Another week, another race where NASCAR officiating completely spoils the fun of the race. While there are gripes about the fuel saving strategy at superspeedways now, the YellaWood 500 was a fine race. Stage 1 saw 4-wide racing for a lengthy duration toward the end. Rarely did the field ever line up for the standard high-line train. However, the controversy struck during “the big one” in the closing laps of the race. After 28 cars were involved, NASCAR blundered their way through the process. Outside of the controversy, another non-playoff driver won this weekend. Similar to Week 30, will there be shuffling in the FitStop Performance Week 31Â Power Rankings after Talladega?
#10 – Ross Chastain
Previous Ranking: 9
After picking up his first win of the season, Ross Chastain followed it up by getting caught in the Stage 2 caution with Ryan Blaney. Due to no fault of his own, Chastain got caught by Ryan Blaney wrecking as the field crossed the finish line. Chastain did manage to pick up points in both stages though before finishing behind the wall.
#9 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 10
The man who started the Ryan Blaney/Ross Chastain accident bumps up a spot this weekend. Alex Bowman continued to thrive during this playoff stretch. Scoring 5 points in Stage 2, Bowman was on track to pick up another Top-10. However, he got caught up in the big one as managed to finish Top-20 and on the lead lap.
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
Chris Buescher ran near the front for the majority of the YellaWood 500. He won Stage 1 and usually could be seen as one of the first 2 or 3 cars in line. However, pitting with only 2 other drivers lost Buescher the valuable track position during the final stretch of the race. Barely getting tagged in the big accident, Buescher brought a damager 17 car home in 17th.
#7 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 6
Ryan Blaney and being wrecked at a superspeedway, a combination that frequently occurs at Daytona and Talladega. Blaney was working well with his Penske teammates throughout the first two stages. However, an ill-advised push by Alex Bowman led to Blaney crashing hard into Ross Chastain and the outside wall. Luckily for Blaney, his fellow playoff competitors also found trouble to soften the points blow to his championship hopes.
#6 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 5
Denny Hamlin backed his way into a Top-10 finish after “the big one” took out the entire field in front of him. Once a superspeedway ace, Hamlin has struggled mightily to find success in the NextGen car. While there are legitimate arguments about how poor this car is on superspeedways, there are still drivers who thrive in this environment. Hamlin and the 11 team have failed to adjust, which saw Atlanta and Talladega be struggles for them.
#5 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 7
Is William Byron starting to round into form again? Back-to-back podium finishes has Byron jumping up two spots in this week’s power rankings. Currently, Byron is the only playoff driver clinched for the Round of 8. While the team will surely go out to win the ROVAL, they are able to focus on the Round of 8 a bit earlier than most. If Byron is getting hot at the right time, NASCAR might see this Hendrick Motorsports driver hoisting the trophy in Phoenix.
#4 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 4
This has not been the playoff run many expected out of Tyler Reddick. Talladega was not much different. Reddick led a couple of laps, but he did not factor too much near the front of the field. In addition, he also got damage in the late race caution to hinder his chances of a better finish. Luckily for the 45 team, Reddick looked strong at the ROVAL last year. With his playoff spot on the line, look for Reddick to turn in another strong performance in Charlotte this coming weekend.
#3 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 3
For the first time in the NextGen era, Chase Elliott failed to score points in a stage at Talladega. Despite missing points in Stage 1, Elliott managed to finish second in Stage 2 for 9 valuable points. Those points did come in handy as Elliott got heavy damage in the accident on the back stretch. The 9 car also became a prime example of NASCAR’s inconsistencies as they towed the broken 9 car back to his pits for repair.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
Sunday might have been a miracle. Kyle Larson managed to miss a big wreck at a superspeedway track. Not only that, but he also finished inside the Top-5 in a drafting race for the first time in his career. While there are some gripes (from Ford fans) about whether Larson intentionally failed to push Brad Keselowski to the win, the Top-5 finish for Larson cannot be understated. Although it was not enough to push him to the top spot of the power rankings, it is a great sign for Larson’s playoff run.
#1 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 1
Remaining on at number 1 for the FitStop Performance Week 31 Power Rankings is Christopher Bell. Despite his unfavorable view of superspeedway racing, Bell has become quite masterful at picking up solid finishes. Although he failed to lead a lap, Bell managed to pick up a Top-10. While he did not clinch his Round of 8 spot yet, that seems to be a foregone conclusion as Bell enters the ROVAL with a 57 point cushion to the cutline. Consistency will help keep Bell in the playoff hunt, as well as on top of the FitStop Performance Power Rankings.
Honorable Mention
Brad Keselowski –Â RFK Racing and close finishes have not been kind to each other this season. Brad Keselowski missed out on his 7th Talladega win by .006 seconds.
Carson Hocevar – Another solid, yet unremarkable result for Carson Hocevar keeps him in the honorable mention tier.
Bubba Wallace – 2 Top-10s over the past 3 races finds Bubba Wallace back in the honorable mentions this week.
The brainchild of Hunter Smith, FitStop Performance is dedicated to training the toughest around – from motorsports athletes to multi-tasking soccer moms. He desires to help everyone who walks through the doors of his gym to perform optimally throughout life. FitStop Performance jumped on board with Pit Pass Network in 2024 to sponsor the weekly FitStop Performance Rankings which tracks the highest performing NASCAR Cup Series drivers throughout the season. Give them a follow (Facebook, Instagram, X) and thank them for their sponsorship!
