NASCAR Power Rankings: Ross Chastain rises to No. 1 after COTA

In its second appearance on the NASCAR schedule, Circuit of the Americas sent another jolt through the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.

Ross Chastain‘s recent stretch of high-quality performances finally resulted in a win. But with a larger sample size of the 2022 season available, more trends are starting to develop.

Here’s where drivers rank after six Cup Series races:

1. Ross Chastain (Last week: No. 4) With an average finish of 2.0 in his last four races, the No. 1 Chevrolet rockets to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. Chastain has been knocking on the door of his first career win for the last month. And while he had to bust through the door in Turn 19 in the form of AJ Allmendinger, Chastain finally got the job done. That he did so in the midst of a four-race streak of top-three finishes proves Chastain is no fluke. Chastain has also led the second-most laps in the Cup Series through six races. There are no guarantees that Trackhouse Racing can keep up its momentum, but there is no reason to doubt the organization after six strong showings.

2. Ryan Blaney (Last week: No. 2) Blaney was a three-race winner in 2021 and hasn’t broken through yet this year, but the No. 12 Ford continues to find its way to the front on a weekly basis. Outside of fourth-place efforts at Daytona and Phoenix, his finishes haven’t quite been there yet. But Sunday marked another solid run for Blaney as he finished sixth at COTA. Blaney also maintains the laps led lead and holds the best average running position (10.107) in the series.

3. Tyler Reddick (Last week: No. 1) Perhaps a two-spot drop is a bit harsh after posting a top-five finish and the second-best average running position at COTA, but Reddick’s season-long resume isn’t yet what