Well, Kyle Larson schooled the whole field in Las Vegas once again. That said, though, a lot happened throughout the field, with many good runs and bad ones to go along. So I think some shakeups needed to happen after our first mile and a half non-drafting track. Let’s drop another edition of the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings before we drop the green flag in Phoenix.
The Bottom Five
- 15. Brad Keselowski
He battled back to grab a thirteenth-place finish but even then that’s not something to brag about. Even more so like Kaleb mentioned in our race picks piece Brad hasn’t grabbed a top-fifteen finish at Phoenix since 2021. Could the veteran fall out of the top fifteen completely next week?
- 14. Ty Gibbs
That’s a wrap from @LVMotorSpeedway
5. @TyGibbs
7. @MartinTruex_Jr
8. @dennyhamlin
33. @CBellRacing pic.twitter.com/PJX2qMZmlU— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) March 4, 2024
I was impressed with how Ty, even after losing first gear battled back every restart. I’m with the majority on this one when I say Ty is going to victory lane this year, it’s just a matter of when.
- 13. Alex Bowman
Today wasn’t it. We will get better. pic.twitter.com/IdByMKgRhw
— Alex Bowman (@Alex_Bowman) March 4, 2024
Sorry Kaleb, but I think we agreed Las Vegas was a huge disappointment for Alex. I wouldn’t expect to see a huge improvement either this week. Alex only has two top-ten finishes at Phoenix in seventeen career starts. I will gladly take a surprise though!
- 12. Joey Logano
Joey was finally able to avoid disaster and get a top-ten finish in Vegas. Which he needed badly. Joey is decent in Phoenix, in his last ten starts he’s only finished outside the top fifteen once.
- 11. Martin Truex Jr.
MTJ has an awesome day in Vegas. No, he didn’t win but he grabbed stage points in both stages one and two. Then secured a top-ten finish. He’s not the best but not the worst either at Phoenix.
2024 NASCAR Power Rankings Middle of The Pack
- 10. Kyle Busch
We've got more issues on pit road!@KyleBusch is penalized for pitting outside of the box. pic.twitter.com/IdNp4iSEJ4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
After grabbing stage points in stage one, it was looking to be another good day for Rowdy. However, that would be the only stage points he grabbed. Kyle is pretty consistent here as well though, finishing inside the top ten in seven of his last ten starts. Rebound week coming for the number eight team and driver.
- 9. Bubba Wallace
It was a rough day for Bubba, especially after the mechanical failure of the wheel nut getting stuck on the right front. Bubba has gotten better through each race at Phoenix, so I could easily see him bouncing back if he can continue that trend.
- 8. Ross Chastain
Passed a lot of cars today in our @kubota_usa @TeamChevy Camaro and Phil made a great call to have us take two tires to get us up in the top 5 to finish P4! Thank you @TeamTrackhouse for giving us fast cars, we’ll build our momentum over the next few weeks 👊 pic.twitter.com/U6H4iGTwh5
— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) March 4, 2024
A top-five finish, after starting the race from the back of the field. That shows the speed in the car for Ross in my opinion. Oh, he also stole the championship race from any of the championship four last fall. Keep an eye on this car in Phoenix.
- 7. Chase Elliott
I think everyone expected more than a twelve-place finish, especially after seeing the speed Larson showed. Chase has had some success in the desert, but not recently. In his last three races here, he has finished outside the top ten. So, I’m not so sure if Chase is a good pick this week.
- 6. Christopher Bell
It has been a rough day for Christopher Bell and the No. 20 team. 👀 https://t.co/pEzenL02m6 pic.twitter.com/ASLdBP1tIc
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 3, 2024
Vince and Kaleb talked about it on last night’s episode of The Sports Stove Podcast. It’s been kind of an underwhelming season thus far. However, Christopher in four career Spring Cup series races at Phoenix has finished in the top ten fifty percent of the time. The rebound for Bell could easily start this week.
The Top Five, This Week
- 5. Tyler Reddick
"Kyle did a really good job, pretty much taking away every option I had to close the gap."
Tyler Reddick was RIGHT THERE at the end, but just couldn't get by Larson. pic.twitter.com/LzfPYsedpA
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 4, 2024
We saw this happen last season many times to Tyler. Issues on pit road easily cost him another win last weekend. If the pit crew stays out of their driver’s way this week, keep an eye on Tyler. In the last two spring Phoenix races he’s finished third.
- 4. Denny Hamlin
Denny had a quiet day in Las Vegas, even having the lead at one point. He grabbed an eighth-place finish and got stage points in both stages. Sometimes the quiet days aren’t so bad and he’s far from “bad” in Phoenix to boot.
- 3. William Byron
The No. 24 picks up a piece of debris and is forced to pit road. #Pennzoil400 pic.twitter.com/zku4WNMbSb
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 3, 2024
Ultimately I think the rise in engine temp from the bag. Oh, and the “silver bullet” beer bottle getting stuck in the car’s radiator just hurt the car too much. Don’t sleep on Willy B though this weekend he won last Spring in Phoenix and then finished fourth in the fall.
- 2. Ryan Blaney
Ryan had a “quiet” day on the track in Vegas. I think though if the Chevrolet’s for some reason don’t have the speed this week this is one of the Ford’s to watch.
- 1. Kyle Larson
Third career NASCAR Cup Series win for Kyle Larson in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/5mXGyzWFKc
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 4, 2024
Kyle showed why he is the top driver currently in the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings. Oh also if you think he may struggle this weekend, think again. He is riding a three-race top-ten finish streak at Phoenix and has led over 200 laps total in those last three races.
Until Next Week
Alright, there it is, a lot of movement after one race. I somehow don’t expect that to change next week either. I think we are going to see some different faces up and around the top ten, maybe even leading from time to time. The big question though is can Chevrolet continue the dominance they’ve shown thus far?
Either way, what do you think? Once again did I leave someone off? Maybe, I moved your driver down too far. Either way, I want to know so you know what to do! Drop a comment below and make sure this Sunday around 3:30 PM EST you are sitting in front of a TV if you can be for the green flag on your local Fox channel.
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