Wins are coming in bunches this season.
Just a few weeks after Christopher Bell rattled off three straight victories, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin now has consecutive wins. The latest came on Sunday at Darlington Raceway, when Hamlin capitalized on a late caution and seized the overtime triumph.
It was Hamlin's fifth career win at Martinsville, and the 56th of his career. With the triumph, he surpasses Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time wins list.
Next up is a trip to South Carolina for throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. How does the field stack up after Martinsville? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 3
The 44-year-old Hamlin has lost plenty of races due to unforeseen circumstances in his career. This time, he got one back. He was set to finish third before the late caution, where his crew then delivered a lightning-fast pit stop to jump him from third to first -- and Hamlin did the rest from there. He'll look to make it three straight victories at Bristol, where he also won last spring.
2. William Byron
Last week: 2
For most of the race, Byron was on a historic run. He led the first 243 laps before pit stops in the final stage dropped him back. Byron recovered to finish second with two stage wins, but the result has to be disappointing after he was on the brink of history. No driver has led every lap in a race since 2000, and Byron was just 50 laps short.
3. Kyle Larson
Last week: 1
It was a rare lost weekend for Larson, especially at a track where he's led more laps than any other driver. He qualified 19th and spun out within five laps. That put Larson back in the garage before he returned to the track and caused the late caution that set up overtime. Larson finished 37th, his worst result since last September.
4. Christopher Bell
Last week: 4
Early in the race, it looked like Bell could've been a lap down. Then, a well-timed caution in Stage 2 gave him track position and he capitalized from there. Bell finished third, his fifth top-five in eight races this season.
5. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 5
Reddick's crew chief used the short-pitting strategy to gain control of the race in the closing laps. Then, just as Reddick surrendered the lead to Ryan Blaney, the caution came out. He finished fourth after the overtime finish, but likely would've been second or third without the caution.
6. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 6
Blaney had the race won if it weren't for the late caution. He masterfully worked through 17 seconds of traffic to run down Reddick, but luck just hasn't been on his side this season. A slow pit stop put Blaney in fourth, and he fell back another spot in overtime to finish fifth.
7. Chase Elliott
Last week: 8
Elliott was fortunate in Stage 2, like Bell, and took advantage of his track position to finish eighth. The No. 9 car didn't have great speed Sunday, but Elliott did as he typically does and made the most out of the race. He's the only driver to finish top-20 in all eight races this season.
8. Joey Logano
Last week: 7
The defending champion was second in Stage 2 before fading to finish 13th when pit strategy didn't play in his favor. Logano has five straight top-15 finishes but just one top-10 in that span. The No. 22 team just isn't getting the results (16.8 average finish) compared to their average running position (12.5).
9. Bubba Wallace
Last week: 10
Another driver who, like Logano, isn't finishing where he deserves this season. Wallace's average running position (11.7) is third in the series, but his average finish (17.8) is 14th. He was 21st at Darlington after getting caught on the wrong side of the Stage 2 caution, though he did score nine stage points.
10. Chris Buescher
Last week: 7
Buescher finished sixth at Darlington for his fifth top-10 of the year. His team is trending in the right direction heading into Bristol, where they won in 2022 and led 17 laps last spring. Buescher is up to 11th in the points standings.
First four out: Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is one of the most recognized names in NASCAR. Here’s what you need to know.
