It was another different track type, another win for William Byron.
The 26-year-old star scored his third victory of 2024 on Sunday after Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR’s shortest track. That came two weeks after winning at a road course and seven weeks after his Daytona 500 triumph.
It was the 13th victory of Byron’s young career, including nine in the past 42 races dating back to last season.
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So, how does the field stack up heading into the upcoming race at Texas Motor Speedway? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. William Byron
Last week: 1
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On the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports’ first win, Byron gave the organization its 29th victory at Martinsville and 305th overall – both the most all-time. He did it by besting teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, who completed a storybook race with HMS claiming the top three spots.
2. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 2
Hamlin was the biggest challenger to the Hendrick trio on Sunday, leading 66 laps and winning Stage 2. But when the final caution came out, his team opted for an alternate strategy that ultimately did not work out – Hamlin finished 11th.
3. Kyle Larson
Last week: 3
Throughout Stage 1, Larson appeared to be the guy who would give Hendrick the historic win. He led the opening 86 laps and won the stage, but his car wasn’t as quick when it got stuck in traffic. He still came home second after passing Elliott during the overtime finish.
4. Martin Truex Jr.
Last week: 5
After victory slipped away at Richmond, Truex likely had high expectations for Martinsville. Instead, he finished 18th when pit strategy didn’t go his way. While Truex lost the overall points lead to Larson, he’s still in second with several favorable tracks on the horizon.
5. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 9
It was an ugly start and an impressive recovery for Blaney on Sunday. He fell outside the top 15 in the opening stages before battling back to finish fifth. While the defending champ didn’t score any stage points, the team found speed by the end of the day. Texas, where Blaney won the All-Star Race in 2022, should produce another strong run.
6. Christopher Bell
Last week: 4
Even before a loose wheel ruined Bell’s day, the No. 20 was not competitive. He finished four laps down in 35th. It was Bell’s worst result of 2024 and snapped a streak of four straight top-10s. Looking ahead on the bright side, he has three top-fives in his last four Texas starts.
7. Chase Elliott
Last week: 10
Don’t look now, but Elliott is finally finding his groove. The 2020 champion has scored consecutive top-fives for the first time since last July after running third at Martinsville. He led 64 laps, his most since last fall at Martinsville. Elliott is up to sixth in the standings and he’s yet to finish outside the top 20 in a race this season.
8. Ross Chastain
Last week: 8
Chastain was 14th at Martinsville, giving him seven straight top-15 finishes after finishing 21st in the season-opener. While the Trackhouse Racing driver hasn’t necessarily had race-winning speed, his consistency has been impressive.
9. Ty Gibbs
Last week: 6
After five straight top-10s, the reigning Rookie of the Year has posted finishes of 16th and 19th. Those results are especially puzzling when his teammates Hamlin and Truex ran so well at Richmond and Martinsville, but these lulls will happen with young drivers.
10. Chris Buescher
Last week: 7
Buescher’s top-10 streak was snapped at four after his 15th-place run at Martinsville. But that finish wasn’t so bad after he started 30th. This weekend, the Texas native will be looking for his first-ever top-10 in his 15th start at his hometown track.
First four out: Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace
