Late-race strategy and a strong car lifted Kyle Larson to victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway and into the top spot in the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.
After a decade of struggle at Martinsville, Larson finally broke through for his first win at the half-mile track. He led the final 30 laps and was boosted by a two-tire change during the final round of pit stops.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers own three of the top five spots in the rankings.
NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings
1. Kyle Larson (sixth last week) -- Larson became the second driver with multiple wins this season with a strong finish at Martinsville. He took the lead late and ran away from the rest of the field, finishing 4.14 seconds ahead of second-place Joey Logano.
2. Ross Chastain (second last week) -- Chastain led 31 laps at Martinsville (and didn’t clash violently with the outside wall this time). He finished 13th.
3. William Byron (first last week) -- Byron wasn’t a factor at Martinsville, finishing 23rd, his third straight finish outside the top 10. He was running 12th late in the race but reported a vibration in the car and lost spots.
4. Joey Logano (seventh last week) -- Logano was lapped early in the race Sunday but had a solid comeback, leading 25 laps and finishing second. It marked his eighth consecutive top-10 finish at Martinsville.
5. Alex Bowman (fourth last week) -- Bowman was absent from the action at the front Sunday but scored an 11th-place finish.
6. Denny Hamlin (ninth last week) -- A master at Martinsville, Hamlin led 36 laps Sunday and finished fourth, his first top-five finish of the year. He complained post-race about few opportunities to pass.
7. Christopher Bell (fifth last week) -- After winning the previous week at Bristol, Bell was a non-factor at Martinsville with a 16th-place finish.
8. Kyle Busch (third last week) -- Busch was hit with a pit road penalty early in the race and never really recovered, finishing 21st.
9. Kevin Harvick (eighth last week) -- Harvick was running in the top five Sunday before a late-race wheel issue dropped him to 20th. He won the first stage, his first stage win since 2020.
10. Martin Truex Jr. (unranked last week) -- Truex plowed through a tough race day to finish third, his first top-five run of the year. He has finishes of 11th, seventh and third in the past three races.
Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (10th last week).