NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott move up after strong Mexico runs

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

The drivers who finished second and third at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez moved up in these power rankings.

The winner? Well, that was Shane van Gisbergen but he will need to put a few solid finishes together before he cracks this list.

Winner Shane van Gisbergen ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City

Christopher Bell (second) and Chase Elliott (third) should feel good about their performances heading into this weekend at Pocono.

Here are the power rankings following the Cup debut in Mexico City:

van Gisbergen takes the center of the podium in Mexico after his big win

Dropped out: Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 9)

On the verge: Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Tyler Reddick

10. Chase Briscoe (LW: Not Ranked)

Briscoe didn’t win a fourth consecutive pole. But he’ll take the finish from Sunday, as he placed seventh in Mexico City. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was involved in an early incident and rallying for that result was a good sign that his team remains resilient.

9. Ross Chastain (LW: 6)

Chastain took the stage points in the first stage by finishing third. However, he ended up with a 16th-place finish on a day when his Trackhouse Racing teammate van Gisbergen won.

8. Bubba Wallace (LW: 8)

Wallace has consistently improved on road courses. The 23XI Racing driver didn’t qualify well (25th) but he brought home a respectable 12th-place finish.

7. Chris Buescher (LW: 7)

Buescher is one of the more underrated road-course drivers in the series. He finished seventh in the second stage and after losing the track position to pit, drove his RFK Racing car to 12th at the finish.

6. Chase Elliott (LW: 10)

Quite a solid day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he finished third in Mexico City. He started 12th, got the car better during the weekend and survived some of the beating and banging on the restarts.

Shane Van Gisbergen and more post-race interviews from Viva Mexico 250

5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2)

Hamlin didn’t race at Mexico City after the birth of his son earlier in the week. He is expected to return at Pocono.

4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 4)

Blaney didn’t have a winning car so he took the stage points. He finished second in the opening stage and fourth in the second stage. That — combined with a 14th-place finish — gave the Penske driver the fifth-highest point total on the day.

3. Kyle Larson (LW: 3)

Larson was an innocent bystander in getting collected in a wreck on Lap 7. He ended up 36th, making the trip to Mexico a frustrating one for the championship contender.

2. Christopher Bell (LW: 5)

Bell finished second in the second stage behind van Gisbergen, and that’s also where they ended up at the finish of the race. The JGR driver will carry momentum into Pocono.

1. William Byron (LW: 1)

Byron’s ninth-place finish wasn’t great, but it was better than many of the other top drivers on this list. The Hendrick driver should be a threat for the win at Pocono.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.