Power Rankings: Ross Chastain knocking on door of Championship 4

8. Christopher Bell (-6)

Season-high: 2


Season-low: Out


Comment: Just an incredibly tough break for Bell, who had all the momentum in the world and a fast car at Vegas, just to get caught up in the scrap between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace. He'll now likely have to win at either Homestead or Martinsville, and he only has two career starts at the former (though he landed a P8 in his first attempt while running the No. 95 Toyota in 2020).

7. Ryan Blaney (-2)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 10


Comment: Blaney just has not produced consistent finishes in the second half of the season and hasn't strung together three straight top 10s since the Gateway to Nashville stretch in June — that won't cut it with where he is in the standings at the moment. There's a good chance he'll need to win to advance as well, but don't count on it coming this weekend. Blaney has just one top 10 and an 18.9 average finish at Miami in seven career starts.

6. William Byron (+1)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 16


Comment: In the playoffs so far, Byron has four top 10s, an average finish of 9.29 and had a costly points penalty amended, yet here he is on the wrong side of the bubble. The consolation? Half of his four career wins have come at the following two tracks — and he's the most recent winner at both.

5. Chase Briscoe (+3)

Season-high: 5


Season-low: 20


Comment: Briscoe has 11 career top 10s in 69 races — and four of them have come in the last four weeks, as the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has elevated his game tremendously in the playoffs. He only has one Cup start at Homestead (18th) but held off a top five that included fellow Round of 8 competitor Ross Chastain for a win at the track in his last Xfinity Series start there.

4. Denny Hamlin (-1)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 20


Comment: Apart from finding Victory Lane, Hamlin has looked every bit himself in the playoffs, with six of seven races resulting in top 10s and the one non-top 10 being a P13. He now heads to arguably his best track (three wins, 10.0 average finish) and should have a great shot to be the next driver to lock himself into the Championship 4.

3. Chase Elliott (-2)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 9


Comment: Despite an up-and-down playoffs, Elliott is essentially on pace to match — or perhaps best, if he wins again — his stats line from his 2020 title campaign, and a Championship 4 appearance feels like a pretty safe bet for him at this point. He's never won at Homestead, but it's been a good track for him — overall, he owns a sterling 9.0 average finish and was the 2020 runner-up.

2. Ross Chastain (+4)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: Out


Comment: We were almost witnesses Sunday to Chastain becoming the first 2022 playoff driver to lock himself into the Championship 4 — in his first postseason appearance, no less. Still, he's in an excellent position to advance at one of the next two tracks; two tracks that, in fact, often reward to most aggressive drivers out there. Anybody come to mind?

1. Joey Logano (+1)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 11


Comment: Think about it — when you picture the Championship 4 stage, doesn't it feel right at home with Logano on it? Love him or hate him, he's been championship material for the past decade and probably will be for the next one, too. As for Homestead, he won his first title with a win there in 2018 and with nothing on the line for him this weekend except a trophy, look for the Vegas winner to potentially go back to back.