Week Four - 2026 StatChat Power Rankings After Phoenix
- Adam Carabine
- 10 minutes ago
- 5 min read
By Adam Carabine
The StatChat Power Rankings return in 2026! While finishing position is important, it’s not always indicative of the full picture. StatChat rankings are determined using a large number of statistical inputs. Let's look at the Top 10:
Kyle Larson – This week: 10 – Last week: 12
Larson joked that he seems to always finish P3 at Phoenix, and it is kind of true. He’s finished third at Phoenix six times over the course of his Cup Series career, including three in a row, and four in the last six races there. While I’m sure he’d prefer P1, it was a quiet and solid day for Larson, and it pushes him up into the Top 10 of the Power Rankings.
AJ Allmendinger – This week: 9 – Last week: 6
Still riding high from a solid week at COTA the previous week, Allmendinger’s P19 finish at Phoenix ties his worst for this year – meaning he has finished in the Top 20 for all four races. Only three other drivers have done that this year. So while a good road course performance is expected, props to AJ and the 16 team for being consistent to start this year. He’s rewarded with a spot in the Top 10!
Ty Gibbs – This week: 8 – Last week: 15
Despite being in the press these past few weeks for not-so-great reasons (relating to the JGR v. Chris Gabehart installment of NASCourt), Ty Gibbs showed up on Sunday in Phoenix. He had a solid run most of the day, and he was even in contention to take the win near the end of the race. I have been predicting Gibbs gets his first Cup win for years now, but it does feel like it’s getting closer.
Denny Hamlin – This week: 7 – Last week: 20
If Denny Hamlin still has nightmares about Phoenix dating back to last year’s championship race, it didn’t show this past Sunday. He finished in the Top 5 and had a solid day all around. His average running position was 6th, and he got extra points in both stages. Aside from a rough start to the year at Daytona, Denny has looked solid. This Top 5 jumps him way up into the Top 10 of the Power Rankings.
William Byron – This week: 6 – Last week: 8
Another week, another seemingly ‘classic’ William Byron performance. He’s pretty quiet, he’s not flashy, and yet he’s always near the front at the end. He led one lap, earned points in Stage One, and then finished P7. And yet it feels like we didn’t see a whole lot of him on the broadcast. I’m sure he doesn’t mind how much we talk about him, as long as he’s racking up points.
SVG – This week: 5 – Last week: 4
How about this road course wiz on an oval! Not only an oval, but Phoenix is kind of a strange one. With the unique dogleg at the start-finish line, there aren’t any other comparable tracks. While he was destined to fall some spots in the Power Rankings after gaining a big advantage at COTA, I would have predicted worse for him. He finished P11 at Phoenix, and that’s despite two separate spinning incidents! Watch out for this guy.
Christopher Bell – This week: 4 – Last week: 24
Christopher Bell’s first two races of the season – P35 and P21. The next two races? P3 and P2. This is where we’re more accustomed to seeing Bell run, and after some bad luck to start the season, it’s nice to see him return to his form. Usually a force to be reckoned with at Phoenix, he probably had the best car on the day, but couldn’t pass eventual winner Ryan Blaney to get it done.
Bubba Wallace – This week: 3 – Last week: 2
Bubba Wallace’s racecraft has certainly been on the rise over the last few years, but I’m not sure many would have predicted these results to start this year. He’s in the Top 3 in the points standings – the top driver without a win so far – and that’s even with a road course mixed in there – admittedly not Bubba’s forte (he finished P11 there – his worst finish of the year). Blaney deserved to bump him from his spot in the Power Rankings since he won at Phoenix, but credit where it’s due – Bubba has been on a heater to start 2026!
Ryan Blaney – This week: 2 – Last week: 3
Blaney won at Phoenix, which is good. But what made it great was the method in which he did it. Two loose wheel incidents sent him to the back at two different times in the race, and he managed to still overcome it all. He had a fast car, for sure, but he managed the race beautifully. Is it any wonder that he had the best Pass Differential of anyone all day too? (+50).
Tyler Reddick – This week: 1 – Last week: 1
We knew he’d have to lose one eventually – Tyler Reddick didn’t make it four in a row at Phoenix, but he still had a pretty solid day. Points in both stages, the most Quality Passes of anyone (63), and a P8 finish – all more than enough to keep him atop the Power Rankings. Oh, and the points standings too. Ryan Blaney is now 60 points behind him in 2nd place.
Biggest Movers
Daniel Suarez – This week: 19 – Last week: 9
Falls 10 places
Christopher Bell – This week: 4 – Last week: 24
Gains 20 places
Rest of the List
11. | Chase Elliott | LW: 5 | -6 |
12. | Michael McDowell | LW: 10 | -2 |
13. | Joey Logano | LW: 11 | -2 |
14. | Ross Chastain | LW: 7 | -7 |
15. | Carson Hocevar | LW: 14 | -1 |
16. | Ryan Preecer | LW: 13 | -3 |
17. | Chris Buescher | LW: 19 | +2 |
18. | Ty Dillon | LW: 16 | -2 |
19. | Daniel Suarez | LW: 9 | -10 |
20. | Kyle Busch | LW: 18 | -2 |
21. | Zane Smith | LW: 17 | -4 |
22. | Brad Keselowski | LW: 22 | -- |
23. | Todd Gilliland | LW: 29 | +6 |
24. | Riley Herbst | LW: 24 | -- |
25. | Austin Dillon | LW: 31 | +6 |
26. | Austin Cindric | LW: 25 | -1 |
27. | Noah Gragson | LW: 21 | -6 |
28. | Connor Zilisch | LW: 27 | -1 |
29. | Cody Ware | LW: 28 | -1 |
30. | JH Nemechek | LW: 30 | -- |
31. | Erik Jones | LW: 36 | +5 |
32. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | LW: 32 | -- |
33. | Chase Briscoe | LW: 26 | -7 |
34. | Alex Bowman | LW: 33 | -1 |
35. | Josh Berry | LW: 34 | -1 |
36. | Cole Custer | LW: 35 | -1 |
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