On a Richmond race day in which Hendrick Motorsports cars stood out from the rest of the pack, William Byron seemed on course for a shot at his third win of the season.
That possibility dissolved when Byron was booted into the wall with 20 laps to go, but he tallied 117 laps led.
MORE: Richmond win caps big week for Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson got the Richmond win, but Byron remains atop the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings for another week.
NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings
1. William Byron (first last week) -- Byron finished a sour 24th at Richmond Sunday, but that number doesn’t tell the full story of his day. He led a race-high 117 laps and was on the way to challenge for the win late in the race when he was knocked into the wall by Christopher Bell on a restart. Byron remains the only driver with multiple wins this season.
2. Ross Chastain (third last week) -- With a third-place run Sunday, Chastain has back-to-back top-five finishes. He led 16 laps Sunday. And he was blamed for a crash he didn’t cause. All in a day’s work for the Melon Man.
3. Kyle Busch (second last week) -- Busch finished 14th Sunday and wasn’t a factor at the front of the pack. The run ended a streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes for Busch at Richmond.
4. Alex Bowman (fourth last week) -- Bowman remains the sport’s most consistent driver to date with six top-10 runs in seven races. He continues to lead the points standings.
5. Christopher Bell (fifth last week) -- Bell was a force at Richmond with 26 laps led and a fourth-place finish. Although winless, he has four top-five finishes to lead that category.
6. Kyle Larson (ninth last week) -- Larson emerged victorious in the late-race jumble of cautions and tire changes Sunday to break into the victory column. He has three top fives in the past five races and seems to be connecting with the Next Gen car after a disappointing 2022. Half-jokingly, Larson said Sunday he had been viewing races from 2021 to remind himself when he was good.
7. Joey Logano (sixth last week) -- Logano was very, very quiet Sunday but held on through the late-race chaos to finish seventh.
8. Kevin Harvick (10th last week) -- Harvick jumps two spots in the rankings after a fifth-place run at Richmond. He has four top 10s in the past six races and seems on the brink of a first win.
9. Denny Hamlin (eighth last week) -- Despite leading 71 laps Sunday, Hamlin failed to challenge for the win at his favorite track, finishing 20th.
10. Tyler Reddick (seventh last week) -- A Reddick spin on Lap 372 brought out the caution that changed the dynamic of Sunday’s race. He finished 16th.