Power Rankings: Most playoff mojo at the midseason mark
1 of 21
2 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
20. Alex Bowman
Playoff ranking: N/A
Points: 270
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Oh, hey, look who's made his return to the Power Rankings. Bowman has a bit of a hole to climb out of once he does return to racing -- though, notably, not as deep of a hole as his teammate Chase Elliott -- and his path to the playoffs might need to come from a win. He's still in decent shape overall at the moment, however, and is more than capable of landing in Victory Lane over the next 13 races.
3 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
19. Daniel Suárez
Playoff ranking: 17th
Points: 262
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: For as much attention as his teammate has gotten this year, Suárez has flown under the radar as he struggles to find the week-to-week speed the No. 1 Trackhouse program seems to show up with. Still, the talent is there, and it's entirely conceivable things get straightened out and he wins a race well before the end of the regular season. After all, he's the defending Sonoma winner.
4 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
18. Chase Briscoe
Playoff ranking: 16th
Points: 275
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: An early win last season boosted Briscoe into the playoffs, but it's looking much less likely this year as his average finish has taken a dip as Ford irons out some underwhelming performance issues. That said, Briscoe put together perhaps his best three-race Cup stretch yet just last month, so things could turn around soon enough.
5 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
17. Ty Gibbs
Playoff ranking: 18th
Points: 260
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Gibbs has steadily improved over the course of his 28 Cup races so far, and it would be quite the accomplishment for the rookie to make the playoffs in his first full campaign. It's tough to say where he might win to get in -- though typical JGR stomping grounds such as New Hampshire come to mind -- but it's certainly on the table.
6 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
16. Chris Buescher
Playoff ranking: 14th
Points: 329
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Here are some interesting and notable things to point out: Buescher is enjoying his best season ever, RFK Racing is a team clearly on the rise and he's the defending Bristol Night Race winner. Not only might Buescher make the playoffs (on points!), he should have a fighting chance to advance, too.
7 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Playoff ranking: 11th
Points: 325
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 0
Comment: The first driver to provisionally lock himself in, Stenhouse has proven it was no fluke over the next 12 races after Daytona, putting together easily his best average finish yet over the entire stretch (14.0). His team looks perhaps the best it ever has and may not be done making noise this year.
8 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
14. Ryan Blaney
Playoff ranking: 12th
Points: 381
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Blaney is in no way having a "bad" season -- and has definitely been fast at times -- but it doesn't feel like he's Ford's best shot at a title at the moment. The 73 laps led and no stage wins to this point lead me to believe getting to the front of the field has not been a simple task for the No. 12 this year.
9 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
13. Bubba Wallace
Playoff ranking: 15th
Points: 293
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Wallace has really kicked it up a notch over the past month-plus and has every bit the look of a playoff contender right now, despite being on the bubble. Feels like he could get in on points, but, man, it sure seems like he's banging on the door of Victory Lane lately, don't it?
10 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
12. Brad Keselowski
Playoff ranking: 13th
Points: 365
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 1
Comment: Last year's 24th-place showing was just Keselowski's second finish outside the top 10 in points since 2013 -- he's a playoff fixture, and 2022 was a clear outlier. Well on pace to make it on points, Keselowski is looking much more like his championship-capable self lately, and a win at some point this year feels much more likely than this time last season.
11 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
11. Tyler Reddick
Playoff ranking: 9th
Points: 361
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 2
Comment: There was a brief period early on this season when I maybe could've argued for Reddick as the No. 1 ranked guy here -- and, to be clear, he's still a threat to win the title -- but the past month hasn't been as fruitful for him. Plenty of tracks ahead where he could corral win No. 2 of the season, and the championship chatter will spark back up again.
12 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
10. Joey Logano
Playoff ranking: 10th
Points: 334
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 2
Comment: Though a far cry from his 2022 championship run, Logano still has just about everything he needs to go back-to-back but will certainly be looking for more consistency as the season progresses. He's essentially already locked in, however, and the two-time champ tends to dial in a new gear for the second half of the season. Plenty of good days ahead for him.
13 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
9. Kevin Harvick
Playoff ranking: 8
Points: 400
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 1
Comment: Harvick looks fully refreshed and committed to getting the most out of his final full-time season, and it feels inevitable he wins at least one more before he he walks away at the end of the year. He didn't get hot until late summer last year, so his best 2023 days could still be yet to come.
14 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8. Chase Elliott
Playoff ranking: 27th
Points: 212
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 1
Comment: Elliott has looked quite good since returning from injury, and it seems a foregone conclusion that he'll win and get in at some point before the regular season ends, and honestly, it might even be likely he collects multiple trophies. We might just be a few weeks to a month away from him being viewed, once again, as the title favorite.
15 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Christopher Bell
Playoff ranking: 3rd
Points: 402
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Bell has looked sensational at times this year, and it feels like a better chance than not that he makes a deep playoff run. That said, he has no stage wins, and his laps led count (most of which came at Bristol Dirt) isn't much to write home about, so there's a small degree of concern.
16 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. Kyle Busch
Playoff ranking: 7th
Points: 353
Wins: 2
Stage wins: 0
Comment: Busch wasn't viewed by some as a slam dunk to even make the playoffs in his first run with RCR, yet he's one of just three multi-time winners in 2023 and might as well be very lightly penciled in for the Championship 4. There's still plenty I want to see here before I'm ready to make such a declaration, but Rowdy's first few months in Welcome, North Carolina, have exceeded just about every expectation.
17 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Ross Chastain
Playoff ranking: 2nd
Points: 429
Wins: 0
Stage wins: 5
Comment: What can you say, right? Chastain obviously has the talent, speed and desire to take it all the way. It's really just, at this point, a matter of if he'll be allowed by his collection of frenemies to advance past Martinsville come the playoffs. You'd certainly want to see him win a race this year, too, before making him the title favorite, of course, but just about everything else is there.
18 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Martin Truex Jr.
Playoff ranking: 6th
Points: 385
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 1
Comment: And this guy almost retired. Truex's plans beyond this year are clear as mud, but at the very least, his decision to return for 2023 has been a good one. There are plenty of strong Truex tracks ahead, and it feels extremely likely he adds to his win total some more before the playoffs.
19 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3. Denny Hamlin
Playoff ranking: 5th
Points: 393
Wins: 1
Stage wins: 2
Comment: We say this every year, but this could be the year. Everything feels like it's coming together, to a degree, for Hamlin ... who has led at least four laps in all but three races this year (one of which was Bristol Dirt). Hamlin feels like a Championship 4 staple at this point of his career, and he'd need to find catastrophe down the stretch to not make it.
20 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. William Byron
Playoff ranking: 1st
Points: 387
Wins: 3
Stage wins: 6
Comment: Byron has been sensational for much of this year, leading the series in victories with three. We saw him disappear the second half of the regular season a year ago, however, so there's some concern there, but overall, the arrow here is trending up so hard it just shot through he roof.
21 of 21
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
1. Kyle Larson
Playoff ranking: 4th
Points: 363
Wins: 2
Stage wins: 2
Comment: But then again, as we saw in the All-Star Race, it feels like Kyle Larson ... and then everybody else, right? One of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers will absolutely add to his championship total over the coming years, and 2023 marks as good a time as any. We could be looking at another Summer of Larson -- and then some.