Introducing AutoRacingDigest.com's NASCAR Power Rankings
Welcome to a new weekly segment to AutoRacingDigest.com's NASCAR coverage, our weekly Power Rankings.
Like many other sports, teams are often categorized by some form of power ranking; the same will be brought to NASCAR here. This is effectively a rank of drivers in their current form, based on recent races as well as the entirety of the year, as if every driver was in an equal car.
A driver can be 10th in our power rankings yet 27th in the standings because the power rankings reflect the driver's performance rather than a wreck in a couple of superspeedways...
So without further ado let's get into these power rankings. With 16 drivers making the playoffs, each week we will have the top 16 drivers, as well as the previous week's ranking, season highs and lows, etc.
Honorable mention to Todd Gilliand who isn't in the top 16 but had his best start to his cup career.
16th. Austin Cindric
Cindric exits Vegas and heads to Phoenix this week 11th in the standings. While he didn't have the best time in Vegas, (29th) Cindric is lifted to this position because of his strong start to the year at the superspeedways. Cindric finished 4th in Atlanta and has 45 laps led on the year. He still isn't up to par with his Penske teammates, but it's been a better start to the year for the 3rd year driver.
15th. Brad Keselowski
The finishes haven't been there for Brad, but the speed has. Keselowski is sitting in a lowly 29th on the leaderboard, but at this point, it's been more about the speed rather than the results. Keselowski got caught up in wrecks at both superspeedways and finished 13th in Vegas. Brad is here despite his results because of the speed, and the fact a win at any of the upcoming races would not be a surprise, but he needs a good result soon.
14th. Bubba Wallace
Bubba would be much higher on this list if not for a tire issue in Vegas. It's hard to weigh Wallace's performance in Vegas because he was 14+ laps down a majority of the race. But his car did have speed, as shown by the 5th-place start after qualifying. The 23 machine has had good speed this year with back-to-back 5th places to start the year and a 5th place qualifying in Vegas. Bubba will shoot back up the list if he gets a top 10 in Phoenix this Sunday.
13th. Tyler Reddick
Here is the other 23xi driver, who basically has had the exact opposite season as Wallace. Reddick was involved in wrecks in Daytona and Atlanta but finished P2 in Vegas. Reddick was the fastest driver in the 3rd stage, but couldn't find a way around race winner Kyle Larson. This race was exactly what Reddick needed to get confidence back in the team and to start getting some points on the board.
12th. Chase Elliott
While Elliott might not have a stage win or a lot of led laps, this had been the start Elliott needed after last year. Elliott is 7th in the standings, but that is due mostly to him finishing in a decent spot every week. Elliott still doesn't have a top 10 on the year, but finishing 14th,15th, and 12th at this stage is a good start to building some confidence and speed, heading into one of his favorite tracks at Phoenix. A top 10 is needed for Elliott sooner or later though.
11th. Daniel Suarez
Suarez is mostly in this position because of his win in Atlanta, but we can't underestimate his start to the year. After a not-so-great 2023, Suarez backs up his Atlanta win with an 11th-place finish in Vegas. Suarez will be an interesting watch this year because we know this team has speed, so could he finish this regular season with more than just the one win in Atlanta?
10th. Ty Gibbs
Cracking the top 10 is Gibbs himself. Ty had a great finish to 2023, which has translated into 2024 with ease. In the first intermediate track of the year, Gibbs showed extreme speed and finished 5th, even with a gearing issue resulting in him not having 1st gear. Gibbs battled in the front all day showing great skill in just his second year. A 5th place here plus a top 10 in Atlanta, as well as the growth seen compared to this point last year puts Gibbs 10th.
9th. Chase Briscoe
The best driver in the Stewart Haas Racing camp right now is Briscoe. Chase has been fast at every track, even if it hasn't shown in the standings. Briscoe was fast in Daytona but finished an unlucky 10th. The same can be said about Atlanta where Briscoe was perhaps the fastest driver, but an aggressive move late in the race took him out. It's safe to say Briscoe has surprised a lot of people and a 9th-place power ranking is here because of merit.
8th. Martin Truex Jr.
MTJ had a very solid Vegas and perhaps 8th is a little harsh. He currently sits 3rd in the standings because of his consistency, but he never really showed race-winning speed at either superspeedway, and in Vegas, he was always good enough for a top 5 but finished 7th. We admit it's a little harsh, but a top 5 in Phoenix could shoot MTJ way up the rankings, but he hasn't had the same speed as teammate Denny Hamlin.
7th. Ross Chastain
Chastain has had a fantastic start to 2024, with race-winning speed everywhere he and his team have gone. Daytona didn't go to plan, but he had real speed in Atlanta. He was a lap down late in the final stage, yet finished 7th. If the race had gone longer, Chastain might have stolen victory from his teammate. Then, that same speed was shown in Vegas with a 4th place finish. Ross is 5th in the standings at the moment.
6th. Kyle Busch
Busch had victory in Atlanta stolen from him, even though he finished 3rd. With that being said, Busch had great speed in Atlanta as well as Daytona, yet struggled a bit in Vegas. He still is this high in the rankings because compared to his teammate Austin Dillon, Busch is currently on another level right now, and being 6th in the standings is backing that up.
5th. William Byron
The Daytona 500 winner enters this week 5th in the power rankings. Like Wallace, it's hard to judge Byron's performance due to a large trash bag attached to his grille, effectively ending his race, yet he still finished 10th. Like MTJ, maybe this is a bit harsh having him this low, but since it's so early in the season, but a superspeedway win doesn't weigh as much compared to other track disciplines.
4th. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is 10th in the standings and might have gone a little under the radar to start the year but it would be naive to have him any lower than this. Hamlin ran well in Daytona and Atlanta but doesn't have the results to show for it. In terms of his race in Vegas, he handled the poor finishes well by grabbing 8th place. The fact that Hamlin is still in the top 10, and has 41 laps led, plus the obvious speed he has, the 4th place power ranking can be argued, but it's still deserved. Denny can't afford to have a bad run of races, but don't be surprised when Denny strings together a bunch of top 10s going forward.
3rd. Joey Logano
Here comes the controversial pick ... or is it? Why would it be? We understand Logano is a Penske-worse 24th in the standings, but this is why it's important to watch races as well as the whole weekend rather than looking at results each Sunday. Logano has started on the front row every race, which is an incredible feat. We know about the glove issue, but still, two poles through three races. Logano was wrecked in Daytona, as well as Atlanta. He didn't have his pole position speed in the race in Vegas, but still got a top 10. If Joey had finished those first two races he would probably be the number one driver at this point.
2nd. Kyle Larson
The 2021 champion and multi-talented driver is second on the list after a dominating performance in Vegas. Larson swept the stages in Vegas, achieved all 60 points he could have got in Vegas, and was never really challenged until the end of long runs by Reddick. Larson had a bad Atlanta, and a solid Daytona, but his race in Vegas heavily outweighs everything else at this point, but he still isn't No. 1 despite being first in the standings.
1st. Ryan Blaney
What a surprise! The 2023 is the No. 1 driver after three races, except it kind of is a surprise. Despite winning the title in 2023, Blaney was never a favorite, but his super speed plus consistency puts him No. 1 at this point. Blaney had a forgettable Daytona but had a fantastic Atlanta even though he finished 2nd by 0.003 seconds. He was 3rd best in Vegas, but two top 5s at this point are really good for the Penske driver. He has 43 laps led on the year and 110 points after three races. Both Blaney and Larson are interchangeable at this point, but Blaney has been better through three races. If it wasn't for a late wreck in Daytona, Blaney could have 130 or so points at this point.
So, that's this week's edition of the power ranks. Each week a new addition will be added, and we will have updated ranks based on the past race.