Well, we saw a shortened but phenomenal race in Atlanta last weekend. Now it’s time for the NASCAR Cup Series to tackle New Hampshire, and all the challenges that await them on Sunday in the Crayon 301. However, before that happens we’ve got to see where each of our favorite drivers are in the most recent NASCAR Power Rankings.
NASCAR Power Rankings: Bottom Dwellers
- 15. Bubba Wallace
????
This one could have collected many more cars! pic.twitter.com/HO1clgxjgs
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 10, 2023
It was an up-and-down race for Bubba. He went from leading the field to green on a restart to spinning from the top ten before the weather hit. His twenty-fifth place finish isn’t all due to his fault but some could argue differently.
- 14. Ty Gibbs
Caution ?? pic.twitter.com/llYu8LlwYY
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) July 10, 2023
Much like his fellow Toyota counterparts he was involved in an incident that he had no fault in when the 7 car spun out and collected a few of the other top fifteen drivers in these NASCAR Power Rankings.
- 13. Tyler Reddick
HOW DID @TYLERREDDICK SAVE THIS!?
LOOK AT THE NO. 45 CAR! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/vP6CzlARdj
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 9, 2023
Tyler qualified well at Atlanta but seemed to be battling a horrible handling race car the whole race. Will be interesting to see if he can have a better showing this weekend.
- 12. Brad Keselowski
The stage 2 winner! Yes, you read that Brad Keselowski won stage two, and arguably could’ve won the race had it not been for the rain. He even battled back to sixth before the rain came, after pitting at the conclusion of stage two.
- 11. Joey Logano
Debated a bit on this slot of Logano. It wasn’t a good day but it wasn’t bad either. He ran up front a lot but ultimately finished 17th. That’s kind of been the story of a lot of race weekends for this team though as of late.
Mid-Pack
- 10. Kevin Harvick
A moment we’ll cherish #4EVER. @KevinHarvick | @RCRracing pic.twitter.com/Z6Ogc5N8V7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 9, 2023
Started off with that lovely pace lap above, and battled for a lot of the race but once he went five laps down, cruising on the apron (with flat tires) his day was kind of done. Kevin has a decent track history at New Hampshire could this be the weekend “Happy” grabs that victory?
- 9. Ryan Blaney
This is only the finish to Stage 1! ? pic.twitter.com/ujdpBPTmZd
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 10, 2023
He won stage one, barely thanks to Kyle Larson. However, was able to stay up front and in contention the whole race. Good weekend showing for this team after some recent rough weekends.
- 8. Denny Hamlin
The No. 48 slides up the track and makes contact with the No. 11! pic.twitter.com/adZrIP7IkE
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 10, 2023
Quiet. That would be all I have to say about Denny. Well until he got involved in that accident with Bowman near the end of stage two. I expected more from Denny, especially at a track like Atlanta but that’s racing.
- 7. Chris Buescher
P15 for us… another W for the rain ?️?? pic.twitter.com/hjd40obZMk
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) July 10, 2023
Led laps, and ran in the top ten most of the race. I know he finished 12th but Chris and this team are steadily improving. Is he the best Ford driver right now? I guess that’s up to you, for me he has been consistently better week in and week out. Even without the win.
- 6. Ross Chastain
We’ve got more trouble off of Turn 2! pic.twitter.com/iBlir1HCt2
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 10, 2023
Getting caught up Corey Lajoie’s spin at lap 123 ended his day. I need to see something good out of Ross this weekend. Otherwise, he might start falling back down the NASCAR Power Rankings.
The Top 5
- 5. Martin Truex Jr.
He was also caught up in the Lajoie’s spin. The speed was in the car, you could see it early with the moves he was making. Sadly though, being in the wrong place at the right time once again bites the nineteen team and driver.
- 4. Christopher Bell
Another “meh” weekend for Bell and his team. Seemed a lot like Truex he had speed in the car but a pit road penalty is what killed his chances.
- 3. Kyle Larson
Around goes @KyleLarsonRacin! @ChaseBriscoe_14 and @_AustinHill also get a piece. #QS400 pic.twitter.com/9IMWkoFudl
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 10, 2023
The man claims it was his fault, everything happen like it did on Sunday in Atlanta. I see no reason to be worried. Yes, that top-ten finish streak he had was good, but I also know this team has the potential to win multiple more races.
- 2. Kyle Busch
? @KyleBusch‘s seven race, active top-10 streak:
– Series best
– Personal best since 2019
– Team best for @RCRracing since 2013 pic.twitter.com/Wj7tHx8k1T— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 13, 2023
He’s riding a team, and career-best active top-ten finishing streak right now. Kyle had something to prove this season and he’s still continuing to do that.
- 1. William Byron
So, he went from being penalized on pit road, to being spun out by Corey Lajoie, and then he won the race? Yeah, he even said it in the post-race interview he couldn’t believe it himself. This team has something let’s see if they can keep it up.
Wrap Up
On to the great northeast, and the “Magic Mile” in Loudon, New Hampshire. The best of the best in NASCAR will be competing this Sunday for one of the best trophies in the sport, a gigantic lobster. Yes, you did read that right if your new here. They win a huge lobster if they take home the checkered flag, along with an actual trophy.
Wicked big weekend ahead. ??? pic.twitter.com/cJawpRG2SC
— New Hampshire Motor Speedway (@NHMS) July 14, 2023
I think some obvious picks this weekend are Bell and Kyle Busch. Maybe a not-so-obvious pick is Aric Almirola whose been historically pretty good at New Hampshire. All of those are on Kaleb’s pre race preview as well as a few others I actually agree with. For fun’s sake though, let’s throw out two different drivers. How about Ryan Preece who is from the area, and has tons of experience on the track? Or fan-favorite Chase Elliott who in nine starts at New Hampshire has only finished outside the top fifteen three times. Oh not to mention he finished second here last year.
It should be a good one either way NASCAR fans. Make sure you are tuned into USA Network around 2:30 PM Eastern to watch the battles!
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