Some would call what we saw at Indianapolis last weekend a “snooze fest” or “boring race”. I would call it strategy racing, which is what we will see later on today when the drivers on these NASCAR Power Rankings attack Watkins Glen. Before they do that, let’s find out where your favorite driver ranks this week.
NASCAR Power Rankings: 15th to 11th
- 15. Joey Logano
Joey Logano into Justin Haley!
Haley INTO the tire barrier!
Watch #NASCAR on @NBC. pic.twitter.com/nq659ibENP
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 13, 2023
Team owner Roger Penske may own Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but Joey was one of his drivers who had a poor showing last week. Joey’s locked in the playoffs with his win at Atlanta earlier this year. Some consistency would be nice to see though.
- 14. Ross Chastain
Rolling off 22nd in the @MooseFraternity @TeamChevy this afternoon @WGI. pic.twitter.com/WzcebRUrtE
— Ross Chastain (@RossChastain) August 20, 2023
A 17th-place finish last week at Indy was a little underwhelming. That seems to be the case this season for Ross. If they could get back to early season form then they may have a better chance but right now he’s just on the cusp of falling out of these NASCAR Power Rankings.
- 13. Bubba Wallace
What a weekend it was at @IMS! ?
Our team continues its push towards the playoffs this week at @WGI.#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/E3lFV2cgKs
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) August 14, 2023
It wasn’t a good day, but it wasn’t a bad day either at Indy for Bubba. Which is exactly what they needed minus the new winner. Bubba isn’t a road racer, so I’d expect to see the same out of Bubba today.
- 12. Chase Elliott
Almost, only counts in the game of Horse Shoes as my Papaw would say. Regardless, the second-place speed was nice to see out of this team. He has some work to do today, but Watkins Glen is a good track for Chase.
- 11. Brad Keselowski
The #CarWithAMission is gridded up at @WGI @BuildSubmarines | @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/id6mSYcLt4
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) August 20, 2023
Brad and his team played a different strategy than everyone else other than Denny Hamlin. The finishing result isn’t what he wanted I’m sure. However, we still have Daytona on the schedule and Brad has a good cushion on the cutoff.
Middle of the Pack: 10th to 6th
- 10. Tyler Reddick
It’s race day @WGI ?#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/jD8UYzd8yE
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) August 20, 2023
It starts 8th today and finished in the top five last weekend. Nothing surprising to me let’s see if his crew though can keep mistake-free.
- 9. Ryan Blaney
RACE DAY pic.twitter.com/I98oq53hPA
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) August 20, 2023
I can’t lie I was a bit surprised to see Ryan finish in the top fifteen last week. I don’t think of him as a road racer but if he can come out of Watkins Glen with a decent finish I think he’d be happy.
- 8. Kevin Harvick
One final time @WGI.
3 p.m. EDT on @USANetwork. #4EVER pic.twitter.com/mC9XFhzPNr
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) August 20, 2023
It was a rough race for SHR in general. Heck, it’s been that way all year it seems, and based on their qualifying results. I’m expecting another struggle day for Harvick but this is Kevin Harvick so we will see.
- 7. Christopher Bell
Top 10, but most importantly we had a nice clean race. Thank you @rheemracing, @ToyotaRacing & @JoeGibbsRacing for all the support. #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/c4G2NdbWES
— Christopher Bell (@CBellRacing) August 13, 2023
Another good road racer in the Cup series. A lot like his Toyota counterpart at 23XI Racing Tyler Reddick. The results show he’s good, let’s see if his crew can keep up with the mistake-free races.
- 6. Chris Buescher
The @FastenalCompany Mustang is ready to roll! (And also here's Doug, he's awesome) pic.twitter.com/x7QrEzm1nO
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) August 20, 2023
Back to Back wins, and then just outside the top ten last week. I’m not worried about this team as of now. They seem to potentially get hot at the right time in the season.
The Top Five
- 5. Kyle Busch
Starting positions for tomorrow’s Cup Series race at The Glen.
P9: @KyleBusch
P16: @austindillon3 @OkumaAmerica | @markiiieb pic.twitter.com/L8cjfNoJkd— RCR (@RCRracing) August 19, 2023
It’s been a struggle for the last two weeks for this team. Kyle is decent at Watkins Glen but I’m sure they’ll take a decent finish today. Especially before heading to Daytona next week.
- 4. William Byron
Not a bad starting spot for tomorrow.. @Valvoline pic.twitter.com/lClcqsGdFG
— William Byron (@WilliamByron) August 19, 2023
Starts on the front row today, after a decent rebound last weekend. Looks like this team may be trying to get rolling once again.
- 3. Kyle Larson
Kyle and crew are riding a three-race top-ten finish streak and he’s starting inside the top ten again today. Kyle has won at Watkins Glen before so it’s not impossible but this team has been silently attacking every week more and more.
- 2. Denny Hamlin
What a Stage 2 battle! @dennyhamlin earns a huge #NASCARPlayoffs point! #Verizon200
?: NBC | ?: https://t.co/r61CT6jvrS pic.twitter.com/YKWcibUojm
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 13, 2023
He rode the “long” strategy last weekend, and his finish showed it. He did grab the stage two win though and he’s on the pole for the race today and has speed in his car. Denny definitely needs to be one for us all to watch today.
- 1. Martin Truex Jr.
That blue ??
The No. 19 @Siemens car is headed to the grid!
@WGI starts at 3pm ET. Tune in on USA pic.twitter.com/Haaz7asrcj
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) August 20, 2023
He hasn’t finished outside the top ten since Atlanta. He’s also won a race in that stretch as well as dominated a few others. This is the team to beat right now and he knows how to win at the Glen.
Wrap It Up
I know it’s the last second with just a little less than an hour before the race today. Sorry for making everyone wait, COVID struck my house pretty hard this week. Either way, what do you think race fans? Is your driver too high or too low for your liking let me know. Oh and if your looking for some last-second pics then look no further.
Today’s race is going to be on USA Network and is set to start around 3 PM. I’ll be watching, will you?
Feature Image Credit: Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
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