The high banks of Daytona International Speedway certainly did not disappointment Saturday night. Under the lights, the NASCAR Cup Series put on a show for the fans. The drafting remained intense throughout, with the occasional wreck thrown in to keep everyone on their toes. To top it off, a surprise winner and feel good story found victory lane as Harrison Burton picked up his first career win. With the Burton win, the Wood Brothers collect their 100th win as an organization. Between the surprise winner and the carnage, who managed to secure a spot in the FitStop Performance Week 25Â Power Rankings? Will there be much change compared to Week 24?
#10 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 8
It was a quiet night for William Byron. Despite leading a single lap, the 24 car was absent from the front of the lead pack. For much of the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Byron was stuck in the middle of the draft, unable to push forward. He did score 5 stages points, but lacked the usual Hendrick strength seen at superspeedways. Plus, he got caught up in the last “big one” of the night.
#9 – Bubba Wallace
Previous Ranking: 10
Unfortunately for Bubba Wallace, his perseverance Saturday night was not rewarded well in the playoff picture. Wallace caught damage in the Lap 153 accident that caught most of the field. After pitting numerous times, the 23 team was able to get the car aerodynamically fit for the draft. Wallace jumped up to a sixth place finish. However, Wallace faces a daunting task at Darlington after the Harrison Burton win and Chris Buescher’s solid points day.
#8 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 7
Early in the race, it looked to be a race dominated by the Team Penske Fords. Once the trio found each other, they managed to control the front of the lead draft. Ryan Blaney secured solid finishes in both stages, collecting a total of 15 points. Despite not leading a lap, Blaney figured to be a key factor in deciding the win. Much like the two drivers before him, Blaney got caught up in the Lap 153 accident, which ended his night.
#7 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 9
Only two drivers managed to finish each stage within the Top-10. One of those was Chris Buescher. Buescher had a great points day in Daytona. Using great momentum from Turns 3 and 4, Buescher swung around 5 cars at the end of Stage 1 to collect 8 valuable points. The 17 driver also picked up a couple points at the end of Stage 2. While a Top-10 is not anything to be upset about, Buescher’s race could have ended better if he did not flat spot his tires in the last “big one” of the night.
#6 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 7
At superspeedways, Christopher Bell somehow finds a way to be in a position to win. Especially at Daytona, Bell manages to be relatively quiet all race long until the green-white-checkered where he lines up in the second row. Bell led no laps and collected no stage points throughout the evening. Yet, he was the man Kyle Busch banked on to win the race. Overall, a clean race for Bell while finishing on the podium.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 4
Daytona has not been kind to Denny Hamlin in the NextGen era. In 5 previous starts, Hamlin had failed to crack the Top-15. Saturday night was no different. Hamlin collected his 3 DNF at Daytona in 6 starts. Whether it was intentional or not, Hamlin rode in the back of the lead pack for Stage 1. Usually, Hamlin rides around until the end stages anyways. This time though, he did not manage to pull forward at the end of Stage 1. Then he got collected in the first “big one” of the night, resulting in the DNF.
#4 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 3
Similar to Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott did not have much to talk about in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 before being wrecked out. Although Elliott did qualify inside the Top-10, he did not manage to maintain that track position to score stage points. Losing that Top-10 track position proved costly as Elliott got caught up in the Lap 61 incident.
#3 – Brad Keselowski
Previous Ranking: 5
For those who argue that superspeedway racing is luck-based with little skill, Brad Keselowski proves that wrong. Keselowski demonstrates the art of the draft, how a driver can pick off his opponents by switching lanes and using momentum properly. If not for a ticky-tack restart penalty, there is a good shout that Keselowski wins Saturday (or wrecks out instead of Michael McDowell from Austin Cindric’s bad push). Despite the penalty, Keselowski scored the most points Saturday, joining his teammate in being the other driver to finish Top-10 in each stage. Up two spots this week, the superspeedway tracks in the playoffs should be gold for Keselowski.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
No change in the Top-2 this week. While both drivers suffered from on-track incidents, so did the drivers directly behind them. Kyle Larson was the only one of the Top-4 to not DNF though. Still, Larson and his rivalry with superspeedways will continue. The man has no luck when it comes to the draft, despite being well versed in using it. After getting caught up in the Lap 61 wreck, Larson’s damaged vehicle was battling for the lead shortly after the restart. Unfortunately, Larson got caught up in another wreck. This time, it kept him from being competitive for the final few laps.
#1 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 1
Although he wrecked out of the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Tyler Reddick remains the number one driver atop the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. While Reddick is regarded as a quality drafter, he did little to demonstrate that on Saturday. In his MoneyLion Toyota, Reddick ran toward the back most of the race. Honestly, the only two Toyotas that looked strong were Bubba Wallace and John Hunter Nemechek. Still, Reddick leaves Daytona as the points leader to pair with his top spot in the power rankings.
Honorable Mention
Carson Hocevar – Carson Hocevar stuck to the strategy of riding around in the back then picking up the positions that others wrecked out of. It nearly netted him a Top-10, with the rookie finishing 11th.
Ross Chastain – What was said about Bubba Wallace could be said about Ross Chastian. He bounced back after getting caught up in a wreck to nearly finish inside the Top-10.
Joey Logano – Another driver that demonstrates the art of superspeedway racing, Joey Logano looked to be one of the drivers to beat. He won Stage 2 and ran upfront for nearly the entire race.
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