Pete Pistone will reveal Power Rankings each week of the NASCAR season. Watch this week's edition of NASCAR Power Rankings below and listen SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Cap.90) on the SiriusXM app and web player now.
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The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 began at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here's a look at the Power Rankings after Sunday's South Point 400:
1. Kyle Larson
His seat in the Championship Four is set after Larson swept the first two stages and earned a victory in Las Vegas. Larson leads the Cup in a couple of interesting categories; DNFs (7) and laps led (1,031), to which he added 133 in his victory in Las Vegas.
Playoff standings: 1st
Last week: 2nd
2. William Byron
The Las Vegas spring winner could do no better than seventh place on Sunday, which, by his lofty standards, was a bit disappointing for Byron and company. He is 11 points ahead of the cut line heading to Homestead, one of his best tracks on the calendar.
Playoff standings: 2nd
Last week: 1st
3. Denny Hamlin
Two weeks in a row of not the best performances for Hamlin. A last-place finish by Roval led to a 10th-place performance at Las Vegas, typically one of Hamlin's best tracks. It's still above the cut line, but the JGR No. 11 team needs to start heading in a better direction.
Playoff standings: 3rd
Last week: 3.
4. Christopher Bell
If there had been one more lap on Sunday, there's a good chance Bell would have been the winner. He ran down eventual race winner Kyle Larson in the closing laps and respectfully raced him to finish second after starting the race from the pole, his sixth of the season.
Points ranking: 5th
Last week: 6
5. Tyler Reddick
An eighth place finish is certainly not a bad streak for Reddick. But it felt like a letdown after a week in which Reddick and company felt like they were set for a much better day in Las Vegas.
Playoff standings: 6th
Last week: 5
6. Chris Buescher
The other half of the RFK duo is still alive in the Playoffs, but Buescher's day in Las Vegas was a mixed bag. His 11th-place finish was the second-best start of his Las Vegas career, but Buescher is 23 points behind the cut line heading into Homestead.
Playoff standings: 7th
Last week: 4
7. Brad Keselowski
Another driver eliminated from the Playoffs the previous week continued with a good streak in Las Vegas. Keselowski walked the field for 38 laps and pushed for the top five with a fourth-place finish.
Points ranking: 9th
Last week: NR
8. Ryan Blaney
The Team Penske driver had a decent race in Las Vegas and Blaney took the checkered flag in sixth place. He was originally disqualified from the race after a post-race inspection issue with a surprise, a ruling that was overturned by NASCAR keeping Blaney's jump to the playoffs. Playoff standings: 8th.
Last week: 7
9. Martin Truex Jr.
After six dismal races to start the Playoffs, there was a glimmer of hope for Turex Jr. and the Joe Gibbs Racing team in Las Vegas with a top-10 performance. He is just a tick above the cut line and needs a couple more outings like Sunday to have a shot at the Championship Four.
Playoff standings: 4th
Last week: NR
10. Kyle Busch
He was eliminated from the playoffs the previous week in Charlotte, but Busch had a strong performance in Las Vegas. He finished third for the second consecutive race, Busch's first consecutive top-five finishes since July.
Points ranking: 11th
Last week: NR
Abandoned: Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman
