The element of having two tire compounds at Phoenix made it a little difficult to assess teams’ and drivers’ performances, as strategy played a pivotal role.

What’s not up for debate? Christopher Bell remaining in the No. 1 spot after winning for the third consecutive week.

Here are my power rankings after four races and heading into Las Vegas this weekend.

Dropped out: None

On the verge: Josh Berry, Ross Chastain, Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace

10. Kyle Busch (Last Week: 8)

Busch finished eighth at Phoenix, despite not showing great speed throughout the race. Last year, Busch might have tried to do too much and finished worse. The Richard Childress Racing driver is still sitting a solid eighth in the standings.

9. Alex Bowman (LW: 10)

Bowman started 32nd and finished seventh — by far the best of any driver going from start to finish of the race. And he didn’t accomplish it by doing anything crazy. The Hendrick Motorsports driver just gradually put himself in the top 10.

8. Chris Buescher (LW: 9)

Buescher wasn’t in the top 10 in the first stage. He wasn’t in the top 10 in the second stage. And the RFK Racing driver finished fifth. Solid day.

7. Tyler Reddick (LW: 4)

A power steering issue foiled Reddick at Phoenix and he finished 20th. But this feels more like a hiccup for this 23XI Racing team rather than something to sweat too much over.

6. Chase Elliott (LW: 3)

Elliott wasn’t as strong at Phoenix, as many thought he had to grind out a 10th-place finish. If he has a similar day at Vegas, it might be time to be a little concerned about whether the 2020 Cup champion from Hendrick Motorsports could be a championship contender.

‘That’s about as ugly as it gets’ – Christopher Bell talks about the events that led up to his third straight win

5. Ryan Blaney (LW: 5)

A rare engine failure ended Blaney’s day early at Phoenix. But the Team Penske driver finished in the top five in each of the stages and likely would have finished there if he didn’t have an engine issue.

4. Denny Hamlin (LW: 7)

Hamlin nearly pulled off the win at Phoenix. But more importantly, it is another step in him having confidence in his JGR crew chief Chris Gayle, as Phoenix was a strategy race.

3. Kyle Larson (LW: 6)

Larson settled for third at Phoenix, a good day considering the Hendrick driver felt he wasn’t a third-place car early in the event (he started 17th).

2. William Byron (LW: 2)

Byron possibly would have been in contention for the victory, if not for an untimely caution that put him a lap down as he was just coming off pit road. The Hendrick driver got back on the lead lap but had to settle for sixth.

1. Christopher Bell (LW: 1)

Bell has won three consecutive races, and Phoenix was the place where he showed the most dominance. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver should enjoy this stretch.

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.