Power Rankings: Did Joey Logano emerge from Texas as new title favorite?

12. Christopher Bell (-10)

Season-high: 2


Season-low: Out


Comment: Bell was the unfortunate recipient of two tire issues that sent him careening to a 34th-place finish and the cellar of the playoff standings after he was shaping up to be a title favorite. He'll now have to (likely) count on a win at Talladega or the Roval, two tracks where it's difficult to control one's own destiny — and where he has just two top 10s in seven combined starts.

11. Alex Bowman (--)

Season-high: 5


Season-low: 16


Comment: Bowman began the playoffs looking like he could become a postseason force with two top 10s in the opening pair of races but then found catastrophe at Bristol and Texas. He does have runner-up results at both Talladega and the Roval, but the latter is likely where his focus will be in terms of advancing — he's landed in the top 10 in every race on Charlotte's infield road course.

10. Austin Cindric (+2)

Season-high: 10


Season-low: 19


Comment: Cindric has essentially maintained pace in the playoffs, averaging a 15.75 finish through the first four races amid a 15.7 average finish for the season at large. He's not a lock to advance by any means, but this year's Daytona 500 winner and accomplished road racer has to feel good about the remaining tracks in this round to help his chances.

9. Daniel Suárez (+1)

Season-high: 9


Season-low: Out


Comment: Suárez has just one top 10 in the playoffs thus far but is averaging 26.25 points per race through the first four to keep him afloat above the elimination line. He'll likely try to maintain that at Talladega before potentially striking at the Roval. Trackhouse Racing's road-course program has been on point in 2022, with the No. 99 driver picking up win No. 1 at Sonoma.

8. Chase Briscoe (+1)

Season-high: 8


Season-low: 20


Comment: Boy, did Briscoe pick a good time to land his first top 10 since *checks notes* the Coca-Cola 600. He's still below the elimination line and there's plenty of work to do, but if he's able to escape Talladega with a top 20, look out. One of the better road racers in the sport could force a Round of 8 spot with a sterling run at the Roval.

7. Chase Elliott (-6)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 9


Comment: It's difficult to penalize a title favorite with a drop this deep after a tire issue derailed his race, but the fact remains that Elliott's championship hopes took a major blow at Texas to sit him squarely on the bubble with two volatile tracks ahead. With three wins combined at them, however, he's got as good a chance as anybody out there to punch his ticket with a trip to Victory Lane the next two weeks and make Texas a distant memory.

6. Kyle Larson (-2)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 9


Comment: After the domination he displayed last year, this stat is almost unfathomable, but Larson's Texas finish (ninth) marked just the second time this season he's strung together three straight top 10s and the first time since Bristol Dirt to Dover earlier this year. As the defending Roval winner (and most recent road-course winner in general) and owner of just three top 10s in 15 Talladega starts, you can guess which remaining Round of 12 race he has circled.

5. Denny Hamlin (--)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 20


Comment: Hamlin is literally averaging the second-worst average finish of his career (17.2) and yet it would be a major shock for him to not make the Championship 4 — it's been that kind of season. He's been on fire in the playoffs so far (and not just over the radio) with a 5.75 average finish and it would not be a surprise to see him lock himself into the Round of 8 with a win in either of the next two races.

4. Ross Chastain (+2)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: Out


Comment: Whether or not Chastain sees payback for his regular-season tiffs remains to be seen, but in the meantime he's elevated to second in points and looks like a strong bid to make the Round of 8. Given he's the most recent Talladega winner and has a road-course win this season as well, it's going to take a major downfall for him to be eliminated before Vegas.

3. Ryan Blaney (+5)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 10


Comment: Texas was a strong rebound race for Blaney, picking up a stage win and leading the most laps (29) since Richmond in the seventh race of the season. As another driver with three wins at the next two tracks, it looks extremely likely that No. 12 will advance out of the Round of 12.

2. William Byron (+1)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 16


Comment: If there's any lingering questions about Byron's toughness or ability to rise to the occasion, look no further than his four top 10s to open the playoffs and not backing down when he felt wronged by one of the sport's true veterans. He landed a runner-up at Talladega last year and has been pretty solid at the Roval the past three years — he'd need to take a serious tumble to miss at this point.

1. Joey Logano (+6)

Season-high: 1


Season-low: 11


Comment: Logano re-ascends to No. 1 and very well could be viewed as the overall title favorite at the moment with a decent points gap between him and the rest of the field. With three Talladega wins to his credit and no finishes outside the top 10 at the Roval ever, it's unlikely he falls far from this perch the rest of the way, if at all.