Homestead-Miami Speedway should host the Championship Race. This past Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series put on an instant classic of a race. Especially given the playoff circumstances, the Straight Talk Wireless 400 was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. However, the show-stealer was the final lap, where Tyler Reddick moved from third to first from Turn 1 to Turn 4. Imagine if this race had been for the championship rather than the middle event of the Round of 8. As for the Power Rankings, this week might offer less movement than Week 33. Find out where the drivers rank in the FitStop Performance Week 34 Power Rankings.
#10 – Carson Hocevar
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
Carson Hocevar is back in the power rankings after a week in the honorable mentions. Hocevar impressed this past week, running among the playoff competitors. Especially during Stage 2, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year spent time in the Top-5, passing the playoff drivers on his way. Another Top-10 for Hocevar helps solidify the growing expectations from the Spire driver.
#9 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 9
First non-playoff driver in the running order, Alex Bowman continues his late season surge. During the playoffs, Bowman has averaged a 9.4 finish (not including the ROVAL DQ). A foolish error by the 48 team leaves Bowman without a chance at the Championship Four. However, that has not derailed his consistency.
#8 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 6
Homestead has been a difficult track for Chris Buescher and the 17 team recently. After a breakout performance in 2021, Buescher has struggled to find speed. Last year, it was a major factor to his playoff elimination. This year was an improvement, but Buescher struggled to pilot his way through the field. After a mediocre weekend, he slides down 2 spots in the rankings.
#7 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 8
Why did you not block the top lane Ryan Blaney? Heading into Turn 3 on the final lap, it looked to be a Ryan Blaney victory. His car came alive during the final stage, leading 47 laps on the day. However, he left the top lane open for Reddick, known for riding the wall, to pass him. Letting that win slip through his hands might prove to be costly for the reigning champion, as he has to go and win at Martinsville this coming weekend.
#6 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 7
Despite the potential qualms about Ryan Blaney leaving the top lane, nothing should be taken away from Tyler Reddick’s last lap. In Turns 1 and 2, he swung below Denny Hamlin and made the pass for second. Then, he made the top stick on older tires to blow past Ryan Blaney. The impressive final surge sees Reddick advance to the Championship Four in his quest for his first Cup championship.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 5
Had the race gone green until the end, Denny Hamlin might have been the Toyota driver finding victory lane. On the freshest tires, Hamlin was slowly tracking down the leaders. However, the Kyle Larson caution reset the field and Hamlin was unable to hold onto the lead after passing Tyler Reddick. While a Top-5 is a good day, Hamlin would have preferred the win for his playoff hopes.
#4 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 3
Back to back troublesome races for Kyle Larson sees him drop a spot this week. Early in the race, a blown tire planted the 5 car deep into the field. Unable to move forward, Larson’s day looked to be done. However, the team fought back and got Larson back into the Top-10. With laps winding down, Larson was running second behind Ryan Blaney. However, his aggressive move for the lead ended up with him spinning out.
#3 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 4
For the first time this season, Chase Elliott had a (somewhat) dominate car. Even during his Texas win, Elliott never seemed to be the best car on track. However, Sunday saw the 9 car be considered one of, if not the, fastest car. Ultimately, the long run speed was not there to compete with the 11 or 12. Facing a must-win heading into Martinsville, Elliott will look to rekindle that 2020 magic.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Not much to say about William Byron’s day. He started deep in the field after a poor qualifying run. Yet, he managed to climb his way up the leaderboard quickly to score points in Stage 1. From there, Byron consistently ran inside the Top-10. Never a race winning car, but managed to maximize his points and put himself above the cutline heading into Martinsville.
#1 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 1
Remaining at number 1 in the FitStop Performance Power Rankings is Christopher Bell. After winning this race last year, Bell lacked the necessary speed to pick up the win. However, he nabbed 13 stage points en route to a Top-5 finish. Out of the playoff drivers without a Round of 8 win, Bell seems safe to point his way to Phoenix. He sits 29 above the cutline and 22 above Byron should there be a new playoff winner.
Honorable Mention
Joey Logano –Â Good thing Joey Logano won Las Vegas because Homestead was a bad race for the 22 team.
Ryan Preece – Quietly putting together some strong runs to end the year, the potential driver of RFK Racing’s third entry picked up a Top-10 at Homestead.
Bubba Wallace – Remaining in the honorable mentions this week, Bubba Wallace had a middling day that saw him finish 18th.
