My racing teammate Kaleb summed up this past weekend’s race at Pocono pretty well in his recent three-up and three-down piece. Pocono had a ton of things to watch on track. From strategy to bonehead moves made on the track. However, Ryan Blaney and his fan base got to celebrate this week because they went to victory lane. So, that means we need to update the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings to reflect the most recent trip to “The Tricky Triangle”.
The Beginning of
- 15. Todd Gilliland
This has been Todd’s worst finish since Dover. That’s a good streak of solid performances for this team and young driver. Who is an up-and-coming team possibly some could say? However when you’re trying to get to the top sometimes you’re going to get kicked back down due to no fault of your own. Mechanical issues suck but I think Todd can rebound at Indy this week.
- 14. Ross Chastain
I was pulling for Ross in a sense last week. He needs a win to get into the playoffs but Lady Luck decided again to deter his day. As for Indy and Ross. He can play the points game a little sitting currently at +54 to the cutline but a new winner and he’s next in line to be cut so they need to get back in the game quickly.
- 13. Joey Logano
Another driver who needed a good week, and some might even say over-performed. A top five for Joey is just what he needed heading into Indy, where his boss owns the track and is expecting solid performances across the board.
- 12. Bubba Wallace
This was the week Bubba needed. He was complaining of a horrible car near the beginning of the race. However, he and his team persevered and grabbed a top-ten finish. Could he be a good sleeper pick this week?
- 11. Chris Buescher
He’s very quietly been around the top fifteen, or bottom of the top ten more and more. I think he still needs a win to guarantee playoff entrance but with the improving performance don’t rule it out. The worry for them right now is does someone else get the win before they do?
2024 NASCAR Power Rankings Top Ten
- 10. Martin Truex Jr.
I’m starting to see more and more why Martin announced his retirement each week. I think it’s just the level of competition has become so much more close it’s not worth the stress for the former champion anymore. That being said though, I like Martin this week again he’s a veteran driver who knows how to handle a car on the oval in Indianapolis.
- 9. Brad Keselowski
I rolled with him in our picks piece last week, and it almost paid off. Brad even led twenty laps, with this weekend’s race being a new configuration for the next-gen car at Indy. I may even look to roll with a veteran like Brad again who knows how to win at Indianapolis.
- 8. Tyler Reddick
Another top-ten finish. However, I almost expected more from this team considering how well Tyler has done at Pocono. He did grab stage points though so it wasn’t all bad. He placed 8th in his only cup series start on the Indy Oval. Tyler’s heating up and another win is coming it’s just more a matter of when now since everyone else is stepping up their game competition-wise.
- 7. William Byron
I know he’s down a bit considering he’s one of the five drivers who does have multiple wins this season. However, he’s been extremely up and down results-wise since his last win at Martinsville. Whereas those two other guys have been more consistent or hit a hot streak as of late. Seems as though the last two weeks are trending up, so keep an eye on William this weekend.
- 6. Alex Bowman
Another strong weekend for Alex to follow up on last week’s win. If I’ve said it once I’ll say one hundred more times. Momentum is a good thing to have in this sport and Alex needs it heading to Indianapolis. He’ll be hoping the next-gen car shows better results than the prior car did at Indy for him.
The Top Five
- 5. Chase Elliott
Chase showed speed early on Sunday at Pocono. However, he leveled out to the lower end of the top ten. He did grab some stage points though and retained the “regular season” points lead even with also grabbing a speeding penalty during the race as well. He will head to Indy and hope the next-gen car provides just a little better results for him than the prior car on the oval. Where he had one top-ten finish in six starts.
- 4. Ryan Blaney
It was a solid closing performance for Ryan at Pocono leading 44 laps total and grabbing the win. He added his name to the list of multi-time winners now as well. It’s a good time to get hot considering the Olympic break is approaching. Could he go back-to-back and win on Captain Roger Penske’s track this weekend?
- 3. Kyle Larson
It was an odd race in my opinion for Kyle. It just seemed like he didn’t quite have the speed his HMS teammates had. However, he managed a top-fifteen finish even after an early speeding penalty following the above stop. He can head back to the Brickyard for a second time this season. I think HMS as a whole should be pretty strong though this weekend.
- 2. Christopher Bell
A twelfth-place finish isn’t anything to cry about considering he also grabbed stage points in both stages. Christopher has one Cup series start on the oval and that was back in the 2020 season where he finished coincidentally twelfth. He however does have some pretty good veteran teammates to lean on in Hamlin and Truex.
- 1. Denny Hamlin
I knew he was going to perform well. It’s very rare if ever he doesn’t grab a top ten at least on the “Tricky Triangle”. As for this weekend back on the oval at Indy, I think you easily have to consider Denny to be a favorite. He’s one of the few drivers left who has made multiple starts on the Indianapolis Oval configuration. I expect as long as the Toyota brings speed to the track to see the number eleven up front just like he is in this week’s update to the 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings.
Onto Indy!
As for what to expect in Indianapolis. I’m not sure. I think this next-gen car though is way more suitable for the Indy Oval. If anything we will see something similar to what we saw in Pocono last weekend. Long green flag runs, pit strategy, and hopefully one less bonehead move that took out four drivers.
As for betting choices or picks for this week well, that is coming most likely tomorrow. So you know where you need to stay tuned for those. I think a veteran driver is a good option this weekend, however, anything can happen during a race. Maybe we’ll get one of those awesome finishes again but on the bricks in Indianapolis. Either way I’ll see you around this time next week race fans for another update to these 2024 NASCAR Power Rankings.
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