We’re now through 11 Cup Series races this season, with Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway marking the first race of May. As we near the halfway point of the 2026 regular season, it’s time to take another look at the best NASCAR drivers right now.
As always with our 2026 NASCAR power rankings, recent performances are weighted heavily. That includes NASCAR stats rom the last six races, via DriverAverages.com, which help shape how we ran the best drivers.
1. Tyler Reddick (Previously: 1)
The late pit strategy probably cost Tyler Reddick a third-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, but he still finished fourth. Through the first 11 races this season, Reddick’s average finishing position (5.7) is 3 full spots better than the second-best driver (Chase Elliott, 8.9), and the No. 45 car’s average finishing position (5.8) is nearly double that of the third-closest driver (Carson Hocevar, 10.1). Reddick also has as many top-five finishes (seven) as Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain combined. Oh, there’s also those five wins.
2. Denny Hamlin (Previously: 2)
Denny Hamlin admits he didn’t have the success on restarts he needed to win on Sunday. However, he still finished with the fourth-most laps led (21) in the Würth 400 and he netted the second-most points (43) on the day. Through the first 11 races in 2026, Hamlin leads the Cup Series in laps led (624) and only one other driver (Kyle Larson, 499) has even cleared 330. The driver of the No. 11 car has finished second twice this year and he boasts an average finishing position of 7.2 in the last 10 races. Given his overall consistency, Hamlin might be The Chase favorite right now.
3. Chase Elliott (Previously: 3)
While Chase Elliott doesn’t move up in our 2026 NASCAR power rankings after his win in the Würth 400, what’s clear is that he is the only one on the same tier as Hamlin and Reddick right now. The No. 9 was the fastest car on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, with Elliott’s excellence on restarts and his ability to maneuver around traffic quickly propelling him to his second win of the season. In recent years, Elliott has been Mr. Consistent. There hasn’t been quite as much of that this year, as evidenced by three finishes of 15th or worse, but Elliott is winning more regularly and the run of dominance might be here.
4. Chris Buescher (Previously: 4)
We’ll let the NASCAR stats do the talking when it comes to Chris Buescher. In the last six races, he boasts the fifth-highest average finishing position (9.7) thanks to four top-10 finishes in that stretch. He nearly won it at Talladega last weekend and he followed that up with a fifth-place finish at Texas. Now the driver of the No. 17 car is headed to Watkins Glen, a track where he’s finished top-10 in four consecutive races and won in 2024.
5. Carson Hocevar (Previously: 5)
The hot streak continues for Carson Hocevar, who might eventually become the most popular driver in NASCAR. Hocevar won the Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday and followed that up the next day by winning the pole in Cup Series qualifying. The No. 77 car didn’t quite seem to have the long-run speed to match drivers at the top of the field come Sunday, but he still left with a seventh-place finish. Given that he’s coming off consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time in 2026, we’re curious to see how he fares at Watkins Glen.
6. Ryan Blaney (Previously: 7)
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Ryan Blaney recorded a top-10 finish despite issues on pit road. It wasn’t the pit crew’s fault this time, as Blaney stalled the car coming out of the first pit stop and he got stuck in an awkward position on another because of his poor qualifying position. Remarkably, Blaney still snagged a 10th-place finish in Texas. It certainly seems like the No. 12 team has ironed out its issues on pit stops, so as long as Blaney keeps doing what he’s doing, multiple wins are coming.
7. Kyle Larson (Previously: 6)
Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team are starting to throw away their chances at winning The Chase. That might sound outlandish for the reigning Cup Series champion, but drivers agreed coming into 2026 that you needed to be in the top six entering the 10-race Chase to have a shot at the championship. With two DNFs and two other races of 32nd or worse this season, Larson finds himself 53 points back of Blaney in fourth place. Larson and the team have just made it harder on themselves, but we also still wouldn’t bet against him winning four-plus races this season.
8. William Byron (Previously: 8)
Credit to William Byron for salvaging his day at Texas Motor Speedway. An early spin seemed to jeopardize the No. 24 team’s chances of recording a strong finish, but they made it work. It’s exactly what the team needed after recording a DNF (35th) last weekend at Dega. Up next for Byron and the crew is the challenge of becoming more consistent.
9. Austin Cindric (Previously: Unranked)
Who would’ve thought coming into the year that Austin Cindric would be outperforming Team Penske teammate Joey Logano through 11 races. In the last six races, Cindric ranks sixth in average finishing position (10.7) with his worst finish in that stretch coming at Bristol (16th place). Considering the ups-and-downs Penske has been having this year, Cindric getting that level of consistency is impressive.
10. Christopher Bell (Previously: 9)
Christopher Bell is the unluckiest driver in NASCAR right now. He led 22 laps early on Sunday in Stage 1 and was closing in on a pass of Denny Hamlin to position himself for a potential stage win. Then fate struck when Todd Gilliland spun out and hit the No. 20 car, causing race-ending damage when Bell lost control and hit the wall. It’s been that kind of stretch for Bell, who seems to be getting caught up in every major wreck. Still, he has the third-most laps led (325) in the Cup Series this season and he ranks in the top five in quality passes.
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