The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs kicked off Sunday evening at Darlington Raceway. One of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, the Southern 500 did not disappoint when it came to the on track action. While the first two stages seemed to set up a dominating win by a playoff driver, the final stage threw the usually Darlington chaos into the race and playoffs. Playoff drivers were caught up in incidents and mistakes. Non-playoff drivers managed to find their way into the spotlight. Ryan Newman lived up to his reputation of being considerably difficult to pass. Darlington had it all. With the first race of the playoffs in the rearview, what will the first playoff edition of the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings look like? With the drama at Darlington, will the power rankings of Week 24 look much different from Week 23?
#10 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
After a one week hiatus, Ryan Blaney returns to the power rankings this week. At the start of the Southern 500, Blaney looked to be one of the best Fords in the field. He ran around the Top-5 during the daylight portions of the race. Also, he collected stage points in both stages. Although his car faded a bit upon nightfall, Blaney had a respectable start to his playoffs.
#9 – Kevin Harvick
Previous Ranking: 9
Not since Phoenix in the spring has Kevin Harvick been as close to a win. With his playoff position in a precarious situation, Harvick looked to be the best car during the final stage. He charged his way forward and battled Tyler Reddick for the lead. However, a poorly timed caution right before Harvick drove through the commitment line saw a potential win vanish. Harvick’s finishing position is not indicative of his car’s speed or due to a failure on his team’s behalf.
#8 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 10
If this was a power ranking of dumb moves, Tyler Reddick would be number one. Harvick’s misfortunes were due to the actions of Reddick. When Harvick went to undercut Reddick, the 45 team decided to attempt to pit from the outside line in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. Somehow, Ryan Newman managed to not wreck himself and Reddick in this maneuver. While Harvick felt the pain, Reddick benefitted. There was slight karma in the form of Kyle Larson beating Reddick off pit road. Outside of that controversy, Reddick had one of the best cars in the race and led 90 laps.
#7 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 5
Kyle Busch’s Southern 500 weekend was a bit of a grind. After hitting the wall hard during practice, Busch’s eleventh place qualifying effort was washed due to the repairs from practice. Starting in the back, Busch fought forward. Pit strategy allowed him to pick up some stage points in Stage 2. With the Reddick caused yellow, Busch got trapped a lap down and had to take the wave around. However, much to his glee, Busch managed a last lap pass on Joey Logano to finish eleventh.
#6 – Brad Keselowski
Previously Ranked: 7
Up a spot from last week, Brad Keselowski had a solid race on Sunday. Outside of a slow first pit stop, the 6 team had a smooth night. The biggest critique of the team was their decision to pit during the final caution of the night. Before the pit stop, Keselowski sat fourth. Even with fresh tires, Keselowski only managed to climb his way to sixth. Plus, his push on the restart prior allowed Buescher to run in second. If he does not pit, maybe he could have pushed Buescher forward to second again and potentially help facilitate another RFK win.
#5 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 6
Every Chevy had work to do on Sunday after none qualified in the Top-10. William Byron and his team handled the challenged second best out of the Chevy camp. During Stage 1, Byron was mired in the mid pack. However, Stage 2 saw the 24 car come alive and run inside the Top-5. At certain points, Byron looked to be the fastest car on track. While it could be argued Byron had the better car compared to Larson, it is difficult to complain about a fourth place finish and cushy points lead.
#4 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 3
Prior to the first green flag cycle of the final stage, Denny Hamlin looked to be on his way to a dominating victory. He led the most laps on Sunday and won both stages. Although Tyler Reddick had caught and passed him, there was an expectation that Hamlin would pull out the win after the pit stops. Unfortunately for Hamlin (but to the fortune of the anti-Hamlin crowd), he felt that his left rear wheel was loose. After his second pit stop, Hamlin fell a lap down and never recovered. A race that should have seen Hamlin rise in the rankings turned into a self-inflected wound with Hamlin dropping a spot.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 4
Well, this win should silence the doubters until the Round of 12. Larson limped into the playoffs on the back of a pit road penalty at Watkins Glen and wrecking at Daytona. Many questioned his consistency, as he has six DNFs on the season. To open the playoffs, Larson and his team took full advantage of an opportunity to win. When the Reddick caution came out, the 5 team’s pit crew got him off pit road first. Clean air was king and it would have taken a mistake on Larson’s behalf for Reddick to pass him for the win.
#2 – Martin Truex Jr
Previously Ranked: 1
For the first time since Week 16, Martin Truex Jr will not be atop the Pit Pass Network Power Rankings. Back to back mediocre weeks from Truex is why he falls down to the two spot. After hitting the wall in qualifying, the 19 team never found the speed they had back in the spring. Instead, Truex ran mid pack all race until a second pit stop during a green flag cycle in Stage 2 saw Truex lose two laps. The team fought back to finish in the Top-20, but it was a disappointing weekend for Truex.
#1 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 2
Much like last week, no driver is hotter than Chris Buescher, especially on ovals. Buescher’s third at Darlington was his worst oval finish since Pocono (if you want to count that as an oval). In the past six races, Buescher’s worst finish overall is eleventh. He has an average finish of 4.0 in those six races. This is why Chris Buescher is number one in this week’s power rankings. The 17 team is proving that their success can be sustained through a variety of tracks. Plus, Buescher’s rear tire changer finished a pit stop with a ball of fire in his face. Bonus points for that.
Honorable Mention
Ross Chastain – What a bounce back race for Ross Chastain. A poor qualifying effort and slow start to the race saw Chastain down a lap at the end of Stage 1. Once he got his lap back though, Chastain powered his way forward to a Top-5 finish.
Christopher Bell – On the other end of the spectrum was Christopher Bell. The pole sitter only fell backwards throughout Sunday, starting with a mistake on pit road from his new pit crew. To compact the issues, Bell smacked the wall and damaged his car significantly at the end of Stage 1.
Bubba Wallace – Bubba Wallace did what he needed to start the playoffs. A solid run where Wallace finishes in the Top-10 in an effort to chip away his playoff point deficit.
