
Power Rankings: Larson could continue path of dominance all the way to title
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Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers after Kyle Larson's win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and before Sunday's Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8. Joey Logano (+2)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: 20
Comment: Logano did what he had to do to advance at the Roval and, despite an average finish (18.0) that stands as his worst since his 2011 season as a 21-year-old for Joe Gibbs Racing, the two-time champ will live to fight another day for title No. 3 as a Round of 8 driver. This round is where we could see him come alive, however, starting at Vegas. No. 22 won this race two years ago and has collected three Nevada wins since 2019. He also had speed there earlier this year, starting from the pole in the spring.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Denny Hamlin (-3)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 13
Comment: Hamlin has seen his finishing position sink in every race from Bristol to the Roval, but overall still turned in a 9.0 average finish across those four races. Like Logano, he could turn on the jets in this round and won the fall race in 2021 at Las Vegas. Hamlin has led in eight straight Vegas races, turning in a double-digit figure of laps led in seven of those.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. Ryan Blaney (--)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 12
Comment: Blaney continued his streak of top 10s in 2024 playoff races in which he did not crash, turning in a strong, 40-point day at the Roval to keep his championship defense alive. Las Vegas is an interesting track for him, with top 10s in 10 of his 16 starts for a solid average finish of 11.4. Curiously, however, in his top three races there in terms of laps led, he has zero top 10s and an average finish of 25.0.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Chase Elliott (+3)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: 17
Comment: Elliott turned in an exceptional, 48-point top five at the Roval to firmly propel himself into the Round of 8, but there are concerns here on whether he has the juice to advance past that. No. 9 is certainly capable, but one lap led in the playoffs so far -- at Talladega, of all places -- doesn't exactly scream championship-winning speed. It could be a difficult start to the semifinal round for him, as well, with exactly half of his 14 Vegas starts resulting in finishes outside the top 20.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Tyler Reddick (+3)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14
Comment: Even though it wound up not being necessary, Reddick's determined drive through the field in the final stage at Charlotte was a reminder of the caliber of driver he is and has been for most of the year, washing away the miserable four-race stretch of finishes leading into Sunday. The spring runner-up at Vegas could find himself back in Victory Lane for the first time since August, and the Regular Season Champion could very well be the first driver in the Championship 4.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3. Christopher Bell (--)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 15
Comment: It's madness that we're a handful of weeks away from crowning a champion, and Bell still feels slept on, despite No. 20 turning in 34 points or more in seven of the past eight races as the most consistent driver of the playoffs. He's likely to do most of his damage this round in the next two races but did lead 61 laps en route to a runner-up finish in this race at Vegas last year. A third straight Championship 4 appearance feels imminent.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. William Byron (-1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 11
Comment: While Bell has been the most consistent driver in the playoffs, nobody had a better Round of 12 than Byron, who turned in a trio of top-three finishes. A dominant winner at Vegas last spring, don't be surprised if Byron and No. 24 crew chief Rudy Fugle get a leg up on the rest of the Championship 4 and punch their ticket this coming weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
1. Kyle Larson (+1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 5
Comment: Then again, don't be surprised if this guy rolls off two in a row and clinches his Championship 4 berth because with four races remaining, the title appears, once again, like his to lose. Larson continues to elevate himself above the rest of the field, and with consecutive wins at Vegas entering Sunday, one can feel good about his chances to make that a three-peat. We could be about to see a level of dominance to close out the season on the way to a championship that we haven't seen in some time.