NASCAR Power Rankings: Christopher Bell rockets upward after Kansas

Thrilling battles and dramatic moments highlighted Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.

Kurt Busch stormed to Victory Lane for the first time with 23XI Racing, while numerous drivers suffered flat left rear tires in an issue that lasted throughout the weekend. The results made for some drastic shifts in this week’s NBC Sports Power Rankings.

1. Chase Elliott (Last week: No. 1) Elliott suffered his worst finish of the season Sunday at Kansas Speedway after a left rear tire went down and derailed his race. The No. 9 team came home 29th, three laps off the pace, spinning at Lap 197 after the flat tire sent his car for a slide before getting stuck in the grass. Elliott scored five straight top-10 finishes before Kansas and hadn’t finished worse than 14th since Auto Club Speedway at the end of February. It was a disappointing day for the Elliott, but he remains the series’ points leader by a 52-point margin after leading 10 laps and scoring 14 stage points at Kansas.

2. Kyle Busch (Last week: No. 3) While his brother was the one celebrating Sunday, Busch was a steady contender all race long. That continues an impressive stretch of races for the No. 18 Toyota, which has finished third or better in three of the last five races. Busch averaged a 5.3 running position, led 18 laps at Kansas and scored his first stage win of the season. The team needed a rebound after Busch suffered his first DNF of the year when he was collected in Brad Keselowski‘s crash and finished 33rd at Darlington.

3. Ross Chastain (Last week: No. 2) Chastain’s seventh-place finish at Kansas marked his first top-10 finish this season that wasn’t also a top five. The No. 1 Chevrolet had a quiet day by Chastain’s 2022 standards but managed to lead four laps and