What an interesting race that played out at Texas Motor Speedway. After a mundane Stage 1, Texas turned into calamity corner with numerous drivers losing control over the bump in Turn 4. The cautions allowed different strategies to play out, seeing comers and goers due said strategies. As an intermediate track, the action was step below the others on the schedule. For Texas Motor Speedway though, this was likely the best race at the track since the repave. With the various strategies playing out, the leaderboard remained in a constant state of flux. That means this week’s FitStop Performance Week 9 Power Ranking will be tough to nail down. Will the result outweigh how a driver ran throughout the race? Week 8 saw a straight forward short track race to review. Time to see what Texas did to the power rankings.
#10 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Heading into the weekend, Tyler Reddick was the non-Kyle Larson favorite. He topped the practice chart then followed it up with a Top-5 qualifying effort on Saturday. Reddick had a fast car, but that did not show until the final stage. Once he got out front, Reddick set sail from the field. However, a bad pit stop and untimely caution lost the lead for Reddick. After losing positions while chasing his car up the track, Reddick rebounded to pick up a Top-5. With that effort, he returns to the power rankings.
#9 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Not one, but two honorable mentions from last week crack the Top-10 this week. Ross Chastain looked to be a contender during the latter half of the race. A differing strategy allowed Chastain to pick up the Stage 2 win. However, that strategy also hurt Chastain’s chance at the win during the final stage. After taking two tires on his final stop, it was shaping up for a Top-5 finish for the Melon Man. The late race cautions gave Chastain a chance for the win. Instead, Chastain was run over by Willian Byron on the final lap to lose 30 spots (from 2nd to 32nd).
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 7
Another respectable performance for Chris Buescher sees him lose a spot in the power rankings. Outside a brief moment during the opening bit of Stage 2, Buescher was marred in the mid-pack throughout the race. Again, his biggest weakness is shining through early this season. Through 9 races, Buescher has only collected 14 stage points. This puts him behind the likes of Michael McDowell, Josh Berry, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr in stage points earned. If he could get those stage points, his current points position would improve greatly as his average finish ranks seventh.
#7 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 8
Despite his poor finish, Ryan Blaney bumps up a spot in the power rankings. Throughout the afternoon, Blaney ran comfortably inside the Top-10. What boosted him ahead a spot were the 13 stage points he collected on the day. Plus, the 17 laps he led. Unfortunately for Blaney, he went sailing into the wall in Turns 1 and 2 during the final stage. While he was able to continue, the damage from the incident kept him off the pace and he slowly churned out laps heading to the finish.
#6 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
A huge credit has to go to the crew of the 20 car. Christopher Bell went for a spin during the early portion of Stage 2. He made contact with the outside wall and it looked as if Bell’s chances of being competitive were over. However, the crew was able to tape up the damage well enough where Bell finished inside the Top-20. Sure, he lost a spot in the power rankings. However, it could have been worse if Bell’s team was unable to keep the car running with Top-20 speed.
#5 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 6
Is Chase Elliott back? Since the start of these power rankings, this is the highest Chase Elliott has been. Including his Texas win, Elliott is riding high with momentum from three straight Top-5s. With his first win in 42 races, Elliott locks himself into the playoffs and the championship contention conversations are heating up. If Elliott continues at this pace, then those conversations will prove to be justified. For now, it is great for the Elliott fans to see their driver back in victory lane. More importantly though, it was fantastic to see a Hooters sponsored car win a race for the first time since 1992.
#4 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 3
For the majority of Sunday’s race, Martin Truex Jr had a mediocre race. He ran inside the Top-15 for over 60% of the race, but never was a contender for a strong finish. During the green flag pit cycle in the final stage, Truex’s left rear tire was not secured and he had to make a second pit stop. With all the late race cautions, Truex managed to get back on the lead lap and finish inside the Top-15. However, he was a nonfactor all race, which is why he is down a spot this week.
#3 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 4
As the race dwindled down, it looked as if Hamlin was on his way to another victory this season. The only threat seemed to be Brad Keselowski on 18-lap fresher tires. However, he still needed to get around Chase Elliott. Then the caution flag waved and that turned the race to Elliott’s favor. On the first restart, Elliott barely held the lead over Hamlin when the caution waved again. The following restart saw Hamlin attempt to hold steady on the outside, only to be thwarted by the bump in Turn 4. After leading 37 laps. Hamlin’s result does not match the performance he had at Texas.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
Until his right rear tire fell off, it looked to be the Kyle Larson show at Texas. He dominated the first stage, only giving up the lead to due to pit stops. In the clean air, Larson was able to drive away from the field. After his tire fell off, Larson’s day never recovered. Due to the cautions, he was able to get back on the lead lap (after he served his 2-lap penalty) relatively quickly. However, the 5 car did not drive as well in traffic. Unable to make his way forward, Larson remained stuck in the mid-pack. Although he led the most laps, the bulk of his day was spent riding in the 20s.
#24 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 1
Almost by default, William Byron remains at the top of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Although he finished third, Byron was absent from contention all race long. When Byron was lining up in the second row for the last two restarts, the thought of “where did he come from” came to mind. It was similar to Texas last year, where Byron had a decent race but found himself in the right place at the right time. Had Larson or Hamlin pulled out better results, there could have been a new number one. Instead, Byron holds on for one more week.
Honorable Mention
Ty Gibbs – Similar to Kyle Larson, Stage 1 saw Ty Gibbs able to pull away from the field and maintain his gap with Larson. However, a bad pit stop sent Gibbs to the mid-pack, where he stayed the remainder of the race.
Alex Bowman – Slipping back out of the power rankings, Alex Bowman had a DNF when his car snapped loose on him when attempting to slow down for a spinning Christopher Bell.
Chase Briscoe – Quietly, Chase Briscoe is putting together a solid 2024 campaign. His Top-10 at Texas was his fourth of the year.
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