For the third straight week, the NASCAR Cup Series held a race where the results do not indicate how well every competitor ran. With the damp conditions and approaching darkness, a key strategy call had to be made approaching the end of Stage 2. Should the drivers pit for slicks or stay on the wet weather tires? For the race winner, the wet tires survived. Others saw benefits to the slicks. Meanwhile, a handful of drivers got penalized for pitting at the wrong time. The Grant Park 165 failed to go the distance, which meant those who were penalized or made mistakes had little chance to recover. On the streets of Chicago, the Cup Series made the FitStop Performance Week 20Â Power Rankings difficult to decipher. How much change will there be from Week 19?
#10 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
From unranked to number 10, Alex Bowman jumps back into the power rankings after claiming victory in Chicago. Despite strategy playing a part in the win, Bowman was a Top-10 competitor all race long. He qualified 8th and maintained an average running position of 6th. After staying out for points in Stage 2, Bowman elected to remain on the wet weather tires. This led to victory once he passed Joey Hand for the lead and kept Tyler Reddick at bay. With Bowman back in the rankings, every Hendrick Motorsports driver is featured.
#9 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 9
Unlike Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney’s Top-10 finish is an outlier compared to his overall race. Post-qualifying, an unapproved adjustment saw Blaney start at the rear of the field. Not until the Stage 2 pit penalties were assessed did Blaney move up the leaderboard. Although it was not a great race for the 12, it was a reverse of Blaney’s usual luck. Normally, Blaney has a great run ruined by late race shenanigans. With this unusual good fortunes, Blaney maintains his spot in the rankings.
#8 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 6
Copy the previous blurb about Blaney above and paste it here for William Byron. The Top-10 finish was a cherry on top of the mudpie of a race Byron ran. Byron’s season has been compared to a roller coaster, but lately it has mostly been drops. A Top-10 result is a welcome sign, but the lack of competitiveness from the 24 team lately is why Byron continues to drop in the power rankings. An average running position of 26th is not erased by a fluke Top-10.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
A poorly timed pit stop spoiled the comeback race that Chris Buescher was driving. After repairing damage from flat spotting in qualifying, Buescher climbed his way to 11th prior to the end of Stage 2. Rather than stay out and take the points, the 17 came down pit road with 2 to go. Unfortunately, race leader Christopher Bell had already passed the start/finish line before they hit pit road. Before the start of the final stage, Buescher restarted at the tail end of the field. He climbed his way to a Top-20, but his race looked to be on track for another Top-10 on a road course.
#6 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 7
Back to back road courses where Brad Keselowski held his own. Similar to his RFK Racing teammates, Keselowski climbed up the leaderboard throughout the race. Unlike Buescher, Keselowski stayed out at the end of Stage 2. A Top-5 looked to be on tap for the RFK owner. However, he was dumped during the last lap and dropped to 18th before crossing the finish line. Despite the last lap setback, Keselowski moves up a spot in the power rankings.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 2
Wet weather tires and Denny Hamlin do not get along. For the second time in 3 races, Hamlin has been seen slipping and sliding around on a damp track. Unlike New Hampshire, there was no positive portion of the Chicago Street Race for Hamlin. Nashville has been the lone bright spot in recent weeks for Hamlin. Wet weather spoiled New Hampshire and Chicago. Meanwhile, Iowa was a rare complete misstep for the 11 team.
#4 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 5
For the second straight week, Christopher Bell sees a race winning car fall victim to an accident in the mid-pack. Bell chose to pit for slicks prior to the end of Stage 2. After tip toeing around the final couple of laps, Bell looked to be in prime position to take advantage of the dry lane on track. However, single file restarts and a late race caution increased the intensity. That led to Bell being taken out with 3 laps to go. Another heartbreaker for Bell.
#3 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 3
Chase Elliott’s Top-20 streak has been broken. Due to contact between Elliott and Daniel Suarez on the last lap, Elliott fell down to 21st to break the streak. Elliott demonstrated his displeasure with Suarez on the cool down lap, dooring him as they drove to pit road. Although he lost the streak, Elliott remains at number 3 in the power rankings. Not a good enough race to move up any spots, but still not worthy of falling down the rankings yet either.
#2 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 4
Another example of a driver who might have experienced déjà vu on the streets of Chicago. Tyler Reddick fell short of a race win despite having the clearly faster car on the final lap. Unlike Nashville though, the fault falls on Reddick for falling short again. As he was chasing down Alex Bowman, Reddick bumped the wall in Turn 5. That wall scrap ruined the momentum Reddick was building in catching the 48. While there is no guarantee that Reddick would have passed Bowman for the win, he had a great chance with how much quicker the slicks were.
#1 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 1
Once again, drivers falling short directly behind Kyle Larson keeps him sitting atop the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Prior to crashing into the tire barrier in Turn 6, Larson was having a solid weekend. He qualified on pole for the Cup race and enthralled fans with his battle against Shane van Gisbergen on Saturday. Unfortunately, the heavy downpour Sunday led to Larson locking up the brakes. However, the DNF did not drop Larson from the points lead nor the number 1 spot.
Honorable Mention
Ross Chastain – The Melon Man fell victim to the Stage 2 pit violation penalty, spoiling a potential Top-10. However, Ross Chastain did prove walls and tire barriers are no match for his driving prowess.
Martin Truex Jr – The late incident with Christopher Bell spoiled a late race recovery for Martin Truex Jr, who seemed to be on a path for a Top-5 late in the race.
Ty Gibbs – Ty Gibbs returns to the honorable mentions after posting a Top-3 finish. Other than Bell, Gibbs looked to be the driver to beat after Shane van Gisbergen wrecked out.
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