Well, I’ll leave the answer to this question up to you my readers and fellow NASCAR fans. Was Talladega up to standards? Or did the fuel strategy aspect of the race kill the action too much for you? For now, it is time to update these 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings.
The Beginning
- 15. Brad Keselowski
Bad Brad’s performance over the last two weeks has almost been good enough to grab the first win as an owner. You have to applaud that, and Dover this weekend is a track he could easily break through at and win. Kaleb is even on board with Keselowski this week. Let’s see if he can shock some this weekend.
- 14. Kyle Busch
It’s funny how things work out for some drivers. Kyle looked to be coming back up in the finishing order, and then bam! Talladega smacks you in the mouth. Sorry KB fans too because I agree with my colleagues take heading to Dover this weekend as well.
- 13. Chase Briscoe
Chase had a good run at Talladega, I feel like it could’ve been better but a top fifteen finish is nothing to frown about, especially at a chaos-filled track like ‘Dega. However, Chase has the chance to shock some this weekend because the odds are stacked against him at Dover.
- 12. Ross Chastain
Another example of a guy who had a solid finish at Talladega but could’ve done better. Either way, Ross has a good chance to jump back into the top ten next week on the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings. He finished second last year at Dover and will most likely be strong again.
- 11. Bubba Wallace
A big hit for Erik Jones. https://t.co/rGZUICPMp4 pic.twitter.com/3ebd5hNsOm
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 21, 2024
My colleague Kaleb, gave me some grief on Twitter last weekend in Bubba’s defense. Which I love! Sorry to let you down this week though bud. JHN killed his race, as well as a few other drivers so he’s staying put this week and will see how Dover goes. Bubba has been breaking trends through this year so I’m optimistic.
Middle of the Pack
- 10. Martin Truex Jr.
This is the man who has never won on a super-speedway in the Cup series. Yet, lady luck graced her presence upon him this weekend and granted an eleventh-place finish. Solid weekend for Martin, and he heads into Dover with some confidence. Especially knowing the speed his fellow Toyotas have shown on the short tracks.
- 9. Christopher Bell
Hoo boy was that close for @chaseelliott. pic.twitter.com/aeGVuMl6t9
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) April 21, 2024
I put a quote from the Intimidator here last weekend. Well, sometimes you wreck a few weeks in a row. That is the case right now for Bell. Now headed to Dover I think you should expect to see a bounce back in performance for Christopher. He finished 6th last year, and as I said before the Toyotas have shown speed.
- 8. Joey Logano
Joey was on pace to grab another solid finish until he got caught up in the huge last-lap accident. He still did manage to squeeze in a top-twenty finish. He’s heading to Dover though and has some things to prove since his recent history hasn’t been great.
- 7. Alex Bowman
A top-5 car after a wild one at @TALLADEGA. pic.twitter.com/RN0xFcCUU7
— Ally Racing (@allyracing) April 21, 2024
Hopefully, Kaleb can bypass his feelings a bit about Bubba because his guy had an awesome result. He survives the chaos on the last lap and grabbed a fifth-place finish. Sometimes it pays to be lucky. Not to mention he’s heading to a track this weekend where he knows how to win.
- 6. Denny Hamlin
Denny dropped a few spots this week, but not due to his fault. The guys around him had better weeks. Especially he was one of the Toyota drivers who had their day ruined. Miles the monster and Denny have a decent relationship so he should recover nicely this weekend.
The Leaders
- 5. Chase Elliott
Hoo boy was that close for @chaseelliott. pic.twitter.com/aeGVuMl6t9
— Xfinity Racing (@XfinityRacing) April 21, 2024
I think you may have seen a different result for Chase had the outside line not been killed by an ill-timed block. That’s racing though and the best part is you get another chance for another trophy again this weekend. It helps too if you know how to win at said track and he does at Dover so as long as the car is up to par he should contend for a solid finish once again.
- 4. Tyler Reddick
These types of wins are the moments that make super-speedway racing memorable and exciting. Tyler benefits from being in the right spot at the right time and stole a win. Good for him. Keep an eye on him again though at Dover. Momentum is a fun thing sometimes to have on your side.
- 3. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson leads the standings for the regular season championship after ten races. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/sZ5Q5W4lq7
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 23, 2024
Everyone saw this team and driver struggling this weekend. He will look to move on to Dover. Where he is way more suited as a driver and should be a driver to watch.
- 2. Ryan Blaney
Our 12-Team fought hard all weekend. We were fast, but just couldn’t get to where we needed to be at the end. We will move forward and be ready for Dover. pic.twitter.com/9OmpeCCo7a
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) April 22, 2024
I think we all expected a better result for Ryan at Talladega. Ryan will take this 20th and head to Dover like a lot of his fellow top fifteen drivers here on the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings and look to be better.
- 1. William Byron
🏁LU student @WilliamByron clinches a commendable top-10 finish at @TALLADEGA! 🥳🏎️ pic.twitter.com/IB99Hr0QQn
— Liberty University (@LibertyU) April 21, 2024
The top-ten finishing streak continues for Willy B. Along with it the positive effects of solid performances. He sits atop the rankings for another week. William will be looking to defend his Dover win though this weekend.
Talladega Final Lap
Please let me know what you thought about the on-track product we were graced with this past Sunday in a comment below! I will say it was refreshing for a while to see three-wide fuel racing at least. Instead of the pack-long trains just logging laps. Stage three was exciting in a different way, We saw the impacts of strategy coming into play until a late caution with the Toyota camp. Then it was full force to the end but in a smarter way.
While it wasn’t as exciting in the closing laps, they saved the mayhem and chaos for the front stretch before taking the checkered flag. Maybe that has something to do though with the fact that how these cars take hits still. Especially hits like what Erik Jones took. They easily could be calming themselves down until it matters to minimize the accidents to avoid as well as playing fuel strategy. Now of course that’s all speculation. I expect more of the same though as the cup series heads to visit the Miles the Monster again.
Since the second Dover race in 2018 either a Hendrick Motorsports driver or a Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won the race. Both of those teams have been good as usual again this season. Add in the 23XI Racing team and it will most likely be a HMS driver or a Toyota driver who drives into victory lane. Unless Ford shocks everyone and just shows out this weekend. Either way, though I’ll be watching will you? See you on next week’s update of the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings.
Featured Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Follow the main page for all your sports, entertainment, and gaming needs. If you love NASCAR racing, Georgia Bulldogs Football, or the Atlanta Falcons find me on Twitter, and let’s talk!
