As the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season draws ever closer, the three main contributors to “The Backroad” – Elliot Hicks, Seth Woolcock and Rod Villagomez – have each ranked their top 25 drivers for the year. Each analyst’s ranking has been aggregated to produce these consensus rankings.
Let’s look at who made the list!
2026 NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings
Top 25 NASCAR Drivers
Others Receiving Votes:
John Hunter Nemechek (#42) was ranked by both Elliot (25th) and Rod (24th) but not by Seth. Seth ranked Austin Dillon, left unranked by Elliot and Rod, at P25.
25. Daniel Suarez
Daniel Suarez cracks the top 25 solely as a result of Rod’s P20 ranking, as the newest Spire Motorsports driver was unranked by Seth and Elliot. The Mexican driver is on a one-year deal in the #7.
24. Erik Jones
Legacy Motor Club’s senior driver Erik Jones was ranked P23 by Rod and Elliot and 24th by Seth. Jones’ most recent victory came in the 2022 Southern 500.
23. Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell is the first of a few drivers where our opinions and rankings differed wildly. The No. 71 was off Rod’s board, but P24 for Elliot and all the way up at 15th by Seth.
22. Josh Berry
Entering his third Cup Series season, Josh Berry was ranked no lower than P22 by the crew. He’ll attempt to win his second and the Wood Brothers’ 102nd Cup race in 2026.
21. Kyle Busch
After two full seasons without a win, Kyle Busch goes from a top-ten ranking to P21 this year. Rowdy’s highest ranking was P15 from Rod.
20. Brad Keselowski
Though Brad Keselowski had a solid string of top-ten oval runs late in 2025, he’s still only won once in the Next Gen era. The owner-driver was ranked between 17th and 21st by our crew.
19. Carson Hocevar
The highest ranked of the Spire Motorsports drivers, Carson Hocevar is seeking his maiden Cup Series win in 2026. Elliot ranked the Michigan native highest at 15th.
18. Ty Gibbs
The series’ superteams arrive first in the rankings with Ty Gibbs. Like Keselowski, the #54 was ranked between P17 and P21 by the trio.
17. Austin Cindric
Austin Cindric searches for his third consecutive postseason berth and his first since the former win-and-in format. The Penske driver has three Cup wins, including the 2022 Daytona 500.
16. Connor Zilisch
The Cup Series’ lone rookie had the widest variance in our rankings. Rod nearly left Connor Zilisch off his board, placing him 25th. Elliot ranked the #88 at 17th, and Seth’s high enough to rank Zilisch P11.
15. Ryan Preece
Preece earned three T5 and 14 T10 finishes in his debut year with RFK Racing. The #60 sat at 16th on Elliot and Rod’s boards and at P18 with Seth.
14. Alex Bowman
Hendrick Motorsports’ first appearance on the list is Alex Bowman, ranked right at this P14 spot by Rod and Elliot. The #48 had a pair of P2 finishes last year but hasn’t won since Chicago in 2024.
13. Chris Buescher
Though Chris Buescher, like his teammates, missed victory lane last year, five T5 and 16 T10 finishes are what you want to see toward getting back there. The #17 was no lower than 14th on our boards.
12. Tyler Reddick
Bringing up the theme of “no 2025 wins” one last time, Tyler Reddick is hoping for a bounceback this year. He wasn’t ranked T10 on any of our boards, earning a pair of P11s and a P12.
11. Ross Chastain
The Melon Man and 2025 Coca-Cola 600 winner Ross Chastain made the top ten on Rod and Elliot’s board. Seth had the senior Trackhouse driver at P13.
10. Shane van Gisbergen
The Cup Series’ road course ace Shane van Gisbergen earned five victories in 2025. Unfortunately for the Kiwi, only two of those tracks are on the 2026 schedule: Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
9. Bubba Wallace
The 2025 season was a career year for Bubba Wallace, earning his first crown jewel win at the Brickyard 400. Elliot ranked the #23 highest at P8, while Rod left him out of the top ten at P12.
8. Chase Elliott
The 2020 champion had his first multi-win season in three years, claiming a pair of wins in 2025. Chase Elliott also earned 11 T5 and 19 T10 finishes, putting him squarely towards the top of our consensus.
7. Joey Logano
Though 2025 wasn’t an even year for Logano to claim his magic, he won at Texas and qualified for the Round of 8 in the final year of the playoffs. Rod is high enough on Joey Logano this year to place him at P3.
6. Christopher Bell
As Christopher Bell searches for his first championship, he’s just outside the top five on all three of our boards. The #20 won four races, including three in a row in 2025.
5. Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe was the rising star of the last year, earning three wins and a berth in the Championship 4. Being ranked at P5 by both Elliot and Seth was enough to keep the #19 there despite a P8 ranking by Rod.
4. William Byron
William Byron was ranked top five on all three boards heading into 2026, after the two-time and defending Daytona 500 champion won a trio of races last year.
3. Denny Hamlin
All three of us had different drivers at the top, and Elliot’s top rank went to Denny Hamlin. The #11 led the series last year with six wins.
2. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were tied in score and the tiebreaker of highest individual rank, so Larson got the nod as the series champion. Rod has the #5 at the top of his board.
1. Ryan Blaney
Ranked at the top by Seth and P2 by Elliot and Rod gave the best aggregate score to Ryan Blaney. The 2023 champion won four races last year, including the season finale at Phoenix.
Thanks for reading our 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings. Be sure to catch us live every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on The Backroad!
*Photo Credit: Scott Kinser – USA TODAY Sports*
