The championship four has been set. Four more drivers lost their chance at the championship this weekend. However, we’ve got to update the NASCAR Power Rankings at least two more times. After all, there have been two races since my last update.
The Lower Five
- 15. Kevin Harvick
Honestly, he kind of underperformed at Martinsville, but his final race at Homestead the week prior was a solid enough performance to keep the bottom spot on these NASCAR Power Rankings for at least one more week. Plus it’s Happy Harvick’s last race this weekend why not be a little nice to the vet?
- 14. Martin Truex Jr.
The day at Homestead was abysmal honestly as a whole for the team. Then the driver made a mistake this past Sunday at Martinsville. It was a rough end to what looked like early on was going to be another championship-contending season for MTJ.
- 13. Kyle Busch
Another guy who I feel had really good championship odds it appeared early on who just disappeared once the playoffs began. Only three top-ten finishes, since the Southern 500.
- 12. Joey Logano
Another good finish for Joey, but they are a little too late. Good way to carry some momentum and positive energy into the offseason though.
- 11. Chase Elliott
The nine-car lead many laps late, thanks to a pit strategy call. It didn’t pan out for them in the end but I’m sure Elliott Nation was happy seeing their boy out front for a bit.
NASCAR Power Rankings 10th-6th
- 10. Brad Keselowski
Two more really bad weeks for the six-team. Consistency needs to be upped at RFK it seems as a whole but really badly for this team as of late.
- 9. Ross Chastain
Bounced back for a top-fifteen finish this week at Martinsville. Another team that I think needs to work on consistency with the speed in their cars respectfully.
- 8. Bubba Wallace
Is he out of the playoffs, yes. Has he still been stepping up his performance in my opinion as of late, also I would say yes. Three straight top-fifteen finishes at tracks he’s not really had those solid performances late in the season before.
- 7. Tyler Reddick
The spin in qualifying really hurt this team. It seemed like the car just couldn’t pass. This was the biggest hiccup in performance though as of late for this team.
- 6. Chris Buescher
I had high hopes for this team. I really liked it when they started to get hot, unfortunately, someone dumped water on the fire at the wrong time for them. They bounced back though at Martinsville like I mentioned earlier, consistency at the right time will go a long way for this team as a whole.
NASCAR Power Rankings Top Five
- 5. Denny Hamlin
Man, the memes on NASCAR social media channels have been tough on Denny. Either way, once again the championship will evade Hamlin. Still believe he is a top-five driver though even with being eliminated from the playoffs.
- 4. William Byron
Willy B., showed me a “DAWG” as Pat Mcafee would say this past Sunday at Martinsville. His car was hot garbage late and you could tell but he willed himself to a final four appearance this weekend on points. The boy can win this championship but so can the other three drivers in the final four.
- 3. Ryan Blaney
The only driver who seemed like they could pass cars during the race on Sunday. This car was moving early, and often. The momentum they’ve built as of late was enough to grab a championship four appearance. Will it be enough to win a championship though?
- 2. Kyle Larson
After he went, beaching in the sand barrels at Homestead and arguably giving up the win. A silent top-ten finishing performance will gladly be taken. It’s time for the best driver and crew chief combo in the series in my personal opinion to get another championship.
- 1. Christopher Bell
Not too shabby of a three-week stretch for ole C Bell. I like this crew chief and driver combo, and a lot like Ryan Blaney they’ve got some sparks at the right time, but can they pour the gas on those sparks and grab a championship?
Pre Champion Crowning Wrap Up
Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way. The green flag for the Cup series race is set to drop around 3 PM EST on NBC. This is going to be an enjoyable race to watch in my opinion. Any of these four drivers could walk away with the championship based on recent performance.
Now if you want my thoughts on some driver picks. I will say this out of the championship four drivers, Ryan Blaney has the best finishing average in the last six Phoenix races even without a win. William Byron won the Spring race, and Kyle has won here before as well when he claimed his first championship back in 2021. Bell is again an “underdog” depending on how you look at things. I’m going to ride with any of these guys to win the race.
Now if somehow one of those guys doesn’t win the race on Sunday, and its a non-championship four-driver. Joey Logano leads all drivers in the last seven Phoenix races on average finishes here. So, he does know how to drive this track. Or even keep an eye on the seventeen of Buescher. They won earlier this season at Richmond and had top-ten speed last week at Martinsville.
Featured Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
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