Week 4 NASCAR power rankings: Old name returns to No. 1, but who follows?

At Sunday's Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway, winner Christopher Bell charged through the field on fresh tires during the final run and into the seventh spot in our Week 4 power rankings.
A pair of familiar faces, though, remain atop the power rankings as NASCAR is set to head to Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday.

1. Ryan Blaney (Last week: 2)

Say hello to your new (old) points leader. Blaney, who held the No. 1 spot in Week 2, is riding a streak of three consecutive top-five finishes after edging Ross Chastain at the line for fifth Sunday, continuing an excellent start to his championship defense. He has yet to win in 2024, but he could Sunday at the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn. That's a track where he seems overdue for a win.

2. Kyle Larson (Last week: 1)

It wasn't the best day for Larson in the desert, but much of that wasn't his fault as he never had the track position. He was mired in traffic multiple times after pit-road miscues, but he rebounded to finish a solid 14th, proving he can salvage decent results even when his team is off its game. He should be one of the favorites at Bristol, a track where he has had strong performances throughout his career.

3. Tyler Reddick (Last week: 7)

It's still far too early to paint much of a picture of the championship race, but through two non-drafting events, Reddick has been the most consistent threat. He fell to 10th at the finish Sunday following the late strategy shuffle, but he led 68 laps and had win-contending speed through much of the race, just as he did at Las Vegas. Blaney and Larson are the clear leaders in the Ford and Chevy clubhouses, respectively, and Reddick appears to complete our early "Big Three" as Toyota's top dog.

4. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 8)

Truex had an interesting ending to his race Sunday, staying out under the final caution despite knowing he would be short on fuel. That forced him to make an extra green-flag pit stop after leading 55 laps. Although he charged up to seventh on his fresh tires, it was a befuddling call considering he could have won the race otherwise. This has unfortunately been a pattern with the No. 19 team and crew chief James Small in recent years.

5. Ross Chastain (Last week: 3)

Chastain has used pit strategy in back-to-back weeks to earn a finish that was much better than he performed throughout the race. His average running position at Phoenix was only 13th, but after finding himself on a fortunate pit sequence, he finished sixth as Blaney nosed him at the line. It may not be a sustainable method for Chastain, but it's working for now.

6. William Byron (Last week: 4)

One man's fortune is another man's misfortune. Unlike Chastain — who ran outside the top 10 for most of the race but finished just outside the top five — Byron had top-five speed throughout the first two stages but ended up only 18th. It was not an ideal result for the driver who won the spring Phoenix race in 2023.

7. Christopher Bell (Last week: not ranked)

After a disastrous start to the season, Bell reminded everyone why he's entered the last two season finales with a shot at a championship. He had the fastest car of the afternoon but was fighting a constant battle to gain track position, He finally did so for good when he went from the middle of the pack to the lead during the race's final run.

8. Denny Hamlin (Last week: 6)

Hamlin led 68 laps, tied with Reddick for the most of all drivers, and yet this still was a disappointing race for him. Despite winning the pole, Hamlin led Sunday only when he was handed the top spot under caution by virtue of having the most beneficial pit stall. Then he brought out what became the final yellow flag when he spun underneath Reddick. In a race where Hamlin's team did everything right to put him in a position to win, the driver failed to execute.

9. Ty Gibbs (Last week: 11)

Closing out this run of three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in a row is the team owner's grandson, who led 57 laps Sunday and earned a career-best third-place finish. It feels like only a matter of time before Gibbs gets his first Cup win. During the last race in Bristol, he led 102 laps and finished fifth.

10. Kyle Busch (Last week: 5)

Woof. That'll be a weekend to forget for Busch, who started 31st, spun by himself early on in Stage 3 and finished a lap down in 22nd. He has not looked good on NASCAR's shorter ovals since moving over to Richard Childress Racing. That could be bad news for him despite Bristol being a track where he once dominated.

11. Chase Elliott (Last week: 10)

Much like his teammate Byron, Elliott hung around in the top five for most of the first two stages on Sunday but faded late when he lost his track position and couldn't get it back. He has yet to record a top-10 finish in 2024 and yet sits comfortably in ninth in points, so it's hard to say what exactly to make of his season.

12. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 14)

No one needed their result Sunday quite like Keselowski, who sat 28th in points entering Phoenix and now moves up to 22nd following his fourth-place effort. He still has an uphill battle ahead of him in regards to the playoff picture, but he should be a solid bet at Bristol and may even end his nearly three-year winless streak.

13. Noah Gragson (Last week: NR)

OK, Noah, we see you. Gragson just missed the cut for last week's rankings after a top-10 at Vegas, and now after backing it up with a strong 12th, his surprising start can't be ignored. He was one of the biggest disappointments of 2023, but it seems that a change of scenery has done wonders for Gragson, who has looked like a playoff contender in 2024. Can he keep it up?

14. Daniel Suarez (Last week: 12)

Also continuing his strong start is Suarez, who earned headlines with his thrilling win in Atlanta but has quietly backed it up with an 11th and a 13th since. He's in a contract year, and with Trackhouse having Zane Smith and Shane van Gisbergen in its pipeline, he's driving like a guy who isn't going to give up his ride easily.

15. Chris Buescher (Last week: NR)

Welcome back to the power rankings, Mr. Buescher. It was an underwhelming start to the season for 2023's biggest surprise, but Buescher had by far his best race of 2024 on Sunday, capping it with a runner-up finish. Now he'll head to arguably his best track in Bristol, where he won in the summer of 2022.

16. Joey Logano (Last week: 9)

During the back-to-back superspeedway stretch to open up the season, Logano was fast but unlucky. At Phoenix, he was slow and unlucky, running outside the top 20 all race and even getting lapped before he wrecked and finished 34th. He's 30th in points through four races, and a bad showing at Bristol will drop him out of the rankings.

Dropped out: Bubba Wallace, Corey LaJoie, Austin Cindric