When he began to go longer and longer without visiting Victory Lane following his victory at Fontana in February, there was a temptation for many to wonder where Kyle Larson had gone. All this time, though, he didn’t go anywhere. And now, the champ is here.
Coming in with just one victory in 2022 after dominating the 2021 season with 10 wins and the series title, Larson had just the weekend he needed at Watkins Glen to reaffirm his standing as a threat for the championship. In Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, Larson capitalized on late-race contact between William Byron and Ty Gibbs to score the win. Then, the final restart of Sunday’s Cup race saw him get into Turn 1 hot, which led to him muscling teammate Chase Elliott wide and allowing Larson to take the lead and drive away for his second win of the year.
While Elliott retains the top spot in the CBS Sports NASCAR Power Rankings by virtue of him winning the regular season championship, Kyle Larson is now second in the power rankings after his victory, which also improved him to second in the regular season points standings. Larson gained five spots in the power rankings, making him the biggest mover among a group that also includes Joey Logano (+4), Michael McDowell (+4), Daniel Suarez (+3) and Chris Buescher (+3).
Unfortunately, upward mobility for some came with downward mobility for others. William Byron was the biggest loser with five spots lost, with other fallers including Kyle Busch (-4), Bubba Wallace (-4) and Brad Keselowski (-4).
Here’s a look at our updated rankings in their entirety:
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