Kyle Larson heads into Sunday’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway (3 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock) holding the top spot in the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.
Larson will race Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. for the championship. They represent the top four in this week’s rankings.
Brad Keselowski returns to this week’s rankings, knocking out Team Penske teammate Joey Logano.
NASCAR Power Rankings after Martinsville
1. Kyle Larson (Last week: No. 1) — He won four of the nine playoff races, including three in a row. He’s won the most races this season (nine) and led the most laps (2,474). Now is his time to complete this remarkable season with a Cup championship.
2. Denny Hamlin (Last week: No. 2) — Was in position for his third win in the playoffs before contact with Alex Bowman turned him and cost him the lead. Went on to finish 24th, his worst result since placing 32nd at Talladega in late April. Goes to Phoenix seeking his first title.
3. Chase Elliott (Last week: No. 3) — Reigning series champ looks to score another title this week at Phoenix. Had an up-and-down playoffs, but he’s among the Championship 4. His last oval win came at Phoenix a year ago.
4. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: No. 8) — Won at Phoenix earlier this year, making him the early title favorite. Truex rallied in the Round of 8 to advance to the title race by three points. He’s already won in the playoffs this year (Richmond) and seeks his second series title this weekend at Phoenix.
5. Kevin Harvick (Last week: No. 4) — Placed 12th at Martinsville. He has seven top-10 finishes in the nine playoff races this year.
6. Kyle Busch (Last week: No. 10) — Runner-up finish at Martinsville was his fourth top 10 in the last six playoff races, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the title race.
7. Willian Byron (Last week: No. 9) — Martinsville marked the third consecutive race he scored at least 47 points. His fifth-place finish last weekend was third finish of sixth or better in a row.
8. Ryan Blaney (Last week: No. 5) — Rotten day at Martinsville, placing 11th. Wasn’t much of a factor. Kansas and Martinsville struggles kept him from advancing in the playoffs.
9. Christopher Bell (Last week: No. 6) — Finished 17th at Martinsville, snapping a four-race streak of top 10s.
10. Alex Bowman (Last week: Unranked) — Scores his fourth victory of the season Sunday at Martinsville. Would be higher if he and the team were more consistent.
Dropped out: Joey Logano (Last week: No. 7)