Power Rankings: Will Chase Elliott relive 2020 path to title, win Martinsville clincher?

NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers after Tyler Reddick's win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and before Sunday's Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

8. Chase Elliott (--)

Season-high: 2
Season-low: 17

Comment: Welcome to the Round of 8, where a playoff driver like Elliott can post his most dominant day of the year (81 laps led) en route to a 49-point, fifth-place finish ... and still walk out of Homestead at the bottom of the playoff standings, 43 points below the bubble. Eliott now essentially needs to win at Martinsville, which he's only done once before in 18 tries -- with his back up against the wall in must-win mode en route to his 2020 Cup championship. Don't count him out.

7. Ryan Blaney (--)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 12

Comment: Blaney was this close to securing a Championship 4 berth at Homestead, coming within half a lap of defending his title next month at Phoenix. He still has a shot, of course, but now has to roll into Martinsville at a 38-point deficit to the elimination line with his work cut out for him. Like Elliott, he also has a history of winning with it all on the line at Martinsville. As a big believer in momentum, he might actually prefer it this way.

6. Kyle Larson (-2)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 5

Comment: Larson drove his tail off at Homestead -- arguably too hard -- but wasn't able to factor in the finish after making his way back to the front by the end of the race. He's now in somewhat unfamiliar territory, entering the elimination race below the bubble. While his overall Martinsville numbers aren't overwhelming, he has caught on there in Hendrick Motorsports equipment and has a pair of runner-ups and a win in the past four races. It still feels more likely than not that he squeezes his way in. 

5. Denny Hamlin (--)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 13

Comment: Hamlin seems to have regained his footing to a degree, it's just that he now has extremely limited time to make the ground back up after a real hit-or-miss summer and early playoffs. It could all come together for him this weekend at Martinsville, however, and that 18-point deficit almost feels invisible for the Virginia native, with a whopping five grandfather clocks in his possession.

4. William Byron (-1)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 11

Comment: It didn't feel like Byron was much of a factor at Miami yet walked out of there with 39 points (including points in both stages) to hover above the elimination line leading into this weekend. The winner of two of the past three spring Martinsville races should have an excellent shot to advance, but the fact is that at least one Hendrick driver will be eliminated on Sunday, and quite possibly two.

3. Christopher Bell (-1)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 15

Comment: Bell has a truly mesmerizing 5.0 average finish over the past 10 races dating back to the end of the regular season, and there simply hasn't been a better driver in the 2024 playoffs, so it's weird to think he could miss the Championship 4 in his best shot yet after making it the past two years. It's quite possible, however. Although he won this race to make his first Champ 4 back in 2022, it stands as just one of his three Martinsville top 10s in nine starts for a pedestrian 16.2 average finish. That race was one of just two races he's led laps in at the Virginia half-mile, too.

2. Joey Logano (-1)

Season-high: 2
Season-low: 20

Comment: It essentially does not matter in the least, but Logano was the lowest-finishing playoff driver at Homestead, earning just nine completely meaningless points en route to a P28. He is, of course, already locked into Phoenix, so Miami did not matter for him other than trophy hunting. He'll have a better shot to add to his collection this weekend at Martinsville, though -- Logano won this race in 2018 on the way to his title and has just one finish outside the top 10 there since.

1. Tyler Reddick (+5)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14

Comment: Hey, if you're gonna make the Championship 4, make it count, right? Reddick rode into the history books and onto the Phoenix championship stage in spectacular fashion and now gets an extra week to prepare and build more momentum on the East Coast before heading west for a title shot. Don't expect a rousing repeat for Reddick this weekend, however -- his P7 at Martinsville earlier this year was just his second finish inside the top 15 at the track in his ninth start. All eyes on Phoenix for No. 45.