NASCAR power rankings: Christopher Bell surges after overtime victory in Atlanta

NASCAR power rankings: Christopher Bell surges after overtime victory in Atlanta originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Joe Gibbs Racing is back on the board.

After an unprecedented 19-race losing streak for the Super Bowl-winning head coach’s organization, Christopher Bell sent the team back to victory lane on Sunday. The 30-year-old Oklahoman pulled narrowly ahead of Carson Hocevar and Kyle Larson just as the caution flag flew on the final lap, giving him the win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

It was Bell’s 10th career win, including the second time in his six-year career that he’s won the second race of the season.

Next up is a trip to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for a road course race at the tricky Texas track on Sunday. How does the field stack up after Atlanta? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:

1. William Byron

Last week: 1

The Daytona 500 winner couldn’t carry his luck into the Peach State. Byron led six laps and scored 15 stage points, but the race ended in heartbreak. He collided with Austin Cindric while running third with two laps to go before limping around to finish 27th. Still, it was a second straight week where the No. 24 had winning speed — and he’s the defending winner at COTA.

2. Ryan Blaney

Last week: 2

Blaney was the fastest in qualifying but never quite showed the same strength on race day. He led just one lap and only scored three stage points while mostly running outside the top-10. The No. 12 Ford came to life in the final stage to finish fourth despite spinning (and saving) his car late in the race.

3. Joey Logano

Last week: 3

Logano’s afternoon was the opposite of his teammate Blaney’s. He led a race-high 83 laps, dominating the early portions of the day before fading late. There wasn’t any crash damage to speak of, but the No. 22 clearly lost a step and ultimately finished 12th.

4. Kyle Larson

Last week: 5

Larson, who was 0-for-48 on drafting tracks entering Atlanta, nearly got the monkey off his back. The 2021 Cup champion was leading at the start of overtime but just didn’t pull off the right blocks to hold on. He’ll be thrilled to get away from this style of racing next week, especially considering he has six career road course wins.

5. Christopher Bell

Last week: 8

Could this be the start of Bell’s championship season? The safest way to make that happen is to win early and often. That’s what Bell can now do with his playoff spot locked up and still 24 races left to build his point total. He finished second to Byron at COTA last year, so Sunday could be another winning opportunity.

6. Tyler Reddick

Last week: 4

Sixth in both stages, finished 19th. Not the ending that Reddick was looking for after finishing second at Daytona. Luckily for him, COTA has been one of his best tracks with a win, three top-fives and four top-10s in four starts. Keep an eye on the No. 45 Toyota in Texas.

7. Denny Hamlin

Last week: 7

Atlanta was a methodical run for Hamlin. He was out of contention throughout the race, then he suddenly finished sixth. Despite zero stage points or laps led, the No. 11 team has to be happy with that final result.

8. Chase Elliott

Last week: 6

Atlanta looked a lot like Daytona for Elliott. His car was good, not great. He ran inside the top-10 for most of the race. And, yet again, he was taken out in an accident outside of his control. The No. 9 team repaired the car quickly to get Elliott back on the track, where he salvaged a 20th-place finish.

9. Austin Cindric

Last week: 9

For the second straight week, Cindric was in contention to win before a wreck. At Daytona, it was the final lap; at Atlanta, it was the penultimate lap. Cindric led 47 laps with 11 stage points on Sunday but only had a 28th-place finish to show for it.

10. Bubba Wallace

Last week: First four out

Atlanta was a quiet, clean and productive run for Wallace. He was fourth in Stage 1, second in Stage 2 and ninth at the end of the race — elevating him from 21st to fifth in the standings. Looking at points early in the season can be wonky with the small sample size, but that has to feel good for a driver who missed the playoffs last season.

First four out: Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek