The South Point 400 was another solid race in my personal opinion. The best of the best battling each other lap after lap on a hot and slick track. A few of the drivers that had some mechanical issues are on these NASCAR Power Rankings. Let’s see where each of them wound up before the green flag flies at Homestead.
The Bottom Five Drivers
- 15. Alex Bowman
Alex had a solid car, I mean he looked like he was going to be competing for the win until whatever happened to the car happened to it. Mechanical failures are the worst days sometimes but you can’t fault the driver too much in my opinion.
- 14. Joey Logano
Joey didn’t have a horrible day in Vegas. It just wasn’t exactly as good as the guys around him currently on these NASCAR Power Rankings.
- 13. Martin Truex Jr.
Martin drove his butt off yesterday, after an early questionable decision. He was able to grab a top-ten finish for the first time in the playoffs which was greatly needed considering how the other seven playoff guys ran.
- 12. Bubba Wallace
Bubba didn’t exactly have a horrible day a lot like Joey Logano, he just didn’t have as good of a day in comparison to his NASCAR Power Ranking position.
- 11. Kyle Busch
Kyle and the eight-team seem to be finding some speed lately. It’s a bit too late for championship purposes but Rowdy could easily win one of these next three races and upset some playoff drivers.
NASCAR Power Rankings 10-6
- 10. Chase Elliott
Losing the primary car in practice due to a cut tire put this car behind the field. Just an unusual performance for a team and driver that are usually really solid week in and week out.
- 9. Ross Chastain
Another Chevrolet driver and team are finding speed as of late, too late for championship contention. Good to see though for building toward next season.
- 8. Ryan Blaney
Ryan had a solid day and got the car over the line in the sixth position in Vegas. Later on, his car was disqualified based on the overall length of the shock on the front left of the car which in turn put them below the playoff cut line hugely.
- 7. Brad Keselowski
Brad was running up front and in contention for the win again like I thought this next driver would’ve been.
- 6. Chris Buescher
Chris and his team had speed in qualifying but couldn’t find the handling in race trim to show that qualifying speed off. He was (before the 12’s disqualification) the only playoff driver to finish outside the top ten at Las Vegas.
The Top Five
- 5. Tyler Reddick
Tyler did what Tyler does as of late. He shows up and grabs a top-ten finish if his car can’t compete for the win. His pit crew so far has stayed out of their way this far into the playoffs and Tyler likes racing at Homestead.
- 4. Denny Hamlin
Denny didn’t have a horrible day really, with his ninth-place finish. He just didn’t have the type of day his competitors had around him on these NASCAR Power Rankings.
- 3. William Byron
William’s day was what it needed to be to keep him in contention for a final four spot if he can’t win the race. Nothing to be disappointed with yet, especially heading into Homestead.
- 2. Christopher Bell
One more lap, is all everyone was screaming who wasn’t a Kyle Larson fan was saying when the checkered flag fell. Watch this team for the next two weeks because they are wanting to guarantee their final four spots.
- 1. Kyle Larson
He kept this car from spinning out when it probably should’ve spun out. I think he had the strongest round-eight opening he could have sweeping stages one, and two and grabbing the trophy on the way out the gate.
There Is No Place Like Homestead
Arguabley one of the best driver and crew chief combinations now has two weeks to fully prepare to head to Phoenix and grab championship number two. Those other seven playoff drivers need to look to grab the victory this week. Mainly so they won’t be as far behind the five-team. I don’t fully expect the driver of that car to lay down though.
Kyle is known for ripping the line right by the fence. At Homestead that is the fastest place to be so he can easily win or at least be in the talk for the win. As well as Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick. All three of these guys ride on the edge of danger better than most. So they are obvious choices heading into the weekend. If you want maybe a quieter choice; keep an eye on Chris Buescher who will be looking to rebound after a poor opening to round eight of the playoffs.
The green flag is set as of right now to drop around 2:30 PM EST and it will be live on NBC.
Featured Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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