Larson tops NASCAR.com Cup power rankings after title run
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 10, 2026
The top tier
Kyle Larson opened NASCAR.com’s 2027 Cup Series power rankings at No. 1, a direct nod to the championship form that carried him through 2026. Larson won the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway, then finished the season with three postseason victories after going through the regular season without a win. That run put him back at the top of the sport’s preseason conversation and made him the early standard in the new year. Denny Hamlin followed at No. 2, giving the rankings a familiar front of the field with two proven veterans leading the list. Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick also landed among the top five, which keeps the focus on drivers who finished 2026 in championship contention and gave NASCAR.com a clear view of the first tier entering 2027.
Bell Blaney Reddick
Bell’s place near the top fits the season he put together after winning at Darlington and finishing second in the 2026 championship. He led more than 800 laps, a mark that showed how often he controlled races even before the title fight tightened. Blaney also stayed in the championship mix, and his Homestead win helped lift him to fourth in the final standings. Reddick rounded out the top five after a season that turned in the middle of the year but still ended with a fifth-place finish in the championship. NASCAR.com’s early rankings reflect how much weight recent results carry when a season ends with several drivers clustered near the front. Hamlin, meanwhile, enters 2027 with another strong case for the top tier. He finished third in the 2026 championship and was the regular-season points leader with four wins, four poles and a series-leading 24 top-10 finishes. Those numbers underline why he remains one of the most important drivers on the grid, even as the rankings place him just behind Larson at the start of the new year.
Challengers and swings
Beyond the top five, NASCAR.com pointed to several drivers who could shape the rest of the 2027 picture. Chase Briscoe is listed among the top challengers for the season, which keeps him in the conversation as the rankings move deeper into the field. Ty Gibbs, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric were highlighted as rebound or breakout candidates, a group that suggests there is room for both recovery and growth among drivers outside the championship core. The ranking also noted a set of names that need cleaner seasons after uneven 2026 runs. William Byron, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and Ross Chastain all showed up in that group, which points to the pressure on established drivers to turn last season’s struggles into a stronger 2027. Connor Zilisch was tagged for a sophomore opportunity, another sign that youth remains part of the mix, while Shane van Gisbergen needs better oval results if he is going to climb. NASCAR.com also flagged two wider factors that could change the shape of the season, new crew chiefs and team moves across the garage. Hamlin’s future adds another layer. He could make 2027 his final full-time season, which gives his start to the year extra weight and leaves the rankings with a veteran at the center of a possible turning point.
