Did anyone expect the race to end like it did on Sunday? If you did, I think I will need some hard proof. I certainly did not see Austin Cindric winning of all drivers and don’t even get me started on my Denny Hamlin Bracket Challenge. Anyways, since the checkered flag did fly whether or not our mouths hit the floor in shock at who was taking it first, that means it is time to do my weekly update to the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings.
Fifteen too Eleven
- 15. Chris Buescher
It has been an abysmal three-week stretch for Chris. Kansas, Darlington, and then a rained-out finish to the Coke 600. A top fifteen is the right direction for them to get heading for the run to the playoffs.
- 14. Joey Logano
After I half expected to see him fall off, he is on the trip up these 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings. He grabbed a top-five finish at WWT and will head to Sonoma hoping for the same result.
- 13. Ty Gibbs
It was a “meh” kind of day for Ty at WWT Raceway. Ty has been solid recently just not solid enough to break through for that win. Sonoma this weekend could be the place he shocks someone with how road course racing goes in the cup series.
- 12. Brad Keselowski
Brad wins at Darlington then finishes second in the Coke 600. Oh yeah, and all he did at WWT Raceway was go on to finish third. Three weeks in the top three is awesome. I don’t see it ending anytime soon.
- 11. Martin Truex Jr.
When he had an issue around lap 109 and had to come back down pit road. It pretty much killed his day at WWT. He heads to “Wine Country” knowing he won last year and could again.
2024 NASCAR Power Rankings Mid-Pack Drivers
- 10. Ross Chastain
I half expected Ross to show a little more speed last weekend. However, he again grabbed a top-fifteen finish and can as well head to Sonoma knowing he’s not been horrible in recent trips to Sonoma.
- 9. Bubba Wallace
After a top-fifteen finish in the Coke 600, he came into Illinois looking to follow up with another. The day didn’t quite turn out that way though, and heading to Sonoma. I’m not super sure what to expect since he has improved everywhere else thus far.
- 8. Alex Bowman
I loved what I saw from Alex. Last weekend was a blip in his performance. You can see he was battling brake issues and limped it home 28th. As for Sonoma, well Alex is an okay road racer. If he and his crew put the right setup in the car, he could easily start his top-ten finish streak back up.
- 7. Christopher Bell
It’s crazy what a two-week difference we have seen in this team. Wins the Coke 600 due to rain, then came out and battled for another win until the motor started to fail. He finished ninth last season at Sonoma so he can do good here but just hasn’t yet. Could this be the week?
- 6. Ryan Blaney
To go from the lead and his first win of the season to the last car on the lead lap in an instance is heartbreaking. Almost as bad as not winning at Atlanta in that photo finish. That’s been Blaney’s season though, quietly disappointing. He has speed just unable to grab a win yet.
The Top Five
- 5. Chase Elliott
It was a very weird day for HMS as an organization. Chase appeared to have speed, even after hitting the wall and messing up the steering. He then just faded back to around where he finished in 13th. Can one of the better road racers grab that crown back this weekend at Sonoma?
- 4. Tyler Reddick
Tyler has had a really good two week stretch since the horrific one at Darlington and Kansas. He looks to be trending up currently but I think we will know for sure this weekend if he can keep it up at Sonoma.
- 3. William Byron
I said it earlier when talking about Chase, HMS struggled as a whole really. Sonoma was okay last season where he finished 14th, but I would be willing to say we should expect a little more from Willy B this weekend.
- 2. Kyle Larson
A drop in spot on the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings, but granted his playoff waiver. I think if HMS would’ve done better as a team Kyle would’ve easily been competing for the win. He finished tenth after the spin with Kyle Busch. He will head to Sonoma where he’s won before looking to do it again.
- 1. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin didn’t make a lot of noise last week but finished second. That’s kind of how he has been though all season. He’s either dominant and fighting for the win or quietly finishing inside the top ten. Sonoma recently hasn’t been good to Denny finishing outside the top thirty two years in a row. I think though this year Denny is going to revert back to finishing inside the top ten at the very least.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Gateway, or WWT Raceway whatever you call the track provided a decent race. The track allowed for some solid racing. Then the drama on the closing laps added to the product. Austin Cindric added his name to the playoff drivers list with his win. Can he do it again?
A road course would give him a solid oppertunity because of his background in road racing. Or will we see another new winner? We are going to head into Sonoma this weekend with a lot to look forward too. Oh and road course racing normally puts on a pretty good show to boost at least in recent years it has.
Now as for expectations or maybe some pick insight well you know where that is every week. There are some interesting choices this week by Kaleb and myself. One could turn pizza money into a car payment if it pays off like I think it could. We also have very interesting choices to fade on this week as well.
Featured Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images
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