What a race. While the historical finish has received much of the attention, the entire AdventHealth 400 was an absolute joy to watch. This race will go down as one of NASCAR’s all time classic races. Stage 1 was a constant battle for the lead while Stage 2 saw pit stops become crucial for the stage win. A bit of caution fest at the start of the final stage led to different strategies playing out for the last long green flag run of the day. Then the green, white, checkered restart saw an unbelievable finish. Quite simply, Kansas once again proved why it is the best track in NASCAR with the NextGen. With all that excitement, how will the Week 12 Power Rankings look? The Monster Mile shook up the rankings in Week 11, can Kansas do the same?
#10 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking:Â 10
During Stage 1, it seemed that Ross Chastain was going to be a contender for the race win. Leading 43 laps early, Chastain’s car looked strong. However, on the Stage 2 restart, Chastain and Christopher Bell were battling for the lead and lost momentum. This led to Chris Buescher shooting the middle in a five wide pass between them as the pair lost their track position. Chastain was never able to recover from getting put back in the pack. A promising start resulted in a 19th place finish.
#9 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 9
Anyone else surprised to see Alex Bowman leave Kansas with a Top-10? Throughout the race, Bowman was quiet. Then you look at the race results and see that he finished 7th. Granted, that Top-10 was mostly the result of taking two tires on the final stop. However, Bowman managed to average a Top-15 running position throughout the race. A quiet day with a result likely better than what he deserved.
#8 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 7
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was the lack of presence from the 23XI Racing teams. Specifically, the 45 team, which had won 3 of the last 4 Kansas races heading into Sunday. Reddick had flashes of Top-5 speed, but never looked to be a race winning threat. It seems that the team simply missed the mark this week.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
Well, that was heartbreaking. It is one thing to lose a race by .001 seconds. However, it is more of sucker punch when you are initially told that you won to then have it stripped away moments later. For anyone who watched Buescher’s postrace interview, it would be impossible to not feel bad for the RFK driver. Despite the heartbreak finish, it was a tremendous day for the 17 team. Scoring 16 stage points (almost doubling their season total) along with the Stage 2 win, Buescher shot up in the points. RFK Racing has been a second half team, but Buescher is seemingly hitting his stride early.
#6 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 5
While the RFK Fords looked strong, Team Penske dragged a bit at Kansas. Look no further than at Ryan Blaney. Blaney barely spent a third of the race within the Top-15, normally seen in the later half of the teens. For his mediocre race, Blaney drops down a spot in the power rankings. However, the speed that Ford showed this weekend might be a promising sign for Blaney to defend his Coke 600 win.
#5 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 6
Back in the Top-5 of the power rankings, Chase Elliott is a looming threat for championship aspirations. While Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher were battling for the win, Elliott slipped by Martin Truex Jr for third. The Kansas Top-5 marks Elliott’s fifth of the season, which is only 2 shy of his mark from last year. As the season progresses, the more that Elliott is resembling the form many expect out of the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
#4 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Last week, William Byron’s DNF and mediocre Dover run (prior to the DNF) was not enough to push him down the rankings. However, another mediocre run does see Byron fall two spots this week. It was a bit surprising that Byron did not run better on Sunday. He was fastest in practice Saturday, but a wall smack during qualifying saw Byron start from the back. He managed to rise up the leaderboard quickly, but stalled out once he hit the Top-15.
#3 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 4
Kyle Busch owes Martin Truex Jr an apology. If Busch does not spin, Truex likely prevails as the race winner Sunday night. At the time of the caution, Truex had cut down Denny Hamlin’s lead to .6 seconds. With Hamlin in fuel saving mode, Truex would have passed him for the win more than likely. Even with the caution though, Truex might have still won the race had he not hit the wall coming out of Turn 4 on the last lap. With Buescher and Larson banging doors, Truex looked to have the momentum on the outside. If he avoided the wall, there is a possibility that he could have went around the outside of Larson for the win.
#2 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 3
Leading the most laps, Denny Hamlin had to accept a fifth place finish on Sunday. After the spree of cautions to start the final stage, the 11 team’s strategy saw Hamlin out front for the bulk of the final stage. While managing his fuel, Hamlin was able to keep Buescher at bay. On top of the laps led, Hamlin did win Stage 1 for a crucial playoff point. The big question for Hamlin is how much the poor pit cycles early hurt his chances to win. Now, Hamlin sits second in the rankings with one of his best tracks coming up.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 1
Kyle Larson owes Kyle Busch a box of chocolates and flowers. Not only because Kyle Larson won the race, but Busch’s spin saved Larson’s Top-5. From Jamie Little’s X account, Larson’s right front tire had the wiring exposed. For those wondering why Larson faded at the end of that green flag run, that is why. With the caution, Larson was able to change that tire and be in great position for the win. On the opposite side of Buescher’s heartbreak, the pure jubilation to go from accepting second to winning the race is unmatched. Larson stays at the top of the power rankings this week as the Cup Series heads to throwback weekend at Darlington.
Honorable Mention
Christopher Bell – Almost making it back into the rankings, Christopher Bell had a nice bounce back race in Kansas. While he never lived up to his pole position, Bell picks up a much needed Top-10.
Ty Gibbs – Through the first two stages, Ty Gibbs looked to be a Top-5 car. However, a late pit stop spoiled a good finish for Gibbs who was having a solid race.
Brad Keselowski – The fastest car on track during the final stage was Brad Keselowski. Had the race gone green, there was the chance that Keselowski could have driven to the leader.
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