StatChat Power Rankings
A look at the Top Ten in our weekly Power Rankings, plus the biggest movers! While finishing position is important, it’s not always indicative of the full picture. StatChat rankings are determined using a large number of statistical inputs, with an emphasis placed on the most recent 5 races.
Shane Van Gisbergen – This week: 10 – Last week: 21
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that SVG cracks into the Top 10 just as we visit our first Road Course of the season. He’s a beast when it comes to turning both left and right. His oval game needs some work, but his COTA performance just helped him take the lead in Rookie of the Year.
Joey Logano – This week: 9 – Last week: 6
It wasn’t an amazing showing for Joey Logano at COTA (or for many of the Fords, to be honest). Logano had built up enough cache over the first two races to not fall out of the Top 10, but look for him to bounce back next week at Phoenix – a track Team Penske seems to excel at.
Alex Bowman – This week: 8 – Last week: 8
As Bowman does, he’s been quietly putting together a solid season so far. He’s got a pretty well-rounded skill set, though seems to be lacking in that extra umph to get him across the finish line first.
Chase Elliott – This week: 7 – Last week: 12
Once heralded as the King of the Road Course, Elliott has fallen on harder times on the lefts and rights since the introduction of the Next-Gen car. A gutsy pit call at the end of the race at COTA helped him finish with a Top 5.
Tyler Reddick – This week: 6 – Last week: 10
Reddick might not have a win yet in this young season, but he has the best average finish in the Cup Series. He’s had two Top 5s in the first three races, and he had a shot at the win at COTA after winning the pole.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – This week: 5 – Last week: 2
Stenhouse is buoyed by his drafting track performance at Daytona and Atlanta so far this season, and as the schedule gets more normal, you might expect him to fade out of the Top 10. However, he didn’t look completely out of place at COTA, earning himself a Top 20.
William Byron – This week: 4 – Last week: 4
Byron sort of stealthily snuck up at the end of the COTA race, and ended up with a P2. While he might not have looked like he had a win in him there, it’s a great points day for the driver who won at COTA last year.
Ryan Blaney – This week: 3 – Last week: 1
Blaney’s first stumble of the season, and really is it even a stumble? He finished P19 at COTA, yet a lot of his underlying numbers still looked decent. He capitalized on some stage points, earning 9.
Christopher Bell – This week: 2 – Last week: 5
It’s almost a crime that Christopher Bell wins two in a row and doesn’t wind up in the top spot in our Power Rankings, but with heavy emphasis placed on his last five races, his P31 at Daytona probably keeps him out of there for now. As his crew chief said after the race, though – they’ve had the next two races circled as well, so watch out.
Kyle Busch – This week: 1 – Last week: 16
Kyle Busch had a hell of a day at COTA. Dare we even call it heartbreaking? It was easier to dislike him when he was winning all the time, but as he came oh-so-close to breaking his 59-race winless streak, you couldn’t help but root for him. It was an impressive performance, and it’s hard to imagine that we’ve seen the last of Kyle Busch this season.
Biggest Movers
Daniel Suarez – This week: 33 – Last week: 22
Falls 11 places
Kyle Busch – This week: 1 – Last week: 16
Gains 15 places
Rest of the List
11. Kyle Busch LW: 16
12. Bubba Wallace LW: 13
13. Carson Hocevar LW: 9
14. John Hunter Nemechek LW: 11
15. Michael McDowell LW: 17
16. Chase Briscoe LW: 14
17. Riley Herbst LW: 18
18. Kyle Larson LW: 7
19. Denny Hamlin LW: 15
20. Todd Gilliland LW: 19
21. Erik Jones LW: 20
22. Chris Buescher LW: 28
23. Justin Haley LW: 24
24. Ryan Preece LW: 25
25. Ross Chastain LW: 27
26. Brad Keselowski LW: 31
27. Cole Custer LW: 32
28. Noah Gragson LW: 33
29. Ty Dillon LW: 30
30. Ty Gibbs LW: 23
31. Josh Berry LW: 29
32. Austin Dillon LW: 26
33. Daniel Suarez LW: 22
34. Cody Ware LW: 35
35. Zane Smith LW: 34
36. AJ Allmendinger LW: 36
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