Chastain looked to have speed, but things didn\u2019t work out as planned for the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team. He finished just ahead of Shane van Gisbergen, in 24th. No doubt, he\u2019ll be sweating heading to Bristol. (Previously: 11th)<\/p>\n

15. Erik Jones<\/p>\n

A 21st-place finish calms some of the momentum that was building from a third-place finish in the Cook Out Southern 500, which came on the heels of a fifth-place run at Daytona. Erik Jones will look to get back on track at Bristol. (Previously: 14th)<\/p>\n

16. Austin Cindric<\/p>\n

With a 19th-place finish at Gateway, Austin Cindric enters Bristol 11 points above the cutoff line. He\u2019ll look to stay above the cutoff (and hope someone below the threshold doesn\u2019t win) in one week\u2019s time. (Previously: 15th)<\/p>\n

17. Brad Keselowski<\/p>\n

Another decent day for Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 RFK Racing team. Ultimately, their strategy of staying on track with older tires led to Keselowski fading down the stretch, but there was a point in the year where a 17th-place run would have been celebrated. (Previously: 18th)<\/p>\n

18. Ty Gibbs<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not in the Playoffs, but a nice top-10 result is a solid afternoon for Ty Gibbs. These final eight races, though, are about getting that elusive first career win. If the No. 54 team wants that to happen, they\u2019ll have to match the speed of their teammates. (Previously: 23rd)<\/p>\n

19. Carson Hocevar<\/p>\n

(Returning to the site of his NASCAR Cup Series debut back in 2023, Carson Hocevar scored a 15th-place finish on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway. Hocevar nearly scored a top 10 at Bristol in the spring and will look for another strong run at The Last Great Colosseum. Previously: 21st)<\/p>\n

20. Austin Dillon<\/p>\n

Austin Dillon was not bashful about how bad his race car was on his team radio throughout Sunday\u2019s race at Gateway, but some great calls on the pit box by Richard Boswell allowed Dillon to gain five Stage Points, and to be in position for a potential top-15 late. Dillon would end the day in 18th. (Previously: 24th)<\/p>\n

21. Alex Bowman<\/p>\n

Sigh. We are all talking about Josh Berry\u2019s horrible start to the Playoffs, but Alex Bowman only sits 10 points higher than the driver, who has finished dead-last in the opening two Playoff races. (Previously: 13th)<\/p>\n

22. Kyle Busch<\/p>\n

When Kyle Busch didn\u2019t suffer an incident in practice or qualifying, Rowdy Nation had to be wondering if this was the week the driver could put in a clean race weekend. Unfortunately, Busch brought out the first yellow with a Lap 27 spin. He did rebound to finish 22nd. (Previously: 20th)<\/p>\n

23. AJ Allmendinger<\/p>\n

Coming off a top-five finish at the Cook Out Southern 500, AJ Allmendinger placed 23rd at World Wide Technology Raceway. He\u2019ll be another driver excited to go back to Bristol, where he finished ninth in the spring. (Previously: 22nd)<\/p>\n

24. Daniel Suarez<\/p>\n

Daniel Suarez only got to run 64 laps of Sunday\u2019s 300-miler, before a punt from Chase Briscoe sent the waffle-themed No. 99 into the outside wall. The waffles ended up being pretty stale, I guess. (Previously: 17th)<\/p>\n

25. Michael McDowell<\/p>\n

After some roller-coaster stretches in the first half of the season, McDowell\u2019s production has largely steadied out in the second half. His Darlington issues notwithstanding, McDowell has been a top 20 finisher in four of the last five races after his 14th-place result at Gateway. (Previously: 27th)<\/p>\n

26. Shane van Gisbergen<\/p>\n

The expectations were low for Shane van Gisbergen at WWT Raceway, considering he\u2019d never seen the place before. All in all, despite a 25th-place finish, the result was decent after the No. 88 battled for stage points in Stage 1, and had a fast long run car. Bristol is going to be another tough one, especially sitting 15 points below the cutline. (Previously: 25th)<\/p>\n

27. Cole Custer<\/p>\n

A quiet afternoon isn\u2019t a bad afternoon, but a 27th-place finish certainly isn\u2019t anything over-the-top impressive for Cole Custer and Haas Factory Team. (Previously: 29th)<\/p>\n

28. Justin Haley<\/p>\n

Justin Haley and company had to hope his third-place finish at Daytona would help turn fortunes around, but that simply hasn\u2019t been the case. After a 27th-place finish at Darlington, Haley finished 28th at World Wide Technology Raceway. (Previously: 30th)<\/p>\n

29. Zane Smith<\/p>\n

Like his teammate Noah Gragson, Zane Smith got caught out by a poorly-timed caution. It\u2019s a shame because the No. 38 was running in the top-10, and at times inside the top-five. That seems to be the luck of Smith and FRM lately, though. (Previously: 28th)<\/p>\n

30. Josh Berry<\/p>\n

The finest thesaurus in the world may not have the words to describe the start to Josh Berry\u2019s 2025 Playoffs. After his first lap incident at Darlington, Berry took another last-place finish at St. Louis after being shuttled into the wall on lap 37 following contact with Chase Elliott. (Previously: 26th)<\/p>\n

31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.<\/p>\n

The afternoon started out pretty slowly, but things seemingly turned out alright for Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and HYAK Motorsports, collecting their first top-20 finish since Atlanta Motor Speedway in June. (Previously: 34th)<\/p>\n

32. Noah Gragson<\/p>\n

The luck for Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports this year is just abhorrent. Gragson actually had decent speed and spent a good chunk of the afternoon inside the top-20, but got caught out by a poorly-timed caution in the final stage. (Previously: 31st)<\/p>\n

33. Todd Gilliland<\/p>\n

Something just isn\u2019t clicking for Todd Gilliland and Front Row Motorsports. Another poor result to be had from Sunday, finishing an upsetting 32nd. (Previously: 32nd)<\/p>\n

34. Ty Dillon<\/p>\n

Ty Dillon finished 34th after not one, but two incidents on a trying day at Gateway. The afternoon started by getting spun out by brother Austin Dillon, and ended with losing brakes down the frontstretch and hitting the outside wall entering turn one. (Previously: 33rd)<\/p>\n

35. Cody Ware<\/p>\n

Top-30 finish? Check. Lead lap finish? Check. It was a successful weekend for Cody Ware and the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team at Gateway. (Previously: 35th)<\/p>\n

36. Riley Herbst<\/p>\n

Riley Herbst\u2019s 31st-place finish doesn\u2019t reflect the pace he showed at times, nearly cracking the top 10 before pitting during the green-flag cycle interrupted by Ty Dillon\u2019s problems. That trapped Herbst a lap down and threw a wrench into his day. (Previously: 36th)<\/p>\n

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