NASCAR Power Rankings: A new No. 1 who likely isn't your favorite driver

Kyle Larson dominated Sunday at Bristol, so he moves up a couple of spots in the power rankings this week.

But he’s not the leader of the list. The driver with two wins, who also finished second in the last three races, has taken over the top spot in these rankings.

Denny Hamlin can enjoy his recent success for another week, as the only off-week for the Cup teams is this weekend. The Cup schedule resumes April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway. Then there's a stretch of 28 consecutive weekends of racing for Cup drivers.

Here are the rankings following Bristol:

Dropped out: Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 8)

On the verge: Josh Berry, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace

10. Chase Briscoe (LW: NR)

Briscoe is often strong at Bristol. That remained the same in his first race there for Joe Gibbs Racing as he finished fourth. He has three top 10s, including two top fives in his last four starts.

9. Tyler Reddick (LW: 6)

The inconsistent season has continued for Reddick, as the 23XI Racing driver was a non-factor at Bristol. He finished 18th, one spot ahead of his teammate Bubba Wallace.

8. Alex Bowman (LW: 9)

Bowman finished 37th at Bristol, thanks to an engine failure. But he moved up a spot in the standings because of his pole and because he finished fourth in the opening stage. Ultimately, he showed he can be a player.

7. Chase Elliott (LW: 7)

Elliott’s 15th-place finish at Bristol was disappointing. But he had five top 10s in the previous six races, so a bad day at Bristol — which isn't comparable to any other track — won't push him down the list.

6. Ross Chastain (LW: 10)

After a slow start, Chastain has finishes of fifth, 31st, sixth, seventh and seventh in his last five races. He isn’t leading laps but the Trackhouse driver appears to be earning the best finishes he can manage at this time.

5. William Byron (LW: 3)

Since his Daytona 500 win, Byron has three top fives and five top 10s but also three finishes outside the top 10. His sixth at Bristol was solid, considering he started 26th on the grid.

4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 5)

Blaney finished fifth for his second consecutive top-five finish. He consistently shows more speed than any of his Penske teammates, or Ford teammates for that matter.

3. Christopher Bell (LW: 1)

Bell had a workman-like eighth-place finish at Bristol. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was sixth in the opening stage and third in the second stage but didn’t have anything for the leaders (although to be honest, not many did).

2. Kyle Larson (LW: 4)

Larson swept both stages and led for 411 laps in his win at Bristol. It was the Hendrick driver’s fourth top-four finish in nine races this year.

1. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2)

Hamlin is on a roll and his second-place day on Sunday might have been a win if Larson wasn’t so dominant. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is all smiles.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.