Monday racing returned this past weekend for the Crayon 301. The Cup Series race was washed from Sunday and pushed to Monday afternoon. With this change, Martin Truex Jr continued his season bounce back with a win. Turning into a Monday warrior, Truex claimed his second Monday victory on the season. As for the race, the action was solid throughout. Especially in the mid-pack, passing was difficult but not impossible. There were different lanes drivers could utilize in the turns. Overall, New Hampshire was an enjoyable race. As for this week’s power rankings, the way the race played out saw drivers thrive while others falter. It is still evident that the NASCAR Cup Series is split among the top thirteen or so drivers and everyone else. With that said, how did Monday racing impact the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings for Week 17?
#10 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 9
Despite being the one car late in the race that ran down Martin Truex Jr, bad execution on the last pitstop sees Ryan Blaney lose a spot. Blaney looked to have a Top-5 secured until his front tire changer forgot it was a two tire stop. Blaney has been bit by some bad luck in these power rankings. While not having bad runs, the drivers around him have been better in recent weeks. It will take a bad race or two to see Blaney fall off the rankings.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 7
As mentioned last week, that Nashville win seems more like a fluke than Ross Chastain finding his form. New Hampshire was another race where Chastain was not competitive. He ran outside the Top-10 for the entire race. Since holding the points lead after the Coca-Cola 600, Chastain has fallen to sixth in the standings. Surely, Trackhouse and the 1 team can figure out how to recover before the playoffs.
#8 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 10
Brad Keselowski’s fourth Top-5 of the season sees him move into the eighth spot in the power rankings. After an impressive run at Atlanta (proving there is talent to superspeedway racing), Keselowski backed it up with a solid run at New Hampshire. A four tire stop on the last pit stop put Keselowski behind some drivers late. However, he managed to drive his way forward to claim a Top-5.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
When it comes to cautions, Chris Buescher has rotten luck. In back to back weeks, Buescher has been caught behind a driver wrecking directly in front of him. While he has to brake for the oncoming obstacle, other drivers are able to drive around the incident. NASCAR has twice decided to put Buescher behind those cars. On Monday, it might have been the difference of a Top-10. Even with that call, Buescher managed his fourteenth Top-15 of the year. Another solid, yet unremarkable day by the RFK driver.
#6 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 6
A strong race for Denny Hamlin. There were moments that indicated that Hamlin might have had something for his teammate. However, his ceiling for the day was inside the Top-5. No movement in the power rankings though as the drivers in front of him also had strong days.
#5 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
Bad luck struck Christopher Bell late in the race. Early in the day, Bell clearly had the second best car. However, slow pit stops throughout the day had him marred in traffic. Bell brought out the last caution after his tire blew in Turn 4. A solid effort but ultimately cut down by things outside the driver’s full control.
#4 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 1
Oh how the mighty have fallen. As discussed last week, the top four are separated by thin margins. Movement between these four drivers can see a driver go from four to one and vice versa. Kyle Busch’s New Hampshire trip was a nightmare. In every instance of on track activity, Busch managed to find the wall. He scrapped the wall in practice, crashed in the second round of qualifying, then finished the weekend off by crashing at the end of Stage 1. Busch surely could not have been more excited to leave New Hampshire.
#3 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
William Byron fell completely off the grid during Monday’s race. At the start, he was battling inside and around the Top-10. By the final stage, it was understandable if you forgot he was still running. Byron lost all the speed in his car and found himself running outside the Top-20. With this poor performance, Byron lost the points lead.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 4
Cliff Daniels and the 5 team are the best at making in race adjustments. New Hampshire was another race where Kyle Larson rolled off with decent speed that would see him run outside the Top-10. By the end of the race, Larson looked to be the best car on track. If he had a little better track position on the final restarts, Larson’s car look as if he could have battled Truex for the lead.
#1 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 3
Returning to claim his top spot, Martin Truex Jr schooled the Cup Series drivers at New Hampshire. Finally, Truex claims the lobster after years of dominating Cup Series races at the track. Outside the final restarts, only Ryan Blaney’s charge prior to green flag pit stops saw Truex’s lead ever in jeopardy. While restart shenanigans looked to threaten his win, Truex was able to fend off Joey Logano and Kyle Larson. Nothing was stopping Truex from claiming victory on Monday. Now, he sits atop the points standings.
Honorable Mention
Joey Logano – Monday was the first race in a while where Logano’s Top-5 finish was down to race-long speed rather than lucking into track position. Logano looked to have the second best Ford in the field.
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick needed this Top-5. A string of bad luck in recent races saw Harvick fall out of the power rankings. Bad luck almost struck the retiring driver too after a slow pitstop almost ruined a Top-10 run.
Michael McDowell – Michael McDowell has been on a bit of a hot streak recently. His solid finishes now have him pointing his way into the playoffs.
