{"id":494165,"date":"2026-02-23T13:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T13:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494165\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T13:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T13:35:15","slug":"nascar-power-rankings-after-tyler-reddicks-win-in-atlanta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494165\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Power Rankings After Tyler Reddick’s Win In Atlanta"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Tyler<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Mady Mertens\/Imagn<\/p>\n

The hubbub of the Daytona 500 is firmly in the rearview, and we entered the meat and bones of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series\u00a0season on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

And yet, when it was all said and done and the cars took the checkered flag, it was, for the second week in a row, 23XI star Tyler Reddick who crossed the line first, cementing his spot atop our\u00a0NASCAR Power Rankings.<\/p>\n

But the second race of the season also presented us with several new names to watch and a ton of movement in the rankings compared to a week ago.<\/p>\n

Yes, the sample size remains small. But given the new points format in 2026, getting off to a slow start could prove a significant hindrance to your championship hopes. Conversely, a hot start, like the one Reddick has had, could point you toward a championship run<\/p>\n

2026 NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings: Week 2<\/p>\n

Week one<\/a> of the rankings gave a bit of credence to the 2025 standings and drivers who we expect to compete for a championship yet again this season.<\/p>\n

This week, a little less credit is given to last season\u2019s results, and with each passing week, that will become more and more prevalent.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why superstars such as Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and William Byron all find themselves among the honorable mentions this week. In theory, you can expect all four drivers to work their way into the power rankings as the season progresses. But there\u2019s certainly no guarantee.<\/p>\n

Joining them in this week\u2019s honor mentions are Trackhouse Racing\u2019s Ross Chastain, who came home in third place on Sunday, moving from 23rd to 11th in the early-season standings, and Roush Fenway Keselowski\u2019s Chris Buescher, who fell from seventh to 10th in the standings after a solid, if underwhelming, 15th-place finish.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s dig into the top 10.<\/p>\n

10) Chase Briscoe
\n\"Chase<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Peter Casey\/Imagn<\/p>\n

In his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing a year ago, Chase Briscoe established himself as a genuine championship contender and one of the best drivers in the series.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the Daytona 500 didn\u2019t go according to plan after an early wreck ruined a great qualifying run that saw him start the race in second place.<\/p>\n

He flipped the script on Sunday, starting 34th and finishing second, all the while helping manufacturer partner Tyler Reddick to the win. If Briscoe avoids bad luck, you can expect him to contend at just about any type of track the series goes to this season.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a0UR\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a015th (-80)<\/p>\n

9) Daniel Suarez
\n\"Daniel<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Mady Mertens\/Imagn<\/p>\n

After losing his ride with Trackhouse Racing to superstar rookie Connor Zilisch, Daniel Suarez landed with Spire Motorsports on a one-year deal that many believe could be his last chance to prove he belongs in the Cup Series.<\/p>\n

Well, so far, so good.<\/p>\n

Suarez was solid in Daytona, bringing home a respectable 13th-place finish. He was even better Sunday at Atlanta, staying out of trouble and finishing fifth.<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s extremely early, and more traditional-style tracks than Daytona and Atlanta will ultimately tell the story. But it\u2019s hard to imagine Spire Motorsports could be much happier than they are with the start of Suarez\u2019s season.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a0UR\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings: 7th (-58)<\/p>\n

8) Zane Smith
\n\"NASCAR<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez\/Imagn<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a good chance if you\u2019re reading this story and got this far, you know the name Zane Smith. Which also means that if you\u2019re reading this and got this far, you saw the name Zane Smith and said, \u201cZane Smith?!\u201d<\/p>\n

To which I will reply: Zane Smith!<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old Front Row Motorsports driver brought home a sixth-place finish a week ago in Daytona and backed it up by finishing seventh on Sunday in Atlanta, which actually\u00a0dropped\u00a0him a spot in the points standings (such are the effects of small samples).<\/p>\n

Will Smith stay in or around our rankings all year? It would be quite the herculean task. But for now, we have to give credit where credit is due.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a0UR\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a05th (-54)<\/p>\n

7) Brad Keselowski
\n\"Brad<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Ayrton Breckenridge\/The Register \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After a fifth-place finish in the Daytona 500 despite racing with a recently repaired broken leg, Brad Keselowski looked to build on his momentum at Atlanta, another track where he\u2019s had plenty of success.<\/p>\n

And he looked in position to do so late in the race. However, he made a curious choice to leave Ford stablemates Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney hanging on a late-race restart and it ultimately proved troublesome for all three, as Keselowski dropped from the top five all the way down to 17th.<\/p>\n

His spot in the rankings is still relatively solid thanks to last week\u2019s performance, but with talks that he could miss next week\u2019s race at Circuit of the Americas due to the demands the road course asks of his surgically-repaired led, he may not stay in the top 10 for long.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a06th\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a09th (-64)<\/p>\n

6) Ryan Blaney
\n\"Ryan<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Matthew O’Haren\/Imagn<\/p>\n

Blaney hangs in the power rankings despite a frustrating day at Atlanta, but one that was relatively productive all things considered.<\/p>\n

The 2023 series champion started back in 22nd after a late crash in the Daytona 500, and qualifying was rained out in Atlanta. But he worked his way into the top 10 for points (albeit minimal in value) at the end of both stages one and two.<\/p>\n

Blaney actually cycled to the lead late Sunday at Atlanta, but on a restart, he lost his drafting help from Ford stablemate Brad Keselowski and dropped back through the pack. He eventually fought back for a solid 10th-place finish. But odds are he was hoping for far more with 25 laps left in the race.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a04th\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a08th (-58)<\/p>\n

5) Joey Logano
\n\"Joey<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez\/Imagn<\/p>\n

For parts of Sunday\u2019s race at Atlanta, it appeared as if Joey Logano could be, at least, a top-five contender, if not the driver to beat after starting in third and leading 26 laps.<\/p>\n

However, Logano finished the opening stage in a solid, yet unspectacular, eighth place to grab three points before failing to get any points in stage two.<\/p>\n

He then found himself on the wrong end of a tangle with Carson Hocevar, which may well have been Logano\u2019s fault, and ultimately finished 18th. Thankfully, for the three-time series champion, he had an extremely strong week at Daytona that gave him solid footing in the point standings.<\/p>\n

But he does drop a bit in this week\u2019s power rankings.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a02nd\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a06th (-57)<\/p>\n

4) Carson Hocevar
\n\"Carson<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jerome Miron\/Imagn<\/p>\n

Love him or hate him, it seems as\u00a0everybody\u00a0in the NASCAR\u00a0world has some sort of take on Carson Hocevar.<\/p>\n

One thing is certain, the 23-year-old, who just signed a long-term contract to be the face of Spire Motorsports into the 2030s, is wildly fast behind the wheel of a racecar and he showed it again on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Hocevar fell a lap down early in the race after brushing the wall and needing to pit under green. He then fought his way all the way back to finish sixth in the second stage and then fourth overall.<\/p>\n

For the second week running, Hocevar began the final lap of the race with a chance to win it. He\u2019s knocking down the door, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before he breaks through for his first career victory.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a010th\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a04th (-51)<\/p>\n

3) Chase Elliott
\n\"Chase<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jerome Miron\/Imagn<\/p>\n

The last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced in Atlanta, fan favorite and Georgia native Chase Elliott found himself in victory lane as the race winner.<\/p>\n

Elliott didn\u2019t\u00a0quite\u00a0have as much luck on Sunday, but it\u2019s hard to consider his day anything but a success.<\/p>\n

The Hendrick Motorsports star, fresh off a fourth-place finish at Daytona, racked up a pair of fifth-place finishes in the opening two stages and then ultimately brought his NAPA car home in 11th.<\/p>\n

Through two races, Elliott\u2019s consistency is already proving to be a major plus in the new points format, as he finds himself right toward the top of the heap.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a03rd\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a03rd (-44)<\/p>\n

2) Bubba Wallace
\n\"Bubba<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Joe Puetz \/Imagn<\/p>\n

Under the previous \u201cwin-and-in\u201d playoff system, Bubba Wallace may well have rued the fact that he didn\u2019t win Sunday at Atlanta despite leading 46 laps, including on the final restart with two laps to go.<\/p>\n

However, under the new system, which benefits consistency and racking up points, Wallace\u2019s day at Atlanta is an unqualified success.<\/p>\n

He earned 19 out of 20 possible stage points and finished in eighth place, giving him 48 total points on the day, second-most in the field. Wallace ended 2o25 with one of the most impressive stretches of races in his career, and it appears he\u2019s backing that up early in 2026.<\/p>\n

Last Week: 7th\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a02nd (-40)<\/p>\n

1) Tyler Reddick
\n\"Tyler<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Aaron E. Martinez\/American-Statesman \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

When the goal is to win races, and you\u2019ve won twice in two weeks, it\u2019s safe to say things are pretty good.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the case for 23XI Racing star Tyler Reddick.<\/p>\n

Reddick had an uncharacteristically rough 2025 season, failing to win a raise after leading the regular-season point standings the year prior and dealing with some family health issues.<\/p>\n

However, his 2026 season could not have possibly started better. The 30-year-old from California became a Daytona 500 champion a week ago, and then backed it up with a second victory in Atlanta despite getting caught up in a mid-race crash.<\/p>\n

Reddick and Wallace, teammates at 23XI, not only sit 1-2 in the point standings through two weeks, but also 1-2 in our power rankings.<\/p>\n

Last Week:\u00a01st\u00a0NASCAR Point Standings:\u00a01st<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a9 Mady Mertens\/Imagn The hubbub of the Daytona 500 is firmly in the rearview, and we entered the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[8153,2571,16600,2331,49,48,26749,4387,60,5793,634,582,15224,82,9272],"class_list":["post-494165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-slideshow","tag-auto-racing","tag-brad-keselowski","tag-bubba-wallace","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-carson-hocevar","tag-chase-elliott","tag-featured","tag-joey-logano","tag-nascar","tag-racing","tag-ryan-blaney","tag-sports","tag-tyler-reddick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}