Atlanta alters top 10, but Tyler Reddick remains No. 1 in NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings

The opening playoff race has led to changes throughout much of the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings, but Tyler Reddick remains No. 1.

After Reddick, the top five is different. Also, two new drivers join this week’s top 10.

The series next races at Watkins Glen International (3 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network). That is the second race in the first round of the playoffs.

Takeaways after the NASCAR Cup playoff opener at Atlanta

Team Penske dominated but others are in a more perilous position heading to Watkins Glen.

• Dustin Long,

• Dustin Long,

This week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Tyler Reddick (Last week: No. 1) — He has 12 top 10s in the last 14 races after finishing sixth at Atlanta. Reddick leads the series with 19 top-10 finishes this year.

2. Christopher Bell (3) — His fourth-place finish was his third consecutive top-five result of the season. Bell has finished sixth or better in five of the last six races.

Bell: Drivers need to 'celebrate' Atlanta race

Christopher Bell has high praise for the racing product at Atlanta Motor Speedway after a fourth-place finish, describing it as "wild", "chaotic", and something drivers should "celebrate".

3. Kyle Larson (2) — For whatever reason, drafting style tracks are not good to him. He finished 37th after crashing at Atlanta. It is the 14th consecutive race at a drafting style track that Larson has failed to score a top 10. The last time he had a top 10 at such a track was April 2022 at Talladega.

Larson makes huge impact to wall at Atlanta

Kyle Larson's car snaps right and makes a huge impact to the outside wall, and Chase Briscoe also suffers heavy damage attempting to avoid the No. 5 at Atlanta.

4. Ryan Blaney (5) — His third-place finish gives him three top-three results in the last seven races. He scored 19 stage points at Atlanta. Blaney has score points in six of the last eight stages.

Blaney 'proud of the effort' to recover for third

Ryan Blaney was 32nd with 50 laps to go at Atlanta, but a remarkable recovery had him challenging for the win and coming home third in the first race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

5. Kyle Busch (8) — Finished seventh at Atlanta, marking his fourth consecutive top-10 result. He has a pair of runner-up results in that stretch.

6. Chase Elliott (6) — His eighth-place run at Atlanta marked his fourth top 10 in the last seven races.

7. William Byron (7) — He finished ninth at Atlanta, snapping a streak of back-to-back finishes outside the top 10. Byron scored points in both stages at Atlanta. He’s scored points in each of the last eight stages.

8. Denny Hamlin (4) — It has been up and down for Hamlin. He finished 24th at Atlanta. He has four top 10s in the last eight races. In the other four races in that stretch, he has finished no better than 24th.

9. Daniel Suarez (NR) — Runner-up finish at Atlanta was his fourth top 10 in the last six races.

10. Joey Logano (NR) — Atlanta win was his second of the season and advances him to the second round of the playoffs. He has back-to-back top 10s after having finished 19th or worse in the previous four races.

Dropped out: Ty Gibbs (9), Chris Buescher (10)