NASCAR Power Rankings: Ross Chastain rises to the top at the exact right time

1 Ross Chastain Ross Chastain has now finished second in both races in the Round of 8. For what it’s worth, he finished fifth at Martinsville in the spring. 2 Denny Hamlin — Denny Hamlin had a shot at a top-five finish at Homestead, but a late-race driver error led to him dropping to seventh and creating a points swing at the cut line. That could be a very, very big deal a week from now. 3 Joey Logano Joey Logano didn’t have a spectacular day at Homestead, only finishing 18th. Granted, with Logano already in the Championship 4, he didn’t need to have a spectacular outing. 4 Ryan Blaney A driver error while leaving pit road cost Ryan Blaney big time, and he’s in danger of failing to advance out of the Round of 8 yet again. Blaney is 18 points below the cut line and has yet to make the Championship 4 in his career. 5 William Byron William Byron led three times for 32 laps at Homestead, but he left some spots on the table. A botched green flag pit stop cost Byron tons of track position, though he would recover to finish 12th. 6 Chase Elliott — Chase Elliott is going to need to be at his best next weekend at Martinsville. Because if adversity strikes, 21st and 14th in the Round of 8 could put his championship hopes in jeopardy. 7 Daniel Suarez With a 10th-place finish, Daniel Suarez made sure both Trackhouse Racing cars finished in the top 10 at Homestead. That made for a nice homecoming for team co-owner Pitbull, Mr. 305 himself. 8 Kyle Larson Kyle Larson’s No. 5 team being in the Owner’s Championship 4 is a bizarre scenario. It’s happened plenty of times before in the Xfinity and Truck Series, but never at stock car racing’s highest level. 9 Christopher Bell Sunday was not the sort of race Christopher Bell needed. He scored no stage points on his way to 11th, and he now faces yet another must-win scenario at Martinsville. 10 Kyle Busch With a ninth-place finish, Kyle Busch earned his third top-10 finish in a row. It’s the first time Busch has done that since the springtime, when Busch had three-straight top fives between Kansas in May and Gateway in June. 11 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick finished eighth at Homestead, giving him another nice run with interim crew chief Stephen Doran calling the shots. Doran is filling in admirably for one of the best in Rodney Childers. 12 Chase Briscoe Chase Briscoe was having the sort of race that would have put him in a difficult spot to try and make the Championship 4. And that was before he hit the wall and broke an upper control arm. 13 Tyler Reddick For as good as Tyler Reddick has been at Homestead, he was surprisingly not a factor after the early part of the race. A down day for Reddick was sealed when he spun and crashed to bring out the final caution of the day. 14 Austin Dillon Austin Dillon has been full-time in Cup since 2014, but his fifth top five of the season on Sunday gave him a new career-high in that category. Dillon is reaping the rewards of his family team’s renaissance. 15 Martin Truex Jr. Martin Truex Jr.’s 2022 season reminds me of his early career, when he just couldn’t get over the hump to win races as something always seemed to happen when he was on his way to victory. Getting spun out of the lead on pit road is a new one. 16 Chris Buescher Chris Buescher took a back seat to his boss this weekend, but his trip to Homestead was a solid one too. Buescher finished 13th as he debuted the Fastenal paint scheme he’ll be driving next season. 17 Brad Keselowski Brad Keselowski’s fifth-place finish at Homestead ensures that he’ll have at least one top-five finish in every season since 2011. He hasn’t been shut out in that category since his first full season of Cup racing in 2010. 18 Austin Cindric Curiously, all three Penske cars finished right together in 17th, 18th and 19th. Austin Cindric brought up the rear of that group, finishing 19th. 19 Michael McDowell — Michael McDowell finished 16th at Homestead as he puts the finishing touches of the best year of his career. McDowell’s Cup career began at Martinsville, the track where he made his debut back in 2008. 20 Justin Haley Sadly, Justin Haley couldn’t join AJ Allmendinger and make it a Kaulig Racing party at the front of the field. Haley had a right front tire go down mid-race and finished 28th. 21 Erik Jones Erik Jones had an awful day at Homestead, finishing 30th. That marked his worst finish since August at Richmond, where he finished 35th after crashing out. 22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. If you know NASCAR, you’ll know that the Slim Jim Chevrolet was one of the Busch Series’ most recognizable cars of the 1990s. Sunday in Cup, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove it to a 15th-place finish. 23 Aric Almirola A 21st-place finish at Homestead broke a recent string of solid runs for Aric Almirola. Almirola had two top 15s to end the Round of 8, and he also had a strong run at Las Vegas before fading to 18th. 24 Harrison Burton After finishing 20th at Homestead, Harrison Burton only needs one more top 20 to have 13 for his rookie season. His next opportunity comes right at home in Southern Virginia. 25 Corey LaJoie Corey LaJoie gains a spot in the Power Rankings after finishing 23rd at Homestead. Maybe I gave him a little extra boost for agreeing to a one-on-one interview. Sue me. 26 Cole Custer Cole Custer was among a number of drivers who drove paint schemes incorporating hot pink for Miami this weekend. Unfortunately it wasn’t worth any extra speed, as Custer finished 24th. 27 Bubba Wallace A trip to Martinsville will do Bubba Wallace good after his suspension. It’s one of Wallace’s best tracks and the place where he picked up his very first Truck Series win in 2013. 28 Todd Gilliland — Since finishing seventh at Talladega, Todd Gillland hasn’t finished any better than 25th in the last three races. Martinsville is next, the place where Gilliland got his first career Truck Series win in 2019. 29 Ty Dillon — After losing his ride at Petty GMS, Ty Dillon can rest easy the rest of the year knowing he has a job at Spire Motorsports in 2023. Unfortunately, Dillon only managed a 26th-place finish at Homestead. 30 Cody Ware — Cody Ware finished five laps down in 34th at Homestead, the last car running. For a team like Rick Ware Racing, just getting out of days like that with the car in one piece is a positive.