After Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series has hit every track type for the first time in the 2024 schedule. Circuit of the Americas (COTA) was on tap this past weekend, serving up some pedestrian entertainment. While the clown show of last year’s overtime was missing, in its place was a straight forward contest with no natural cautions. The NextGen car continues to be too good on the road courses to be a compelling NASCAR-style road course race. However, this means that the best drivers and cars were able to maintain top position while the others struggled. Outside the pesky track limit penalties and the occasional spin, the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix was a relatively easy one to judge. Last week’s power rankings had tire shenanigans to consider. How do the FitStop Performance Week 6 Power Rankings look after a road course race?
#10 – Kyle Busch
Previous Ranking: 10
After barely staying inside the Top-10 last week, Kyle Busch put together a strong effort on Sunday. While distant from race winning contention, Busch seemed to have a Top-5 car heading toward the finish of the race. Unfortunately for him, Christopher Bell drove through the 8 car in his attempt to catch the leader. Busch managed to salvage a Top-10 from the late race spin. However, Busch might look for payback against Bell.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 9
Ross Chastain might have been the second best Chevy in the field during the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Chastain wrestled the lead away from William Byron to kick off the final stage. However, a pass right before hitting pit road and a slow pit stop quickly ended Chastain’s hopes for the win. Staying in ninth this week, Chastain is putting together a nice start to the 2024 season.
#8 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 6
Dropping a couple of spots, Ryan Blaney had a pedestrian day on the road course this past weekend. A poor qualifying effort saw Blaney start from deep in the field. However, he did managed to finish inside the Top-15 and net some stage points (for Stage 2). Back to back weeks of middling races for Blaney sees him get passed by a couple of drivers building momentum. Blaney can regain those positions easily though with a strong run at Richmond.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 7
It was a tough debate whether to put Chris Buescher up a spot or not. Similar to Bristol, COTA was a day where the challenge was evident from the start. After a 20th qualifying spot, Buescher had to restart at the rear of the field after making some unapproved adjustments. Sticking to a solid game plan, Buescher managed his race well and drove up through the field steadily. By the time the final stage rolled around, Buescher was comfortably in the Top-10.
#6 – Ty Gibbs
Previous Ranking: 8
Ty Gibbs is riding a hot streak currently. The young driver has impressed three weeks in a row, resulting in his two spot jump this week. After qualifying second, Gibbs finished in the Top-5 for the third time this season. One more and he will match his total from last year. So far, Gibbs has not only avoided the sophomore slump, but he is establishing himself as a contender early in 2024. His first Cup Series win feels on the horizon. It is seemingly a question of when rather than if.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 3
Much like others in the power rankings, Denny Hamlin’s drop is not the case of him doing poorly. COTA did not reflect the same dominance that Phoenix and Bristol flashed of the 11 team. However, Hamlin did manage to pick up a valuable stage win (Stage 2) and finished inside the Top-15. Although he was the worst of the JGR cars, that still meant he was in the upper threshold of drivers on Sunday.
#4 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
If there was one more lap, then Christopher Bell is likely your winner. Arguably, Bell had the best car in the field from the drop of the green flag. However, Bell never was able to show it off. He did pick up the stage win in Stage 1, but that was due to the front drivers giving it up. Bell was the fastest car on track during the closing laps. He managed to erase a significant deficit to cut the lead down to .7 seconds by the time the checkered flag waved. This has led to some wondering if teammate Ty Gibbs cost Bell the win by racing him hard for second in the closing laps.
#3 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 1
Out of the top spot this week is Kyle Larson. Similar to Denny Hamlin, Larson’s COTA race was nothing inspiring but also nothing negative. While Larson did get spun out by Christopher Bell during the race, Larson never was in position to win. Unlike in the Xfinity Series, Larson was never able to find his way to the lead. It was one of the rare races where Larson was the worst Hendrick driver during the race.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 4
This is starting to feel like déjà vu. Last year, William Bryon won 6 races in a breakout season. However, there were also stretches were Byron looked far from his race winning form. Through six races this year, Byron has collected 2 wins yet still has managed to find spots to disappoint. Phoenix was a poor result after a solid run while Bristol saw his toe link break after contact with the wall. That led to this week where Byron goes out and dominates the weekend from start to finish. It was good enough to boost him up to second, but not quite enough to get past the new number one.
#1 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 2
For the first time this season, a non-Chevy has claimed the top spot in the power rankings. Based on his consistency, Truex claims the top spot in this week’s rankings. Despite not being the top driver at COTA, Truex’s performance was enough grant him sole ownership of the points lead. Truex currently ranks second in average finish, only trailing his teammate Ty Gibbs. Truex’s grasp on the top spot might strengthen after the Cup Series heads to Richmond for the Toyota Owners 400.
Honorable Mention
Alex Bowman – Back to back Top-5s sees Alex Bowman starting to put build momentum for the 2024 season.
Chase Elliott – Had it not been for a course cutting penalty, Chase Elliott would have likely finished with a Top-10 on Sunday.
Tyler Reddick – Hot and cold keeps Tyler Reddick in the honorable mentions. Sunday was a good day for Reddick, who finished in the Top-5.
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!
