I think everyone has said it this week. When Martin Truex Jr. wins a race it has to be the most boring three hours of my life watching a race. However, while the battles up front seemed almost non-existent the ones throughout the field were awesome. We are onto Pocono this weekend, so it’s time to update the NASCAR Power Rankings.
NASCAR Power Rankings: 15th to 11th
- 15. Chase Elliott
Never quit. pic.twitter.com/tDJrQ7xEe0
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) July 17, 2023
It’s been an interesting season thus far for the sport’s most popular driver. However, since returning to Sonoma he hasn’t finished outside the top fifteen. It will be interesting to watch and see if this team can win their way into the playoffs.
- 14. Bubba Wallace
The street course and Atlanta weren’t great for Bubba finish-wise. He did run well at Atlanta though before being involved in an accident but his 8th-place finish at New Hampshire shows possibly this team is back on the right track.
- 13. Tyler Reddick
The start of a new streak. ?@BubbaWallace and @TylerReddick scored Top 10’s at @NHMS on Monday presented by the Xfinity 10G Network.@XfinityRacing pic.twitter.com/NVu7gpZM1X
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) July 20, 2023
New Hampshire was just what this team needed. A quiet day with a solid finish, even with his early speeding penalty on pit road. Especially since in the last five races before he finished outside the top twenty.
- 12. Joey Logano
The snake in the grass performance-wise in NASCAR. A second-place finish gives him his sixth top-three finish of the year. I could even say he had a quieter day than Reddick and that’s not a bad thing especially if those good finishes come with the quiet days.
- 11. Brad Keselowski
Brad was running consistently in the top ten for most of the race. Combine that with his performance at Atlanta and he had to move up on the cusp of the top ten in NASCAR Power Rankings.
Mostly Ford Group: 10th to 6th
- 10. Chris Buescher
In the books: The Magic Mile ?
Up next: The Tricky Triangle ?@Chris_Buescher | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/710975TWHC— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) July 17, 2023
In my notes for the race in New Hampshire, I put it was a “meh” day for this team. He ran in the top fifteen but kind of hovered around the fifteenth position most of the race. Sometimes those days just happen in race.
- 9. Kevin Harvick
I was not the least surprised to see Kevin finish in the top five. New Hampshire is a good track for the veteran driver. Let’s see if he can get back on track now and grab a win.
- 8. Ryan Blaney
Running over equipment on the final pit stop, really killed his day. Up to that point, he was in contention for at least a top-three finish.
- 7. Ross Chastain
I appreciate the work from our @TeamTrackhouse group today. Struggled with the balance all weekend and just ran out of time to throw stuff at it. Thank you @kubota_usa for the support. pic.twitter.com/x3ygOcTFiK
— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) July 17, 2023
This team is in need of some consistency. Since winning Nashville he hasn’t been able to finish inside the top twenty. That won’t fly in the playoffs.
- 6. Denny Hamlin
I debated on moving Denny up a spot, but he just is right there for me on the cusp of the top five. He’s been good but not as good. We are heading to Pocono this weekend and this is a good track for Denny so he very easily could make the jump next week in these NASCAR Power Rankings.
The Top 5
- 5. Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell slides into the wall! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/kB2LLQRr2X
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 17, 2023
New Hampshire seemed to be one of those “What could’ve been” types of races for Bell. His pit crew cost him a lot of positions in the race but he just kept battling back. Until he spun from 8th late. The end result definitely doesn’t reflect the whole product.
- 4. Kyle Busch
A big hit for @KyleBusch at the end of Stage 1! pic.twitter.com/lT8UI3L3En
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 17, 2023
New Hampshire was not kind to Kyle. He has incidents in practice and qualifying. Then seventy laps into the race he smacked the wall and ended his day. He even said in his interview following that he was pushing too hard too early he thinks.
- 3. William Byron
He was one of many drivers who pitted at the end of stage two and just got stuck in the back of the field. Which you saw happen to a lot of cars after that pit stop. Doesn’t take away from the fact though he had a solid day running in and around the top ten all day.
- 2. Kyle Larson
He’s been a lot like Logano lately, kind of quietly getting good finishes and grabbing points. This team has the potential to scare some people in the playoffs if they keep this consistency up.
— Martin Truex Jr. (@MartinTruex_Jr) July 17, 2023
What a freaking show right? He led 254 of the 301 laps on Sunday. This car was hooked to that track, and it was cool to see Martin get his first win at his “home track.” Let’s see if he can follow it up with a good performance this weekend.
NASCAR Power Rankings Wrap Up
Alright everyone, there it is the latest NASCAR Power Rankings before the cup series tackles the “Tricky Triangle.” If you are looking for some drivers to pick this weekend, then go check out the Pocono 400 preview. My fellow race fan has some solid picks on there. As always though for fun I like to give you one or two more drivers not on his list to keep an eye on.
Kaleb has Brad’s teammate on the list, which I think is a solid sleeper pick. However, don’t count out the team owner he’s been getting hot lately with his finishes. In twenty-five career starts at Pocono, Brad has one win and around a tenth-place average finishing spot. Another one to watch would be Kevin Harvick. Since he joined SHR in 2014 he has only finished outside the top twenty only two times in seventeen total races on the “Tricky Triangle.”
The HighPoint.com 400 will be on USA Network on Sunday and the green flag is set to drop around 2:30 PM. I’ll be watching, and hopefully, you will also!
If you love NASCAR make sure you stay with us here. You should also check out the newest Belly Up Media Network addition, in The B & B Show. The word is they talk an awful lot about NASCAR. Heck, for all your other sports needs, follow the main page. If you love racing of any shape or form, find me on Twitter, and let’s talk!
