Usually, the ROVAL provides some chaotic entertainment as the elimination race of the Round of 12. With a new configuration this year, the expectations were high for how well this race would play out. However, the ROVAL disappointed a bit. The newly configured Turns 6 and 7 did lead to spins outs, but nothing too crazy. While it would be unfair to say the race was bad, the ROVAL again paled in comparison to what the NextGen does on the oval. In the end, the most notable thing about the Bank of America ROVAL 400 came after the race ended. Alex Bowman got disqualified, eliminating him from the playoffs. Thankfully, there are no eliminations from the FitStop Performance Week 32 Power Rankings. Did the ROVAL offer more changes than Talladega did for Week 31?
#10 – Bubba Wallace
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Returning to the power rankings this week, Bubba Wallace put together a strong effort on the ROVAL. Wallace deserves credit for improving his road racing abilities. This Sunday was another feather into the cap for the driver of the 23. Essentially, he ran Top-10 all race while never making a crucial mistake to send him deep into the field.
#9 – Carson Hocevar
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Barely missing out on a Top-10, Carson Hocevar also returns to the power rankings this week after another solid outing. Similar to Wallace, Hocevar ran inside the Top-10 for the bulk of the race. On his older tires, Hocevar was not able to keep the hard chargers from passing him during the final stretch. During the race, he managed to ruffle some feathers during the race. Overall, the standard Carson Hocevar experience.
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 7
Early in the final stage, Chris Buescher looked on path to collect another Top-10 on a road course. However, Turn 7 struck. Well, more so Austin Dillon. Shortly after a restart, Buescher was spun out and fell down to 32nd by the time he regathered. The bounce-back effort was a valiant one, but ultimately Buescher failed to pick up another Top-10. A surprisingly poor qualifying effort as well helps drop Buescher a spot this week.
#7 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 8
Flying under the radar this weekend, Ryan Blaney had a solid day at the ROVAL. Blaney lucked out with the big one at Talladega, which meant his points position was decent heading into Sunday. Blaney managed to pick up points in both stages, which helped him comfortably move onto to the next round. A Top-10 on the ROVAL with no incidents is a perfect way to continue Blaney’s championship defense.
#6 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 5
Early during the ROVAL, it did not look too promising for Denny Hamlin. Running near the back of the field, Hamlin seemingly needed help to move on in the playoffs. Luckily, the race flipped in Hamlin’s favor during the second stage. Once he gained the appropriate track position, Hamlin never sweated his advancement to the next round. Now that the “wild card” rounds are over, Hamlin might be one to watch for the Championship Four.
#5 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 4
What a day for Tyler Reddick. At one point, it seemed that Reddick was destined to become the first regular season champion to miss out on the Round of 8. After flying into team owner Denny Hamlin, Reddick broke a toe-link in his car. Fortunately, his crew managed to fix it and give Reddick competitive speed again. During the final caution, the 45 team took fresh tires to surge through the field to nab (at the time) the final Round of 8 spot.
#4 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 6
William Byron could not have performed much better in the Round of 12. Three podiums for Byron is exactly the type of momentum the team needs to reenter the championship conversation. While never seeming like a race winning threat, Byron maintained a strategy that kept him near the front all race. Ultimately, Byron’s strong finish (along with his recent results) bolts him to fourth in the power rankings.
#3 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 3
Continuing a consistent season, the owner of the best average finish in the Cup Series fairly easily advanced to the Round of 8. There was nothing too flashy from the 9 team this weekend. His Top-5 was a quiet one, as the attention of the broadcast centered around Tyler Reddick. Still, a fifth place finish is a strong result to keep Elliott third in the rankings. However, it feels that Elliott will need to win a race in the Round of 8 to move onto the Championship Four.
#2 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 2
Back-to-back dominate race wins in elimination races for Kyle Larson. Taking over the lead during the start of Stage 2, Larson did not look back. He led a race high 62 laps, including all of but one of the final 42 laps. Had it not been for the Reddick/Logano battle, the final stage of this race would have been a complete snoozer. However, his dominate performance was not quite enough to boost him back to the top spot in the power rankings.
#1 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 1
Remaining atop the FitStop Performance Week 32Â Power Rankings is Christopher Bell. His second place finish at the ROVAL marked his 9th Top-10 over the past 11 races. Although he has not picked up a win since New Hampshire, it is difficult to argue against Bell being the championship favorite. His consistency has been impressive, along with race winning speed. If Bell can make it to his third straight Championship Four, he will likely be the one to beat.
Honorable Mention
Alex Bowman – Heartbreak for Alex Bowman Sunday night after he was disqualified for failing to meet minimum weight also sees him drop out of the power rankings.
Ross Chastain – Ross Chastain had an adventure at the ROAVL, being spun out numerous times to withhold him from a solid run.
Brad Keselowski – Surprisingly, Brad Keselowski looked to be the better RFK racer over the weekend. However, a couple of run-ins with Carson Hocevar spoiled a potential Top-10 run.
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