As usual for Pocono Raceway, the Highpoint.com 400 was a race of varying pit strategies, intense restarts, and Denny Hamlin related controversy. At some point, one would assume NASCAR is going to implement the no stage cautions at Pocono. With those still in place, Pocono was a race where teams had to debate between stage points or winning the race. With these split strategies, most drivers did not consistently run inside the Top-10 all race. While there were who stood out, drivers featured in the power rankings climbed up and down the leaderboard. A quiet race in terms of cautions, the strategies played largely into how well drivers performed. How will that impact the power rankings this week? Will there be much change based on the varying pit strategies for the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings in Week 18?
#10 – Kevin Harvick
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Finally, a solid finish for Kevin Harvick. Harvick’s Top-5 at Pocono breaks a run of bad races that saw the driver fall out of the power rankings. Now, Harvick has returned after running well at the Tricky Triangle. On the infamous restart where Denny Hamlin ran Kyle Larson up the track, Harvick looked game to be a contender for the win. However, he had to settle for a Top-5 instead.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 9
Another week, another mediocre run for Ross Chastain. With his stretch of runs since Darlington, only Nashville offers a glimmer of hope to Chastain fans that the Melon Man will be a championship contender. Chastain ran mid-pack all race, failed to collect any stage points, and was a non-factor. The best thing you can say for Chastain is that Hamlin has found a new muse to torment.
#8 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 8
Crew chief Matt McCall seemingly stole a Top-10 from Brad Keselowski on Sunday. Keselowski had Top-5 speed at Pocono. During Stage 2, he ran inside the Top-5 before the pit cycle. He got shuffled back during that cycle, however, found his way back inside the Top-10. Inexplicably, McCall called Keselowski down to pit road on Lap 107, despite no advantage to the move. From a Top-10 to battling for a Top-20, Keselowski should have finished better than sixteenth.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 7
From one RFK driver to another, Chris Buescher also had better speed than his eighteenth place finish. The caution for Chase Briscoe’s wreck put Buescher stuck outside the Top-10. Buescher’s struggles on the restarts saw him lose positions rather than gain. Despite the speed, Buescher collects a rare outside Top-15 finish on Sunday.
#6 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
Down a spot in the power rankings, Christopher Bell ran a solid race on Sunday. The reason he drops down a spot is due to his teammate running better and winning the race. Bell battled to be in the Top-5 at various times throughout the race. While not race winning speed, Bell rode comfortably inside the Top-10 all race.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 6
NASCAR’s version of Shaggy scored his second win of 2023. Much like his first win of the season, it came at the expense of aggressive racing with Kyle Larson. While fans showered Hamlin with boos, the newly minted face of NASCAR evil collected his fiftieth win of his career. Plus, he gained one spot in the power rankings. The battle between Bell and Hamlin for who will be number two at JGR this year will be interesting to watch play out.
#4 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 4
After escaping his own personal hell that was New Hampshire, Kyle Busch had a great weekend in Pocono. Unfortunately for these rankings, it was in the Craftsman Truck Series. Busch picked up KBM’s 100th win as an organization. As for the Cup Series race, Busch demonstrated a surprising lack of speed. While pit strategy can play a factor, only a non-competitive car could run 80% of laps outside the Top-15. A surprising misstep for the 8 team, Busch will look to prevent a third bad weekend in a row at Richmond.
#3 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 3
Earlier this season in the power rankings, a point was made that William Byron had a tendency to have strong cars at the start of the race, but faded late. Despite this, Byron would luck into late race cautions and find his way to victory lane. Pocono was an example of this occurring without the luck to bring him back to the front. Byron led 60 laps on Sunday, yet finished outside the Top-10. From pole setter to non-factor, Byron got lost in the shuffle late.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
If you listen real closely, you can still hear Kyle Larson fans complaining about Denny Hamlin. Kyle Larson looked to be the driver to beat after a great tire call by Cliff Daniels. On their final pit stop, the 5 team only took two tires and leapfrogged Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr for the lead. While not officially leading a lap. Larson was effectively the leader of the race for much of the final stage. His incident with Hamlin led to Larson’s car hampered with damage, resulting in a finish outside the Top-20.
#1 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 1
Retaining his number one spot is Martin Truex Jr. Prior to the green flag pit cycle in the final stage, it looked as if Martin Truex Jr had the car to beat. However, Truex’s inability to pass Denny Hamlin after the pit stops jeopardized his chances. In his attempt to pass Hamlin, he wore out his tires. With the late race restarts, Truex chose the bottom lane. Unfortunately for him, the bottom lane could not maintain their line to keep the push going into Turn 1. Truex was ultimately passed by Tyler Reddick coming to the line for second.
Honorable Mentions
Ryan Blaney – Ryan Blaney looked to have a solid car early in the race. However, he lost a cylinder and limped his car home to fall out of the power rankings.
Tyler Reddick – Another driver who has been suffering a string of bad luck, Tyler Reddick’s strategy of staying out longer during the last green flag run benefitted him. He was able to capitalize with the fresh tires and finish second.
Ty Gibbs – Picking up his first Top-5 of his career, Ty Gibbs ran his best Cup Series race one year on from when he debuted.
