The NASCAR Cup Series regular season is officially over. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 offered the best superspeedway racing of the NextGen era. During portions of Stage 2, the entire lead pack was racing three wide. The quantity of calamity was kept to a minimum, as only two cautions for cause flew during the race. However, both cautions saw terrible hits for two Ryan’s in the field. Ryan Blaney was tagged on the right rear quarter panel in Turn 4 and went head first into the outside wall. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece got a bump on the backstretch and his car flew. Once his car landed, Preece had flipped ten times. Luckily, both drivers were able to climb from their cars under their own power. At the end of the race, sixteen drivers were locked into the playoffs. As for the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings for Week 23, how did Daytona alter the rankings?
*Note for the playoffs: The PPN Power Rankings will not be exclusively for playoff drivers, especially as the races tick down and drivers are eliminated. All drivers are still considered.
#10 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 9
Tyler Reddick got caught up in the wreck on the final lap of Stage 2. He was able to continue and managed to get back on the lead lap. However, he was the last car on the lead lap. With this bad luck, Reddick falls a spot in the power rankings.
#9 – Kevin Harvick
Although Kevin Harvick enters the playoffs winless, he had a good showing at Daytona. After the final cycle of green flag stops, Harvick was the leader late in the race. The win was within reach but he had the unfortunate task of trying to defend against both RFK drivers. Also, his drafting help was Chase Elliott, who needed to win to get in the playoffs.
#8 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 7
Despite being the cause of Ty Gibbs spin, Christopher Bell went mostly unscathed through the accident at the end of Stage 2. He spun out and made minimal contact with other cars. However, the lack of Toyota teammates after the caution did not help Bell. He could only muster a sixteenth place finish.
#7 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 8
Up a spot in the power rankings, Brad Keselowski demonstrated how good of a teammate he is on Saturday night. He pushed teammate Chris Buescher out front on the final restart and played defense from any runs behind him. If someone other than Buescher was going to win, they had to get through Keselowski first. Keselowski heads into the playoffs with solid momentum after finishing Top-10 in five of the past six oval tracks.
#6 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 6
Remaining at number six this week is William Byron. After his dominant win at Watkins Glen, Byron had a quiet night at Daytona. He managed to avoid getting collected in the Stage 2 crash and picked up stage points. While not a bad race, he was never a factor for (or pushing someone for) the win.
#5 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 5
The most aggressive driver on Saturday night was Kyle Busch. After a pit road penalty during the Stage 1 break, Busch started Stage 2 at the back of the pack. On his radio, Busch claimed he was “never one for riding around back”. Busch led the third line multiple times throughout the night, forcing himself into the front of the field. His seventh place finish does not tell how well his car drove throughout the night.
#4 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 3
If Kyle Larson could, surely he would skip the superspeedway races. Once again, Larson got caught up in a wreck at a drafting track. While the damage was not severe enough to take him out of the race, the flat spotted tires saw him fall a couple of laps down. Larson’s car was still quick enough to race with the lead pack. However, the lack of cautions kept Larson two laps down. At least Larson was able to finish a superspeedway race for the first time this year.
#3 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 2
Once again, Denny Hamlin’s race was hurt by self-inflicted wounds. During the Stage 2 green flag pit cycle, Hamlin was nabbed with a pass through penalty for a crew member over the wall too soon. Hamlin never got his lap back from the penalty. Prior to the penalty, Hamlin lost a Stage 1 win when Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr put in the middle of three-wide with no help.
#2 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 4
After three wins in five race, Chris Buescher has moved into second in the power rankings. This is the highest a Ford has sat in these rankings. Buescher has been the hottest driver in the Cup Series since July. His 8.78 average finish during that time is best in the Cup Series. During that nine race stretch, Buescher’s worst finish is 18. If Buescher is able to keep this momentum heading into the playoffs, he will be a Championship Four threat.
#1 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 1
Heading into the playoffs, Martin Truex Jr will be the number one driver in the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings. After Stage 2, Truex secured the regular season championship. Whether it was by choice or how the pit cycle spat him out, Truex did not play a factor during the final stage of the race. His poor finish seems more to do with lack of urgency to run in the chaos if he had little to achieve.
Honorable Mention
Ryan Blaney – As mentioned earlier, Ryan Blaney was wrecked from the lead coming to the green-and-white checkered flag at the end of Stage 2.
Ross Chastain – Despite his lackluster finish, Ross Chastain was able to drive his car to the lead and throw insane blocks in the middle of the race. The Melon Man led 19 laps, the second most of any driver.
Bubba Wallace – Bubba Wallace secured the final playoff spot via Buescher’s win and Ty Gibbs wrecking out early.
