The Chicago Street Race turned out to be a huge success and thoroughly entertaining. Wet conditions allowed the usually sturdy NextGen cars to slip and slide throughout the course. While NASCAR had their usual officiating blunders, Shane van Gisbergen managed to overcome (when Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick overdrove) and recapture the lead from a sporty Justin Haley. There was a chance the shortened race would throw things off for these power rankings as well. However, the race sorted itself out for the most part. As the season rumbles ahead, the power rankings are starting to see some trends. Certain drivers are slowly climbing toward the top. While others have started to fade outside the top ten. After the Chicago Street Race, how does Week 15’s power rankings compare to Week 14?
#10 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
It was inevitable this would happen. Chase Elliott finally appears in the power rankings this year. After missing a total of seven races due to injury and stupidity, Elliott has been one of the best drivers on the circuit. At Chicago, Elliott captured his fifth Top-5 of 2023 in eleven races. His average finish of 11.7 is only dragged down by his two DNFs at Daytona and Charlotte. Despite his absences, it is difficult to argue that Elliott does not deserve a spot.
#9 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 8
Since winning his sixth at WWT Raceway, Ryan Blaney has three consecutive finishes outside the Top-30. A bit of bad luck has bitten Blaney, who has fallen out of the point lead conversation for now. At Chicago, Blaney had an issue with his car that left him off the pace for the majority of the event.
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 9
While it was an uphill battle, Chris Buescher was able to navigate his way through the field to capture his eighth straight Top-10 on a road course. His streak is now the longest in Cup Series history. With his recent quality runs, Buescher has navigated himself to a decently safe spot in the standings. Barring winners from outside the Top-16, Buescher will likely point his way into the playoffs.
#7 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 7
Denny Hamlin remains stagnant in the power rankings after a decent showing in Chicago. Hamlin captured the pole on Sunday, but managed to not lead a single lap. An early meeting with the wall saw Hamlin run around the tail end of the Top-10 for the bulk of the race.
#6 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 5
Despite winning last week, Ross Chastain continued this mini-slump that he has found himself in. Poor track position from qualifying hurt any chance of Chastain contending. He ran in the twenties for the bulk of the race. Only a quarter of Chastain’s laps were in the Top-15.
#5 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 6
Prior to NASCAR’s decision to shorten the race to 75 laps, Christopher Bell looked to have the race won. He managed to get around Tyler Reddick for the lead during Stage One and never looked back until having to pit based on new fuel strategy. Stuck behind traffic, Bell overdrove a turn and slid off the track. He managed to bring it home in the Top-20, but this race will be seen as a massive “what if” for the team and driver.
#4 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Dropping a couple of spots this week is William Byron. Prior to the lap reduction, Byron was a non-factor. After he lucked into track position, Byron struggled to maintain his Top-10 status. Plus, he sparked the stack up in Turn 11. Byron dropped out of the Top-10 before the end of the race, hence his drop in the power rankings.
#3 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 4
What a day Kyle Busch had on Sunday. Busch was the first caution of the race after plowing into the tire barriers. His car was stuck under the tires and had to receive assistance to get out. Luckily, his car was not damaged too badly by the incident. However, he ran in the back of the pack until the race flipped. From there, he managed to maintain a Top-5 position. Busch seems to be hitting his stride and slowly has been climbing the rankings.
#2 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 1
Prior to the final stretch of the race, Martin Truex Jr was likely to remain atop the power rankings. He started the race off well but never recovered after the running order flipped. However, his race turned from mediocre to laughable quickly. Truex consistently found himself running into the tires and other drivers at the end of the race. Toyota seemed to share this problem as every Toyota driver (minus Ty Gibbs) had an on-track incident. Due to this, Truex falls from the top spot.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 3
Back to the top spot is Kyle Larson. This week, Larson regains the crown as number one of the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings. Thanks to the struggles of William Byron and Martin Truex Jr, Larson’s solid (but unremarkable) run surged him ahead. By the end of the race, the only driver who had similar speed to Shane van Gisbergen. Ultimately, Larson was unable to get around teammate Chase Elliott and Justin Haley.
Honorable Mentions
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick drops out of the power rankings this week due to another poor race. It is his third straight race without a Top-10. Harvick only has two Top-10s since Martinsville.
Joey Logano –Â Once again, Joey Logano turns nothing into a Top-10. Logano has lacked consistent speed all year but still manages to finish in the Top-10 at a regular rate.
Ty Gibbs – Ty Gibbs collected his fifth Top-10 of the year on Sunday while climbing into a playoff spot.
