As the summer comes to an end, so does the flurry of road courses. The NASCAR Cup Series ended their road course heavy portion of the schedule at Watkins Glen. Usually, Watkins Glen is considered the best road course on the schedule. With limited turns and high speeds, races at the Glen have been known to give exciting and dramatic finishes. Unfortunately for this year, that cannot be said. The NextGen car once again demonstrated how it struggles to put on compelling racing outside the intermediate tracks. The Go Bowling at the Glen had limited action, as the significant moments were reserved for Michael McDowell’s pit road penalties, Chase Elliott running out of gas, and Chase Briscoe’s tire issues. With this snooze of a race, how did the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings for Week 22 change from the previous week? Continue reading to find out.
#10 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Ryan Blaney returns to the power rankings this week after his first Top-10 at a road course since last year’s Sonoma race. Much like the rest of Team Penske, Blaney had a mediocre qualifying effort. However, Blaney managed to run near the Top-15 during the first portion of the race. Blaney had the Chase Elliott caution fall at the right time to gain valuable track position. With said track position, Blaney navigate his 12 car to a Top-10.
#9 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 9
Remaining at nine this week is Tyler Reddick. Reddick had an eventful race on Sunday. While maintaining Top-10 speed all race, Reddick had a couple of missteps in the bus stop that saw him lose positions on track. He avoided disaster but he might have had a better car than his eighth place finish.
#8 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 6
Despite falling two spots in the power rankings, Brad Keselowski had a solid Watkins Glen race. While his fifteenth place finish might not be impressive, his team played smart strategy that saw Keselowski finish 19 spots better than where he started. Plus, William Byron’s win clinched Keselowski into the playoffs.
#7 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 8
During the last stint of the race, it seems that Christopher Bell might have been fast enough to chase down William Byron. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to get around teammate Denny Hamlin. While a third place finish is nothing to weep about, a timely pass of Hamlin might have seen Bell battling for the win.
#6 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 8
After the Michael McDowell penalty, William Byron dominated this race. He led 66, which was enough for his average running position for the race to be first. He drove away from Denny Hamlin once he captured the lead. His last pit stop was timed perfectly with the Chase Elliott caution as well. For how badly this team has struggled, this dominate win was exactly the race they needed to build momentum for the playoffs.
#5 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 4
It has been a bad few races for Kyle Busch. While Watkins Glen was not as disastrous as his recent DNFs, Busch was one of the few who was on the wrong end of the caution. Prior to the yellow, Busch was lined up for a Top-10. After the caution, Busch was only able to climb his way up to fourteenth.
#4 – Chris Buescher
 Previous Ranking: 5
For the first time since Week 12, a Ford has cracked the Top-4 in the power rankings. Chris Buescher is the driver of honor. After breaking his Top-10 road course streak at Indy, Buescher rebounded with a good run at Watkins Glen. Buescher has already surpassed his career high in Top-10s prior to the start of the playoffs.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
Falling a spot in the power rankings, Kyle Larson ruined his own chance at a Top-5 finish. Larson was one of the few drivers who was able to pass on Sunday. He looked to be a threat to Byron’s win, until he sped on pit road. Then the caution came out before he could serve it. Rather than a pass through penalty, Larson had to restart at the tail end of the longest line. Larson managed to get into the Top-20 before spinning out with Austin Dillon in the final turn.
#2 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 3
Denny Hamlin fans, rejoice! Hamlin finally breaks into the Top-2 after his best results on a road course in the NextGen car. Hamlin qualified on the pole and ran inside the Top-5 all race long. While late in the race it seemed Bell, Ty Gibbs, and AJ Allmendinger were all faster than the 11 car, Hamlin managed to run his line and secure a second place finish.
#1 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 1
Martin Truex Jr holds onto the top spot again this week after a quiet race. Truex had a poor qualifying effort (by his standards) but found himself inside the Top-10 after the Elliott caution. Truex failed to score any stage points and finished behind Hamlin, which prevented him from locking up the regular season championship.
Honorable Mention
Kevin Harvick – Kevin Harvick’s road course struggles continued Sunday, hence why he fell out of the power rankings. On the plus side, he clinched his spot in the playoffs.
Ross Chastain – Despite what Ross Chastain says on social media, Sunday was another mediocre race weekend for the 1 team.
Ty Gibbs – Ty Gibbs finished a career-best fourth on Sunday. While winning is his best option, Gibbs is the closet driver to Bubba Wallace outside the cutline.
