By Adam Carabine
With the playoffs in full swing now, the StatChat Power Rankings are focusing in on the 16 Cup Series Playoff Drivers. Rankings are determined using a large number of statistical inputs, with most emphasis on the last 5 races
Harrison Burton – This week: 16th – Last week: 16th
Considering the difficulty of the Charlotte Roval, Harrison Burton didn’t fare too poorly with a P20. However, he’s been bringing up the rear of these power rankings for a few weeks now, and 20th isn’t going to change that.
Daniel Suarez – This week: 15th – Last week: 14th
Suarez’s second round of the Playoffs left a lot to be desired. He dug himself a hole early and unfortunately it just got worse. With finishes of 13, 26, and 30, he killed his chances at the next round.
Chase Briscoe – This week: 14th – Last week: 13th
The excitement of Chase Briscoe’s walk-off win in Darlington to seal his playoff fate has finally worn off. Cut the guy some slack though, it’s been a wild week in his personal life as well. A DNF at the Charlotte Roval sunk his chances at the next round, and the chances for an SHR championship in their final year.
Tyler Reddick – This week: 13th – Last week: 15th
It was a gutsy performance in the final 30 or so laps of the Charlotte Roval for Tyler Reddick. Incidents and damage put him below the cutline, despite having won the regular season championship. With some great adjustments by his team, he managed to pilot the 45 up to a P11 finish, locking himself in and (at the time) knocking out Joey Logano.
Ty Gibbs – This week: 12th – Last week: 11th
It didn’t really get talked about much on the broadcast, but Ty Gibbs quietly went to the garage at some point during this weekend’s race, and never returned. The sophomore Cup Series driver has four more races to try and get his first win, but it wasn’t to be at the Charlotte Roval.
Brad Keselowski – This week: 11th – Last week: 9th
Keselowski has never been a road course guy, and it showed again this past weekend. He tied Chase Briscoe for the worst pass differential (-36) of anyone in the race, while still finishing on the lead lap. P23 isn’t terrible, but it hurts your Power Rankings standings.
Joey Logano – This week: 10th – Last week: 10th
If this were tennis, Logano would be called a “Lucky Loser,” sneaking his way into the next round by virtue of an Alex Bowman post-race DQ. Logano actually had a solid run at the Roval, but it was overshadowed by the fact that Reddick outdrove him in the final laps, essentially eliminating him at the time. Watch out for him, though, he won’t let it happen again.
Austin Cindric – This week: 9th – Last week: 8th
In a way it seems wrong to downgrade Cindric a spot in the Power Rankings after a stellar day at the Charlotte Roval. He ran up front most of the day, finished P4, but unfortunately it just still wasn’t enough to move him on to the next round. He needed a win, and was unable to get past the dominant Kyle Larson.
Ryan Blaney – This week: 8th – Last week: 12th
This week’s biggest mover was Ryan Blaney, earning a Top 10 at the Charlotte Roval. His spot in the next round wasn’t really ever in jeopardy during the race, but you’re never quite comfortable until it’s official. 39 points on the day is a success, and the reigning champ lives to fight another day.
Martin Truex Jr. – This week: 7th – Last week: 7th
It was a quiet day for Truex at the Charlotte Roval. While he traditionally does well at road courses, the Roval has never been his best. Something hasn’t seemed right with the 19 team all year, and his chances of getting one final win, riding off into the sunset are evaporating quickly. But don’t look now, next week’s track, Vegas, is Truex’s best on the schedule.
Alex Bowman – This week: 6th – Last week: 4th
What had been such an impressive playoffs for Bowman and the 48 team comes to an unceremonious ending, after a post-race DQ. Most didn’t have Bowman winning the championship this year, but he was driving like a man possessed. Hopefully he can carry over some of that momentum into next season.
William Byron – This week: 5th – Last week: 6th
While most eyes were either on the Larson domination or the playoff cutline action, Byron quietly put together a solid P3 at the Charlotte Roval. Considering he was already locked into the next round of the playoffs, that’s impressive. It would have been easy to sit back and let things play out, but they pushed hard and got a well-deserved win (and bump in the Power Rankings!).
Denny Hamlin – This week: 4th – Last week: 5th
It was probably closer than Denny Hamlin would have liked it to be, but he managed to move on to the next round after a solid P14 at the Charlotte Roval. Is it Hamlin’s year? Are we sick of asking this question? Time will tell, but the competition gets tougher and tougher as the rounds continue on.
Chase Elliott – This week: 3rd – Last week: 3rd
Holding serve, and holding onto a Power Rankings podium position, the King of the Charlotte Roval finished 5th. Elliott didn’t need to be too concerned about the playoff cut line during the race, but he put any doubts to rest with another great run.
Christopher Bell – This week: 2nd – Last week: 2nd
Probably the most consistent of all the playoff drivers at the moment, Bell earned another P2 at the Charlotte Roval. He didn’t have anything for eventual winner Kyle Larson, but he’s already looking like a lock for the Final Four. We always ask if it’s Denny’s year, but based on performance so far, it might be Bell’s.
Kyle Larson – This week: 1st – Last week: 1st
Another playoff round down, another dominant performance. After the first stage, Larson was already locked into the next round, but that wasn’t enough for this guy. He led 62 laps en route to another win at the Roval – now tying him with Chase Elliott for winningest Roval driver. He enters the next round already with a 33 point cushion to the cutline.
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