NASCAR Power Rankings shake up as Shane van Gisbergen surges with latest win before Dover

Shane Van Gisbergen paced the field on Sunday, July 13, at Sonoma in dominant fashion for his third victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The victory by the driver of the #88 has made for another shakeup in this week's NASCAR power rankings.

Six races remain in the Cup Series regular season, and so far, 12 different drivers have made their way to victory lane. So, who's going strong into Dover this weekend? Let's take a look.

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#5 Shane van Gisbergen

NASCAR: Toyota / Save Mart 350 - Source: Imagn

With three wins in the last five races, there's no denying that Shane van Gisbergen has the hot hand heading into Dover. Prior to this last five-race stretch, the Trackhouse Racing driver hadn't totaled any playoff points and sat 33rd in the standings. Now, the New Zealand native has three wins and 17 playoff points.

However, oval tracks have proven difficult for Van Gisbergen. While he has three wins this season, they all came on road courses (Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma). On the ovals, Van Gisbergen has finished no better than 14th all season. We'll see if the momentum on the road courses of the last few weeks can carry over to the 1.0-mile oval track in Dover, Delaware.

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#4 Chase Briscoe

NASCAR: Grant Park 165 - Source: Imagn

Don't look now, but Chase Briscoe is heating up as the NASCAR playoffs near. The driver of the #19 has finished in the top 10 in three of the last five races, including a win at Pocono and a runner-up finish at Sonoma. The recent hot streak has bumped Briscoe into the top five of this week's power rankings.

Briscoe sits eighth in the points standings with seven top-fives and four pole positions. In four starts at Dover, however, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has failed to finish better than 13th. Yet, with momentum in his favor, this could be the week Briscoe has a better day at "The Monster Mile" in Delaware.

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#3 Tyler Reddick

AUTO: JUL 13 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 - Source: Getty

Tyler Reddick is another one to watch this weekend in Dover. The driver of the #45 has finished no worse than sixth in the last three races as he continues to seek his first win of the 2025 campaign. With the recent string of strong finishes, Reddick has bounced up to third in this week's power rankings.

The 23XI Racing driver is currently fourth in the points standings, the highest of any winless driver this season. Reddick has totaled five top-fives and has posted an average finish of 13.9. The former Xfinity champion has six Cup starts at Dover with two top-10 finishes. Based on recent performances, Reddick could break into victory lane this Sunday, July 20.

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#2 Denny Hamlin

AUTO: JUL 13 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 - Source: Getty

It was another off week for Denny Hamlin as he posted a 20th-place finish on Sunday at Sonoma. However, the driver of the #11 has registered four top-fives and a win in the last six races and will surely be a favorite to win his fourth race of 2025 this Sunday.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star is the defending winner at Dover Motor Speedway and is a three-time winner this season. Hamlin has tallied nine top-fives and an average finish of 13.6 in 19 starts this season. It might've been a subpar performance at Sonoma, but expect Hamlin to be a contender this Sunday at Dover.

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#1 Chase Elliott

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

Chase Elliott brought home a third-place finish last Sunday at Sonoma as his recent hot streak continues. The driver of the #9 has finished in the top five in four of the last five races, including his victory at EchoPark Speedway. The recent trend has the Hendrick Motorsports driver atop this week's power rankings.

Elliott is currently second in the NASCAR Cup points standings, trailing HMS teammate William Byron by only 14 points. The 2020 Cup champion has seven top-fives in 2025 and currently has the best average finish in the field of 10.2. Elliott is a two-time Dover winner and could easily make it three with another strong run this Sunday.