Atlanta Motor Speedway was the second superspeedway race of the year. After a sour weekend of on-track product, the NASCAR Cup Series managed to have an exciting last lap finish without wrecking half the remaining drivers. That has to count for something. For the Power Rankings, Atlanta’s race presented a great chance to shake up the rankings. Since it was only the fifth race on the season (and 2022 is not considered), it had potential seriously shake up the rankings. Some drivers in Week 1’s Power Rankings were caught up in accidents. Others thrived in the pack racing environment. How did Atlanta alter this week’s Pit Pass Network Power Rankings?
#10 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 5
Ross Chastain is the biggest drop in the Power Rankings this week. Much like last week, the difference between the last three drivers is slim. Although Chastain’s performance on Sunday was not bad, his past two races have shown a noticeable lack of competitiveness. His car at Phoenix faded as the race went on. Chastain started out with a Top-5 machine then ran at the tail end of the Top-10 for the final two stages. Meanwhile at Atlanta, Chastain’s race was shrouded in controversy when Kevin Harvick spun out in front of him. Whether Chastain was at fault or not, his Atlanta weekend was a far cry from his two seconds last year. Chastain only maintained a Top-15 position for 31.5% of the time.
#9 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 6
Kyle Busch was able navigate his RCR Chevrolet to a Top-10 finish on Sunday. Plus, Busch led 7 laps during the event. While never a threat for the win (compared to other drivers on this ranking), it was another race weekend where Busch ran strongly from start to finish. Similar to Chastain though, Busch has lost the race winning speed he was flashing at the start of the season. If Busch can regain that speed, he will rise back up these rankings.
#8 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 8
Denny Hamlin was the sole driver to remain in the Top-15 for the entire race on Sunday. Leading 14 laps on the day, Hamlin was a strong drafter on a superspeedway as usual. However, that did not translate to being the top Toyota. This helps prevent Hamlin from climbing the rankings. Hamlin’s consistent runs will keep him in the Power Rankings. It is an improvement from his early 2022, but still a bit off from being a race winner.
#7 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 4
Despite being the only Cup Series driver for Hendrick to not wreck out, Alex Bowman fell in the power rankings. While Bowman finished in the Top-15, it was another race where Bowman lacked Top-5 performance. His overall season looks good on paper, but it is lacking the expected power that his two Hendrick teammates are providing. When Josh Berry is running similarly to you, then there is a bit of an issue.
#6 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 9
In what has to be the most surprising statistic of the year, Brad Keselowski is the only driver to led a lap at every race this season. From what this team was in 2022, that is outstanding progress for the #6 team. Once again at Atlanta, Keselowski ran up front and led the 47 of the final 52 laps of the race. Unable to prevent the last lap pass from Logano, Keselowski’s first win with his own team has to wait another week. At least his strong run this week resulted in a Top-5 finish. A big test for the team is coming at COTA.
#5 – Joey Logano
Previous Ranking: 10
With his win, Joey Logano was the biggest riser in the Power Rankings this week. After back-to-back disappointing weekends, Logano dominated Sunday. He led the most laps, won Stage 1, and made a last lap pass for the lead on Brad Keselowski. His last lap pass is more impressive when you considered how far back he was when he started his move for the win. With this win, Logano is able to brush past his disappointing weekends to climb the rankings.
#4 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 7
If not for getting caught up in the restart shenanigans at Auto Club, Christopher Bell would likely be five for five in Top-10s this season. With his third place finish Sunday, Bell has secured three Top-5s. At Atlanta, Bell was attempting a race winning move on the last lap. Removing his DNF at Auto Club, Bell’s average finish is 4.25 on the season. With some favorable Toyota tracks upcoming, Bell will surely nab his first win of the season shortly.
#3 – Kevin Harvick
Previous Ranking: 3
To kick off the drivers who wrecked out of Atlanta, Kevin Harvick was the leader when he spun out in front of the field. Set up by aggressive drafting from Ross Chastain, Harvick lost control and ended up out of the race. The strength of his previous races maintain his ranking from last week. Before the wreck, Harvick was running solidly. Known for being passive early in the race, Harvick wroked his way up to the front before wrecking. If not for that incident, Harvick would have likely continued his Top-10 streak.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
Power Ranking driver number two to have wrecked out at Atlanta is Kyle Larson. While running second behind Aric Almirola, Larson crashed into Almirola when the latter’s tire failed. Larson’s continuous streak of bad luck at superspeedways continue. Also, Almirola has been terrible luck for Larson this year. However, Larson’s speed in the three previous weeks keeps him at ranking two. COTA should be a solid place to bounce back.
#1 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 1
Remaining at number one this week is William Byron. Having wrecked out in the same accident as Kevin Harvick, Byron collected his second straight DNF on a superspeedway. While he was running, Byron managed to keep his vehicle in the Top-15, better than both Harvick and Larson. This, combined with his previous three weeks, is why Byron remains at the top. Although two DNFs on the season hurt, the dominant speed Byron has shown off, especially at Las Vegas and Phoenix, is enough to keep him number one.
With COTA approaching, it will either calm the rankings down or see a greater shuffle. Drivers who struggled at Atlanta can see their stock fall further with a poor showing at COTA. On the flip side, drivers can enhance or rebound their position if they run well at the road course.
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie
