Week Sixteen - 2026 StatChat Power Rankings After Pocono
- Adam Carabine
- Jun 16
- 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:
Erik Jones – This week: 10 – Last week: 11
Erik Jones and Legacy Motor Club have been really improving these last few weeks. Jones has an average finish of just over 10th in the last five races, and performed very well at Pocono this past weekend. He won points in both stages, led a lap, and finished 6th. LMC is on the rise right now, and with this last run, Jones has just crossed above The Chase cutoff line. It’s still early to tell whether he’ll be able to stay there, but it’s a good sign for this still young team.
Chase Briscoe – This week: 9 – Last week: 10
Briscoe scored the most stage points of anyone at Pocono on Sunday, with 16. He seemed to have a car capable of competing at certain times, but then he would fade back other times. His P12 finish was not really as good as his car looked on Sunday, as his average running position was actually 8th. Whatever it is, he is now 60 points ahead of the cutline, and also moves up a spot in the Power Rankings.
Daniel Suarez – This week: 8 – Last week: 9
Did someone light a fire under Suarez lately? He’s been really looking great since his win at the Coca-Cola 600 a few weeks back. He’s probably not at a place yet to compete for the championship, but he’s making Spire Motorsports look pretty smart for picking him up after he left Trackhouse last year.
Christopher Bell – This week: 7 – Last week: 12
Broke my wrist, felt cute, might race later. If not for the final two laps of the race in Pocono, Bell was looking really good on a pretty risky strategy call. He stretched his fuel about as far as he could, but unfortunately ran out just at the very end from the Top 5. It was a gutsy attempt, that ultimately didn’t work, but I respect the hustle. Oh, and did I mention he has a broken wrist from last week’s race?
SVG – This week: 6 – Last week: 4
It wasn’t SVG’s race at Pocono. We know he’s figured out road courses. We know he’s really learning ovals very quickly. But I suppose the triangle was one step too far for him this weekend. He finished 31st, after being caught up in one of the earlier incidents. He managed to finish the race, but it looked like some damage from earlier hampered his day. However, with two road courses up next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, SVG is likely safe in the Top 10 of the Power Rankings for a while.
Ty Gibbs – This week: 5 – Last week: 8
Ty Gibbs is another driver who seems to have found a new level lately, like Daniel Suarez. I’m not sure if it’s a confidence thing for those two, as they’ve both won somewhat recently, but Gibbs looked good in Pocono. He wasn’t necessarily a threat to win the race, but he was up in the Top 10 for a bunch of the day, and his car looked fast.
Kyle Larson – This week: 4 – Last week: 7
Larson has had a bit of a down stretch lately – and by that I mean he hasn’t won in over a year. However, he’s still putting up solid finishes, and looking dangerous from time to time. Pocono was no exception. He led 24 laps, earned stage points, had an average running position in the Top 10, and finished P5. There’s been some talk that Hendrick Motorsports has recently figured out whatever advantage the Toyotas have found, and it looks like the gap is certainly shrinking!
Ryan Blaney – This week: 3 – Last week: 3
Pocono was actually not Blaney’s best finish of the year, but it was maybe one of his best team performances. It was clear early that Blaney’s car wasn’t a winner on speed, but they put their heads down, and grunted their way to a Top 10. That’s the type of performance that keeps you in the championship contender conversations. He’ll be happy to escape with 3rd place in the points standings, and the Power Rankings too.
Tyler Reddick – This week: 2 – Last week: 2
You know things are going well for you when you’re pissed off by a P2 finish, but that’s what happened with Reddick on Sunday in Pocono. On a slightly different pit strategy, Reddick found himself with more fuel and fresher tires in the dying moments of the race. He was tracking down Denny Hamlin, but probably needed another five laps to get the win. One flaw of his race – no stage points earned, and so his lead over Denny in the points standings shrunk some more. He’s now only 19 points ahead of Denny, but still holds the top spot for now.
Denny Hamlin – This week: 1 – Last week: 1
There might’ve been something broken with the Power Rankings formula if a driver (Denny Hamlin) scored three wins in a row and didn’t have the top spot. Yes, the formula factors in the most recent five races more prominently, but Hamlin has been pretty darn good all season long, even when the wins weren’t coming. Hamlin is charging forward right now, and looks to be a real contender for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, though it feels a bit jinx-y to say that.
Biggest Movers
Brad Keselowski – This week: 32 – Last week: 22
Falls 10 places
Ross Chastain – This week: 25 – Last week: 32
Gains 7 places
Rest of the List
11. | Carson Hocevar | LW: 6 | -5 |
12. | Chris Buescher | LW: 13 | +1 |
13. | Chase Elliott | LW: 5 | -8 |
14. | William Byron | LW: 14 | -- |
15. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | LW: 17 | +2 |
16. | AJ Allmendinger | LW: 16 | -- |
17. | Bubba Wallace | LW: 15 | -2 |
18. | Riley Herbst | LW: 19 | +1 |
19. | Michael McDowell | LW: 21 | +2 |
20. | JH Nemechek | LW: 25 | +5 |
21. | Todd Gilliland | LW: 26 | +5 |
22. | Joey Logano | LW: 24 | +2 |
23. | Austin Cindric | LW: 20 | -3 |
24. | Zane Smith | LW: 18 | -6 |
25. | Ross Chastain | LW: 32 | +7 |
26. | Austin Dillon | LW: 29 | +3 |
27. | Ryan Preece | LW: 23 | -4 |
28. | Ty Dillon | LW: 28 | -- |
29. | Cole Custer | LW: 31 | +2 |
30. | Noah Gragson | LW: 30 | -- |
31. | Alex Bowman | LW: 27 | -4 |
32. | Brad Keselowski | LW: 22 | -10 |
33. | Josh Berry | LW: 33 | -- |
34. | Cody Ware | LW: 34 | -- |
35. | Connor Zilisch | LW: 35 | -- |
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