The NASCAR Cup Series began their summer stretch by heading out to WWT Raceway. In their third visit to the track, the Enjoy Illinois 300 looked to be a straight forward affair. Christopher Bell had the best car while the Penske trio attempted to use pit strategy to pull out the win. However, the end of the race saw an engine issue for Bell and Ryan Blaney run out of fuel coming to the white flag. Austin Cindric ultimately prevailed as the winner, securing his spot in the playoffs. When it comes to the FitStop Performance Power Rankings for this week, did Gateway reshuffle the order? Week 14 saw a rain shortened race (and a missing driver) crown Denny Hamlin as the new number one. What about this week?
#10 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
Despite the drop down to 10, Chris Buesher’s Sunday was a testament to the team’s perseverance. Also, it was a classic Buescher style race: no stage points but a solid finish. After a poor qualifying run, Buescher started 26th and failed to move forward throughout the first two stages. However, the final stage saw the 17 car climb up a bit. Along with pit strategy, Buescher was able to pilot his car to a Top-15. Unfortunately for him though, other drivers near him had better days. Hence why he is down two spots this week.
#9 – Ty Gibbs
Previous Ranking: 9
A driver moves ahead of him while one falls behind him. After a solid (yet unremarkable) day, Ty Gibbs remains in ninth in these power rankings. There is little to discuss from Gibbs’ day at Gateway. He netted 4 stage points in Stage 1 and mostly ran inside the Top-15 most of the race. Now, Sonoma offers up an opportunity for Gibbs to pick up his first career Cup win.
#8 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Something always seems to happen to Christopher Bell. While he has 2 wins on the season, a good chunk of 2024 has seen fast 20 cars with poor results due to bad circumstances. Luckily for Bell, his engine issue did not put him back in the garage for the final laps. Plus, his teammate, Martin Truex Jr, helped Bell maintain a Top-10 finish. Before the engine issue, Bell was the dominate car on Sunday. He led the most laps and swept the stages. Barring those engines issues, Bell would have won the Enjoy Illinois 300.
#7 – Martin Truex Jr
Previous Ranking: 5
Martin Truex Jr might have received the Rich MARVelous Move of the Race, but his time at Gateway had little else to celebrate. During Stage 2, Truex nursed a flat tire to pit road. He lost 3 laps, which he was never able to recover from. A few bad runs in recent weeks sees Truex fall into the pack of the power rankings. Much like Gibbs and Buescher, Sonoma will be a great opportunity to see Truex surge back up the rankings.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 6
Another driver who has movement around him yet stays stagnant. Tyler Reddick finished with a Top-5, but his afternoon was not as strong as his result. When Reddick reappeared in the Top-10 late in the race, it was noteworthy due to his lack of presence there to begin with. He did collect 3 stage points in Stage 1, but did little else of note.
#5 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 7
No one is riding more momentum than Brad Keselowski right now. In the past 7 races, Keselowski has racked up 5 Top-3 finishes. Sunday was no different, as Keselowski managed to overcome an early tire issue to speed his way into the Top-5. Keselowski has consistently been outperforming the original championship favorites, which should place him in that conversation now. Unfortunately for his hot streak, the Cup Series heads to Sonoma this weekend.
#4 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 4
A bit of a slow day for the Hendrick Motorsports quartet. Chevy as a whole seemed to lack speed, as only one qualified in the Top-10. Chase Elliott seemed to be an exception early, as he collected points in both stages. However, he faded as the race wore on. While not a bad day for the 9 team, it was a surprisingly mediocre run for the team with the best average finish in the Cup Series.
#3 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Down a spot this week, William Byron continues a recent run where the 24 has not been matching their expectations. Similar to Elliott, it was not a bad race for the team. However, fans would expect more from a team who is penciled into the Championship Four by some. Byron only scored 5 stage points, as he failed to finish Top-10 during Stage 2. While the Coca-Cola 600 seemed to be a step in the right direction, this week disappointed.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
In his return from IndyCar, Kyle Larson did enough to pick up a Top-10 with help from Cliff Daniels (and Ryan Blaney’s gasman). After spinning and taking out Kyle Busch, Larson was the last car to pit during the final green flag cycle. With the strategy, Larson managed to drive back up into the Top-10 before the race was over. With how middling the Hendrick Chevys ran at WWT Raceway, should there be concern for the teams if they are to make the Championship Four?
#1 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 1
Back to back weeks at number one for Denny Hamlin. With eerily similar results to last year’s Gateway race, Hamlin continued his steady performances. After breaking his lap led streak last week, Hamlin continued his new no-laps led streak this week. Hamlin finished second without leading a single lap. Yet, he managed to finish in the points for both stages. Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, and Ryan Blaney share that distinction with the 11 driver. Will Sonoma see Hamlin retain his top spot next week?
Honorable Mention
Ryan Blaney –Â If Ryan Blaney does not run out of gas and wins the race, does he return to the power rankings proper? Most likely not, but he was a tough one to keep out this week.
Alex Bowman – A brief visit to the power rankings for Alex Bowman as his day at Gateway went extremely poor with a finish off the lead lap.
Ross Chastain –Â Hanging onto an honorable mention spot, Ross Chastain did little to make a case to return to the power rankings.
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