NASCAR power rankings: Denny Hamlin on the rise after dominant Martinsville win

It was a long time coming for Denny Hamlin.

After a decade of close calls, the Virginia native finally returned to victory lane at his home-state track of Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Hamlin did it in dominant fashion, leading 254 of 400 laps and running away with the win.

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It was Hamlin's sixth career win at Martinsville and the 55th of his Hall of Fame career, tying him with Rusty Wallace for 11th-most all-time.

Next up is a trip to South Carolina for throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. How does the field stack up after Martinsville? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:

1. Kyle Larson

Last week: 2

Larson takes the top spot for the first time this season after his fifth-place finish. The No. 5 team tried some strategy to gain track position, but it was clear that the car just didn't have race-winning speed this week. Larson maximized his day with two of his best tracks coming up next (Darlington and Bristol).

2. William Byron

Last week: 1

The two-time Martinsville winner couldn't get anything going on Sunday. He started 10th, ran just outside the top-10 for most of the race, then got caught on the wrong end of a caution during green-flag stops in the final stage. That put Byron a lap down and he only recovered to finish 22nd — a rare off day for the No. 24 team.

3. Denny Hamlin

Last week: 5

At this point in his career, the 44-year-old Hamlin only cares about winning. He's still searching for his first championship, but every race victory puts him another level up in the history books. After tying Rusty Wallace, he needs five more wins to match Kevin Harvick's total of 60 and get into the top-10 all-time.

4. Christopher Bell

Last week: 4

It's been feast or famine all season for Bell -- every week either winning (three times) or finishing outside the top-10 (three times). That changed at Martinsville, where he led for 25 laps after starting on pole before crossing the finish line second.

5. Tyler Reddick

Last week: 3

Martinsville has always been a struggle for Reddick -- and Sunday was no different. He ran around 10th to 15th all race long, finishing 14th after a dust-up with Toyota teammate Ty Gibbs. Darlington next week should be a different story, though -- Reddick led 174 laps in last year's race.

6. Ryan Blaney

Last week: 6

Blaney is also a two-time Martinsville winner who never challenged near the front. He started 32nd and only finished 11th — matching his worst Martinsville result since 2018. But after three straight DNFs, Blaney will take the decent result and move along.

7. Joey Logano

Last week: 8

The defending champion finally has his first top-10 of the season. Logano finished eighth, recovering from being spun out in the final stage. The finish was indicative of where he ran for much of the race, but it made the day a lot more challenging. Logano wasn't too pleased with Ross Chastain after the race:

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8. Chase Elliott

Last week: 9

The only driver who seriously challenged Hamlin on Sunday was Elliott, who led 42 laps and finished fourth. A slow pit stop buried him behind a Toyota trio in the final stage, and track position proved to be the difference. Still, it was a positive step for a team that has lacked this race-winning speed early in the season.

9. Bubba Wallace

Last week: 10

Back-to-back third-place finishes have proven that 23XI Racing made a great call this offseason. New crew chief Charles Denike is clicking with Wallace, who is off to the best start to a season in his eight-year career. He has four top-10s in his last five Darlington starts, so expect similar success in the coming week.

10. Alex Bowman

Last week: 7

After nine points in Stage 1, Bowman had a bad pit stop and then the race completely unraveled for him. He snapped a streak of four straight top-10s. Despite the setback at Martinsville, Bowman sits fifth in the points standings.

First four out: Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher