2025 NASCAR Power Rankings shuffled after Austin Cindric's win at Talladega

Austin Cindric became the sixth different winner of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season when he took the checkered flag on Sunday at Talladega. It was the third career victory for the driver of the #2, and qualifies him for his third career playoffs.

Like any week, Talladega made for a shake-up in this week's power rankings. Here, we'll see who is riding high heading into next Sunday's NASCAR Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

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#5 Bubba Wallace

NASCAR: Jack Link's 500 - Qualifying - Source: Imagn

There have been some ups and downs results-wise for Bubba Wallace in 2025, but the driver of the #23 has shown speed throughout the season. After an impressive run at Talladega that saw him win a stage and finish eighth, Wallace jumps to the top five in this week's power rankings.

After back-to-back third-place runs at Homestead and Martinsville, the 23XI Racing driver was taken down a notch with two finishes outside the top 15. However, Wallace bounced back on Sunday with a solid run. He has had strong runs at Texas before, so he's sure to be confident heading into Sunday after a solid Talladega effort.

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#4 Christopher Bell

NASCAR Xfinity: Ag-Pro 300 - Source: Imagn

After a violent crash on the 52nd lap, Christopher Bell scored a DNF with a 35th-place finish at Talladega. Despite having his worst finish of the year, the driver of the #20 is sure to be a contender again in the coming weeks.

Even though he crashed, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver showcased his speed as he was battling for the lead of the race when the incident occurred. Of course, Bell's 2025 resume speaks for itself as he has three victories this season, which is the most of any driver so far. There have been a few blips on the road, but Bell still has the speed and ability to contend for this year's championship.

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#3 Denny Hamlin

NASCAR: Food City 500 - Source: Imagn

Denny Hamlin didn't have the Talladega race he had hoped for as he came home in the 21st position on Sunday. Yet, the driver of the #11 isn't going to let one subpar result affect his run this season, as he's still one of the top drivers in 2025.

Hamlin scored a pair of victories back-to-back prior to the Easter break at Martinsville and Darlington. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran nearly pulled off the three-peat at Bristol but was thwarted when he ran runner-up to Kyle Larson. Prior to Talladega, Hamlin had bagged four straight top fives and a pair of victories. With Texas and Kansas ahead, two tracks he's found wins at in the past, Hamlin is sure to be back on track soon.

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#2 Kyle Larson

Syndication: The Des Moines Register - Source: Imagn

On the heels of a dominant Bristol win before the Easter break, Kyle Larson posted a strong runner-up finish at Talladega. The driver of the #5 continues to be a contender on a weekly basis, which is why he isn't dropping out of the power rankings anytime soon.

In the past, Larson has struggled with drafting tracks, particularly superspeedways. That's turned around this year as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has posted top threes in his last two drafting track starts. With a pair of victories at Homestead and Bristol this season, Larson has shown why he'll be a threat for the championship at season's end.

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#1 William Byron

NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Thanks to a win in the Daytona 500 and incredible consistency, William Byron continues to be the class of the field in 2025. The driver of the #24 is coming off his fifth top five of the season at Talladega with a third-place run and leads the points standings by 41 heading into Texas.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver is seemingly on a mission to put himself in the Championship 4 for the third straight season in 2025. The driver of the #24 has scored one win and has three stage victories, the second-most behind teammate Kyle Larson. If Byron can maintain this consistency, it'll be hard to deny him in this year's NASCAR Cup series playoffs.