Prior to the last 20 laps, the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway was the perfect elimination race. With massive playoff implications, drivers were duking it out for the win and final 2 playoff spots. Plus, Goodyear seemed to find an ideal balance with the tire. There was passing, especially by the strong long run cars. However, the final 20 laps displayed the ugly side to these playoffs. Race manipulation was clear, as the 1 and 3 provided a blockade for the 24. On the final lap, the 23 dropped anchor and allowed the 20 to go by. After the 20 rode the wall, his playoff spot was rescinded and NASCAR has penalized 1, 3, and 23. Homestead highlighted the best of the playoff, showcased in Week 34’s power rankings. How will Martinsville shake up the FitStop Performance Week 35 Power Rankings?
#10 – Chris Buescher
Previous Ranking: 8
It was a bad race for Chris Buescher. He qualified poorly, starting the race back in 26th. He quickly fell back and remained in the 30s for the entire race. While his teammate was leading the most laps, Buescher could not stay on the lead lap. Chalk it up to a simple miss by the 17 team and they will hope to finish strong at Phoenix.
#9 – Joey Logano
Previous Ranking: Honorable Mention
After winning Las Vegas, Joey Logano has had little to race for. Still, he managed to pick up a Top-10 at Martinsville. Now joined by his Penske teammate, Logano will head to Phoenix with 2 weeks of prep. Will the destiny of an even-year Logano championship run come to fruition?
#8 – Tyler Reddick
Previous Ranking: 6
If not for an exceptional last lap at Homestead, the regular season champion would be sitting on the sidelines for the Championship Race. The Round of 8 was abysmal for Reddick. Two DNFs around a somewhat fluke of a win is not great momentum for Phoenix. However, the fans of chaos will want to see NASCAR have to hand over the trophy to the team actively suing them.
#7 – Alex Bowman
Previous Ranking: 9
Essentially by default, Alex Bowman moves up 2 spots in this week’s power rankings. Bowman had a fine race; nothing special but tremendously better than the two who were ahead of him. Perhaps the highlight of the race for Bowman was sending Carson Hocevar for a spin. Coincidentally (or conspiratorially), it benefitted his Hendrick teammates to potentially win the race.
#6 – Ryan Blaney
Previous Ranking: 7
Bookmark it: if Ryan Blaney is in a must-win next year at Martinsville, he will win. Blaney’s car was the best long run car in the field. He flexed that muscle during the final green flag stint. Clawing his way back from the end of the Top-10, Blaney drove through the field and passed Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott with 15 to go. Looking forward to Phoenix, it is difficult to imagine that Blaney is not the favorite heading into the Championship Race.
#5 – Denny Hamlin
Previous Ranking: 5
For all the jubilation that some will find with Denny Hamlin missing the Championship Four, he has to be given credit for his drive on Sunday. After wrecking his car in practice, the 11 team managed to patch it up without going to a backup. Then, Hamlin drove through the field during Stage 1 from last place. By Stage 2, Hamlin was running inside the Top-5 (with help from a timely caution). A Top-5 will be little solace for Hamlin failing to win another championship though.
#4 – Kyle Larson
Previous Ranking: 4
Staying out after the second-to-last caution, Kyle Larson benefitted from NASCAR’s blindness to Kyle Busch’s tire. The brief green flag run gave Larson the lead, allowing him to pull away on the next restart. However, his older tires caught up with him as Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney passed him. A round of miscues haunted Kyle Larson, who misses the Championship Race after a 6-win season.
#3 – Christopher Bell
Previous Ranking: 1
Heading into Martinsville, Christopher Bell felt safe from elimination. However, his day went poorly and saw him clinging to playoff hope. No stage points along with a pit road miscue put Bell in a uphill battle. After going a lap down, his ability to move forward was limited. Ignoring the last lap shenanigans, Bell simply punted on a day where he needed to be solid. Thus, he drops out of the number 1 spot this week.
#2 – William Byron
Previous Ranking: 2
Similar to Ryan Blaney, history does seem to repeat itself at Martinsville. Last year, William Byron had to fight to hang onto his Championship Four spot. This year, the same battle was transpiring. After staying out on older tires, Byron started falling through the field. Also, damage from Ryan Blaney shoving Shane van Gisbergen into him hurt the 24 car as well. Byron should have fallen out of the playoffs, but his Chevy teammates in Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon gave him a safety blockade.
#1 – Chase Elliott
Previous Ranking: 3
For the second time this season, Chase Elliott sits atop the FitStop Performance Power Rankings. Over the past 2 races, Elliott has flashed race-winning speed. While Ryan Blaney was the best long run car, Elliott might have been the quickest in the short runs. Had he been able to catch and pass Kyle Larson sooner, maybe he could have held on for the win. Instead, Elliott picks up another Top-5 to further solidify his rank as best average finish in the Cup Series.
Honorable Mention
Brad Keselowski – Barely missing on returning to the power rankings, Brad Keselowski put together a strong race where he led the most laps.
Carson Hocevar –Â Human-cannonball Carson Hocevar ruffled feathers and slipped out of the power rankings this week.
Ryan Preece – A lack of tires at the end spoiled a potential Top-10 for Ryan Preece. However, he still managed to bring it home in the Top-15.
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!
