William Byron is the man to beat

After Martinsville, the NASCAR Power Rankings are undergoing another change. Mainly, William Byron is the top driver in the Cup Series. The season so far is starting to trend towards Hendrick facing Joe Gibbs.

Hendrick Motorsports was the center of attention. They had the ruby ​​red cars, the matching fire suits, 1500 Hendrick employees were present and all four teams had speed. Hendrick was great, others struggled to find their footing.

Once again the racing at Martinsville wasn't great. There are serious issues with the short track package and they were on full display on Sunday. But we can only make our judgment based on the cards we are dealt.

1. William Byron – Hendrick Motorsports (+2)

Until more information becomes available, William Byron is the top driver in the Cup Series. Three wins this year and he will try to do it even faster.

How do you move forward after a breakout season with six wins? How about a 10-win season? Byron is well on his way to achieving that goal if he keeps winning at this rate.

2. Kyle Larson – Hendrick Motorsports (-)

Right behind Byron is Kyle Larson. I would argue that the floor for Larson is higher than Byron on any given day. However, Byron has the wins needed to secure the top spot in the series.

Larson will likely remain in one of those two top spots unless someone else proves to be an elite talent. Keep an eye on him in the coming weeks, another win could be on the horizon. This season he now leads the points standings.

3. Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing (-2)

So Denny Hamlin couldn't make it in Martinsville. He won Stage 2, but pit stops would spell the end of his chances of winning.

William Byron undercut the field and came into the pits first under green in the closing stages. It was a solid strategy and it helped put Hamlin behind all the Hendrick cars. Not the top driver, but still in the middle of the pack.

4. Tyler Reddick – 23XI Racing (+3)

Tyler Reddick shows that he can achieve solid results even in difficult situations. P7 and he struggled to get there but he did it.

I like what this team is doing lately. Five top-10 finishes in the last six races and three in a row, now it's off to Texas. Reddick could get his first win of the season this week.

5. Martin Truex Jr. – Joe Gibbs Racing (+1)

So P18 is not the best ever. However, he didn't have as bad a day as others and has had some success in the NASCAR Power Rankings so far this season.

After five weeks in the top 10, Truex Jr. finally landed outside of that group. It's strange for him to be promoted after such a performance, but it will all make sense. Or not, but I'll explain.

6. Ryan Blaney – Team Penske (+3)

Another driver moving up the NASCAR power rankings based on a solid result. Although he struggled, Blaney and his team used a two-tire stop to give him another top-five finish of the season.

Blaney has yet to win this year. However, his consistency and maturity were both impressive.

7. Alex Bowman – Hendrick Motorsports (+3)

Alex Bowman is putting together a lot of good runs now. He will be promoted this week, largely because a few other drivers had problems and had poor races.

Bowman was P8, the worst of the Hendrick drivers at Martinsville. But it was still a solid run and he should be happy with his performances this season.

8. Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports (NR)

Look at that! Chase Elliott is moving up the NASCAR Power Rankings list. Two top-five finishes in a row and Elliott is looking like himself again.

At Martinsville, for the first time in a long time, I felt like the No. 9 car was at winning speed. It didn't work out that way, but it was there. Things will only go up for this team from here.

9. Christopher Bell – Joe Gibbs Racing (-5)

This win at Phoenix carries great weight. However, a 35th place finish has to be punished in one way or another. These rankings are strange, sometimes it's just hard to rank one driver over another.

Then, when you get to the end of the list, remember who did well not even a week ago. Bell falls largely due to uncertainty about where to place him.

10. Ty Gibbs – Joe Gibbs Racing (-2)

I really wanted to see more of Ty Gibbs this weekend. He just didn't have the speed to keep up and his car couldn't get through traffic at all.

Gibbs has had a very good sophomore year so far. He'll win a race sooner or later, and when that happens he could be on a winning streak. It's hard to say right now, but for now he's holding steady in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

Elliott in, Chastain out of the NASCAR Power Rankings

So Ross Chastain is not included in the NASCAR power rankings for the time being. Looking back, I feel like I gave him too much credit and leeway before. Chastain could win in Texas this week and soon be back at No. 5 on the list.

These rankings are tough. How much weight do you give to recent performance compared to previous ones? One thing is for sure: Hendrick and Gibbs are the frontrunners and it's up to everyone else to catch up.