Following Kyle Larson's beatdown at Kansas, the focus shifts to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend. The Series will take a break from its 36-race points-paying schedule to race for $1 million.
A third of the way through the season and one points-paying race shy of the halfway mark in the regular season, here is how the field shapes up.
1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
If there was ever a no-brainer for the top spot in the rankings, Larson is it. After leading a whopping 221 of the 267 laps and scoring the maximum 61 points for sweeping the stages and running the fastest lap of the race, Larson takes over the points lead from teammate William Byron and sets his sights on his upcoming attempt at the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double for the second year in a row. Before he gets there, though, the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro awaits, where he previously won in 2023.
2. Christopher Bell, No. 20 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Coming off a two-race stretch that saw Bell finish 35th at Talladega and ninth at Texas despite not scoring any stage points, a runner-up at Kansas was exactly what he needed to establish some momentum. Tied with Larson for the most wins in the series this season (three), Bell will look to keep pace with his on-track rival and put another string of good finishes together.
3. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 (Team Penske Ford)
Few drivers in the field have had more speed than Blaney this season. The 2023 Cup Series champion has five top fives and 110 stage points, which is second only to Larson (128). Four DNFs have been the story for the No. 12, but back-to-back third-place finishes at Texas and Kansas seem to have righted the ship and should have Blaney poised to contend for the $1 million this weekend after a fifth-place run in 2024.
4. William Byron, No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
The Daytona 500 winner had been consistent all season until the last two races produced a pair of finishes outside the top 10 and dropped him from the points lead. On a positive note, Byron led 22 laps at Texas and appeared to be a strong contender on Sunday at Kansas before his right rear tire went flat late in Stage 1. Expect Byron to bounce back, given the speed he has shown so far.
5. Chase Elliott, No. 9 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
The 16th-place finish at Kansas looks like another solid top-20 run, but nothing more for Elliott at first glance. That is not the case after leading 29 laps and passing Larson for the lead on a Lap 174 restart, only to lose the track position under a Lap 197 caution when his pit crew had issues with the right rear. The speed was encouraging, though, which is what the No. 9 team has been lacking in 2025.
6. Alex Bowman, No. 48 (Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
Bowman finished fifth at Kansas, but had arguably the fastest car on Sunday. He now has seven top-10 finishes this season and has led double-digit laps in three of the 12 races. Don't be surprised to see Bowman in victory lane soon.
7. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 (23XI Racing Toyota)
Reddick appeared to have the fastest car at Texas before spinning in the final stage and finishing 21st. A disappointing 17th-place result at Kansas followed suit. The last four races have produced finishes outside the top 10, leaving room for some improvement for the No. 45 team.
8. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Consecutive DNFs and three straight finishes outside the top 20 have Hamlin in a free fall currently. His two wins at Martinsville and Darlington seem like a distant memory at this point, but the speed is evident after he drove from outside the top 20 into the top 10 with excellent long-run speed at Kansas. Hamlin will get things turned around, but the last three weeks have certainly not gone as expected.
9. Joey Logano, No. 22 (Team Penske Ford)
It is still hard to believe that Logano's win at Texas was his first top five of the season and Sunday's ninth-place finish at Kansas was only his third top 10. That is indeed the case, but he is one of seven drivers to find victory lane this season and enters North Wilkesboro as the defending winner of the All-Star Race.
10. Ross Chastain, No. 1 (Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
Chastain has six top-10 finishes this season and a commendable average finish of 13.9. Getting off to a better start on Saturdays is critical, though, with an average starting position of 23.8. That must be cleaned up, or stage points and race wins are going to be hard to come by.
11. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
The 2025 season has been up-and-down for the first-year JGR driver, but he still has four top fives and five top 10s in 12 races. Briscoe has only started inside the top 10 three times, so some improvement there could go a long way as the season approaches the difficult summer months.
12. Chris Buescher, No. 17 (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford)
Buescher only has two laps led this season, but has six top 10s in 12 races. He spun while running third at Texas and qualified second at Kansas before finishing eighth. Buescher continues to show signs, but needs a little more to contend for race wins at the moment.
13. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 (23XI Racing Toyota)
Wallace has led 103 laps and has scored the fourth-most stage points (100), but has been unable to take advtantage with consecutive finishes outside the top 30. With as many DNFs (four) as top-10 finishes, putting a full race together is crucial toward establishing some much-needed momentum for the No. 23 group.
14. Austin Cindric, No. 2 (Team Penske Ford)
Cindric's 226 laps led are fifth-most in the series, but outside of his Talladega win, the results have been hard to come by. That currently stands as his only top five of the season, so some better execution is in store.
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 (Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet)
Stenhouse has quietly flown under the radar in 2025. He only has two top 10s, but eight top-20 finishes shows how consistent he has been and why he is 15th in the overall standings. If Stenhouse can put those numbers together for the entire season, he may have a shot at the playoffs on points alone.
16. Josh Berry, No. 21 (Wood Brothers Racing Ford)
Berry has impressed this season with his Las Vegas win and consistent presence toward the front. Three DNFs, though, have been the talking point recently, so taking advantage of the speed in the coming weeks is a must for Berry.
17. Ryan Preece, No. 60 (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford)
Preece has been in contention multiple weeks, including a third at Las Vegas and what appeared to be a runner-up at Talladega before a post-race disqualification for a spoiler violation. The No. 60 Ford has decent speed most weeks, which is all you can ask for at the top level.
18. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 (Legacy Motor Club Toyota)
Nemechek is another driver that has quietly impressed this season. With four top 10s and no DNFs, Nemechek has brought his car home in one piece each race and enters the All-Star break with back-to-back top 10s at Texas (eighth) and Kansas (10th).
19. Kyle Busch, No. 8 (Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
Still searching for his first win since 2023, Busch has seen mixed results this season. The bright spot was at COTA in March when he led a season-high 42 laps and finished fifth. Three straight finishes of 20th or worse are concerning, but he was running third at Texas before spinning out, so a win is not out of the question.
20. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 (Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
Hocevar has been all over the place in 2025. He scored his first career pole at Texas and has a pair of top-10 finishes. His three DNFs have prevented him from capitalizing on the speed and running toward the front more often. If he can clean those up, Hocevar could make a push toward the playoffs.