What a finish. The ending of the Ambetter Health 400 will be one that will be replayed for years to come. Three wide, photo-finish that is reminiscent of the movie Cars. Daniel Suarez ultimately emerged as the victor by a mere .003 seconds over Ryan Blaney. While the finish of the race was exceptional, Atlanta Motor Speedway provided an entertaining race from start to finish. Despite all but 2-3 cars being involved in an accident, the race was jam packed with action. Atlanta has turned into one of the few tracks where the Cup Series shines above the lower two series. However, another drafting-style race made power rankings difficult this week. This early in the season (and with how chaotic superspeedways are), last year’s finale rankings are still factored in. What changes will there be from Week 1? Without further delay, here are the FitStop Performance Week 2 Power Rankings.
#10 – Bubba Wallace
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
For the first time in 38 weeks, Bubba Wallace has made the Top-10 in the power rankings. Wallace is the only driver this season to have a Top-5 or Top-10 in both races. Superspeedway racing can be a roulette wheel of luck, but Wallace has navigated his 23 car to a great start. His Top-10 streak stretches back to last season, where he finished Top-10 at Phoenix.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
After being swept up in the race ending crash at Daytona, Ross Chastain bounced back with a Top-10 at Atlanta. While Chastain was never the same race winning threat as he was in the Daytona 500, Chastain managed to recover after falling a lap down during Stage 2. Add in a Stage 1 third place finish and there is little to complain about from the 1 team.
#8 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 10
After wrecking twice at Daytona, it must have been refreshing for Ryan Blaney to be one of the only drivers to not be involved in a wreck Sunday. Blaney kept his 12 Ford out front for the bulk of the race. While avoiding trouble, Blaney was leading the race through the final laps. Despite his best efforts, Blaney could not block three lines and allowed both Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez to drag race him for the win. Still, a second place finish along with 17 stage points is a great rebound from a miserable Daytona.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
Chris Buescher had an adventure on Sunday. During Stage 1, Buescher spun out in Turn 4 while managing not to hit anything. William Byron also did some nifty driving to avoid the spinning 17 car. Buescher would recover to run Top-10 for the entirety of Stage 2. However, Joey Logano chased a tight car up the track and into Buescher. With a damaged race car, Buescher managed to find himself in ninth when they crossed the start/finish line.
#6 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 5
Much like the majority of the field, Denny Hamlin found himself in numerous incidents throughout the Ambetter Health 400. It started early, with Hamlin spinning out on the nose of Kyle Busch. Later, Hamlin drove into Chris Buescher’s rear end during the Stage 2 ending caution. For the hat trick, Hamlin was unable to hold steady in the middle of 4-wide and plowed into a spinning Chase Briscoe. Despite all these incidents, Hamlin managed to bring home a battered race car only a single lap down.
#5 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 7
It was somewhat to surprising to review the results of the race and see that Martin Truex Jr did not finish in the Top-10. During Stage 3, Truex was mixing it up for the lead along with Kyle Larson, Todd Gilliland, and the Penske duo. However, Truex slipped down the running order during the final stint. Still, Truex managed to keep his car clean after booting Austin Dillon during the Lap 3 accident. He also managed to pick up 11 stage points.
#4 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 2
Christopher Bell’s race was over before it even started. Getting caught up in the Lap 3 incident, Bell’s crew had to work hard to patch the car back together. While they beat the DVP and met minimum speed, Bell spent most of the early portions of the race getting his car worked on. Ultimately though, Bell finished the day in the garage for his first DNF of the 2024 season.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 3
What a surprise. Kyle Larson did not complete a superspeedway race. For Larson, the “real” season begins this weekend at Las Vegas. Despite the DNF, Larson looked competitive coming to the end of the race. If not for Brad Keselowski repeating Chris Buescher’s spin from earlier, Larson likely would have finished inside the Top-10. However, all was not lost for the 5 team. They salvage the day by scoring 16 stage points.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 1
Dropping out of the top spot this week, William Byron’s Ambetter Health 400 went sideways during green flag pit stops in Stage 2. While approaching the entry in Turn 3, Michael McDowell lost control of his car and spun out. He hit William Byron and caused damage to both cars. No caution was thrown, so McDowell and Byron both fell off the lead lap. With the damage to his car, Byron was unable to be competitive through the rest of the race. A Top-20 finish was the best the 24 team could salvage from the event.
#1 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 4
In Week 2 of the power rankings, there is a new number 1. Kyle Busch finished third in the 3-wide photo finish. However, he was a top car all race long. Busch managed to remain in the Top-5 for most of the race, despite his teammate being out of contention from Lap 3. In back-to-back superspeedway races, Busch has established himself as one of (if not the) top drafters in the pack. After another successful weekend, Busch finds himself atop of the power rankings and the points.
Honorable Mentions
Daniel Suarez – Picking up his second career Cup win, Daniel Suarez locked himself (theoretically) into the playoffs and cooled the hot seat for his ride.
Brad Keselowski – The winless streak extends to 100 races now that Brad Keselowski wrecked out of his second race. With another DNF, he sits at the bottom of the points.
Austin Cindric – While his drafting style might cause cardiac arrest, Austin Cindric found himself battling for the win in back-to-back races to start 2024.
The brainchild of Hunter Smith, FitStop Performance is dedicated to training the toughest around – from motorsports athletes to multi-tasking soccer moms. He desires to help everyone who walks through the doors of his gym to perform optimally throughout life. FitStop Performance jumped on board with Pit Pass Network in 2024 to sponsor the weekly FitStop Performance Rankings which tracks the highest performing NASCAR Cup Series drivers throughout the season. Give them a follow (Facebook, Instagram, X) and thank them for their sponsorship!
