Another driver added his name to the list of race winners in the 2026 season. After the NASCARCup Series finished up at Bristol, Ty Gibbs emerged as a first-time winner. The legacy talent has been excellent this season.
Kansas Speedway means high speeds and great racing action on the track. Kansas has produced some of the best moments of the Next Gen era and this weekend will likely add to that.
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Eight races down, there are 18 races left to go in the regular season. Here are the ten best drivers in the Cup Series after Bristol.
PREVIOUS 2026 RANKINGS: Daytona 500 – Atlanta – COTA – Phoenix – Las Vegas – Darlington – Martinsville – Bristol
10. Bubba Wallace – 23XI Racing (-)
Things appeared to turn around for Bubba Wallace at Bristol and Kansas is another track where he can pick up points and maybe even a win. Wallace had a two week bump in the road with finishes of P34 and P36. He needs to right the ship now.
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Wallace is 8th in points, but had been as high up as 2nd overall. He should be able to earn stage points and run up front this week.
9. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (-2)
William Byron prepares for qualifying for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
William Byron and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. That is about the only way to sum things up for the 24 team. They qualified poorly, made a repair before the race, dropped to the rear, and never got going.
Byron finished five laps down and it was a long afternoon at Bristol for him and his team. They are hoping that Kansas is more kind.
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8. Brad Keselowski – RFK Racing (+1)
What a difference a year makes. Brad Keselowski has been the epitome of consistency this season. Last year, he was clawing and fighting for 30th in points. Now, he’s 11th in points and hasn’t finished worse than P20 in 2026.
Keselowski and RFK Racing have been solid. Still, they need that extra bit of speed that makes winners in the Cup Series. We’ll see if one of them finds it at Kansas.
7. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (-2)
Christopher Bell at driver introductions at Circuit of the Americas.Jamie Harms-Imagn Images
Another driver who had a tough day at Bristol. Christopher Bell got into the wall multiple times and it felt like he was just trying to get to the finish line by the end of it. P27 was not what he had in mind going into the weekend.
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Bell will be one to watch at Kansas. He is looking to bounce back quickly. He’s had three races without a top-five finish and I think he ends up breaking that this weekend.
6. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (+2)
Things were going really well for Kyle Larson until the very end. He swept the stages, led the most laps, and looked like he was on his way to his first Cup Series win in nearly a year.
It wasn’t meant to be, but it showed that Larson is ready to throw down and lead laps again. Kansas is a track where he’s had great races and great finishes in the past. Let’s see if he can pull one out again and break that winless streak.
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5. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (-3)
NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) relaxes after a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
On the last restart, Chase Elliott spun out and had to settle or a P22 finish. He was coming off of the win at Martinsville and his finish did not match up to his performance. I hate to knock him down so many spots this week, but his finish along with the performance of others necessitates it.
Elliott has not been as consistent as he was in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. However, it appears that they might have a little more winning speed more often than in those season already this year. Elliott will be part of the Hendrick vs. Toyota battle at Kansas this weekend.
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4. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-1)
It was an average day for Denny Hamlin at Bristol. He was always just one adjustment away from competing with the leaders.
Another top-10 finish at Bristol. Hamlin will be one of the drivers with his eyes on the win at Kansas. He’s trying to get as many checkered flags as he can before he ultimately hangs it up after 2027.
3. Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing (+2)
Ty Gibbs celebrates after winning Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images
P4, P4, P5, P6, P4 – those were the finishes for Ty Gibbs leading into Bristol. Lo and behold, Gibbs earned his first career win in the NASCAR Cup Series in the Food City 500. An historic race track and a really exciting finish, too.
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Gibbs had to take down two Cup champions to get the job done in overtime. He did it on old tires, too. Gibbs was able to get away from Larson and Ryan Blaney on his way to the victory.
2. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+2)
Pole award, fastest lap, and P2. Ryan Blaney remains the best passer in the Cup Series. And honestly, this race would have been his for the taking had his pit crew not been so awful.
Team Penske has to figure this out. Either get rid of the current pit crew or make strategic replacements, but something has to give. Blaney is the fastest driver on race day time and time again, and can even find ways to pass in dirty air where others can’t. So, fix pit road, and the wins are going to flood in.
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1. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing (-)
Tyler Reddick and his team celebrate after a three-peat to start the 2026 season. James Gilbert/Getty Images
P4 at Bristol is not bad for Tyler Reddick. In fact, it is tied for his career-best finish at the track in the Cup Series. It is also his first top-10 or top-5 at Bristol since the Fall 2020 race where he last finished P4.
Reddick has four wins and is looking for a fifth. His points lead has slowly been eaten into by Blaney and Hamlin, but Reddick is likely to win again this spring and summer, and that could make his lead grow to an insurmountable distance.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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