NASCAR Power Rankings shake up as Kyle Larson claims first 2025 Cup victory ahead of Martinsville

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is now six races in after this past Sunday's race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The circuit turns its attention to Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400.

Kyle Larson is now in the win column in 2025 after his victory last Sunday in the Straight Talk Wireless 400. With the driver of the #5 car's victory, this week's power rankings look a little different. Let's take a look at who's heading into Martinsville with momentum:

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#5 Bubba Wallace

NASCAR: Straight Talk Wireless 400 - Source: Imagn

It hasn't been the start to the season Bubba Wallace had hoped for. However, the driver of the #23 23XI Racing Toyota saw his fortunes turn around at Homestead-Miami with a third-place finish, bumping him up in this week's power rankings.

It looked as though Wallace had a shot to win last Sunday on multiple occasions. Still, it was a much-needed top-five run that the Alabama native can carry into Martinsville. The two-time Cup Series race winner sits seventh in the points standings after six races and will look for more at Martinsville.

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#4 Christopher Bell

NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 - Practice - Source: Getty

Christopher Bell started off the season hot by winning three of the first four races. However, the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota finished a dismal 29th at Homestead for his second straight finish outside the top 10.

Still, the Oklahoma native carries the momentum of three straight wins from Atlanta, COTA, and Phoenix. He won at Martinsville back in the fall of 2022, a race that secured his first Championship 4 appearance. While the last two weeks haven't gone as planned, don't be surprised if Bell gets back on track with win number four on Sunday.

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#3 Kyle Larson

NASCAR: Straight Talk Wireless 400 - Source: Imagn

It was only a matter of time before Kyle Larson picked up his first win of the 2025 campaign. After passing Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman for the lead with under 10 laps to go, the driver of the #5 did just that last Sunday at Homestead-Miami.

After a few tough finishes at Daytona and COTA, the 2021 Cup Series champion has put together three straight top 10 runs, including the Homestead win and a third at Phoenix. Larson won at Martinsville back in 2023, and with the momentum he's carrying right now, he's sure to be a favorite to drive into victory lane again.

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#2 Alex Bowman

NASCAR Xfinity: NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Homestead-Miami - Source: Imagn

Alex Bowman narrowly missed out on his first win of the season last Sunday at Homestead-Miami. Yet, after finishing runner-up after starting the event from pole position, the Arizona native takes a jump up in this week's power rankings.

The driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sits third in the points standings behind HMS teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson. In six races, Bowman has snagged five top-10 finishes and is currently on a four-race top-10 streak. A former winner at Martinsville, it'll be hard to deny Bowman another strong run and possibly a win this Sunday.

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#1 William Byron

NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 - Source: Getty

Scoring a 12th-place finish probably wasn't what William Byron was looking for this past weekend at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. However, this year's Daytona 500 winner has been strong all season long and continues to top the power rankings.

The driver of the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has finished no worse than sixth in four of the first six races. His Daytona 500 victory and a runner-up place at CoTA are his best finishes this season. On top of that, Byron is the defending winner of the spring Martinsville race, making him a top contender once again this weekend.