Considering only one driver with a win this year finished on the lead lap at Atlanta, it was hard to figure out what to do with these power rankings.
So the driver who was on the lead lap gets the top spot in these rankings, and that’s Kyle Larson.
Here’s a look at the power rankings following Atlanta and heading into back-to-back road courses at the Chicago street race and then Sonoma:
Dropped out:9. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 9)
On the verge: Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Reddick, Wallace
Larson finished 17th but was the only driver who has won this year to finish on the lead lap at Atlanta. So is this a move to No. 1 by default? You could say that, but he was also able to find a way to make it to the finish — even though he did get some damage in that big wreck.
Hamlin was involved in the big wreck. His team couldn’t repair the car to go all that fast, but he was able to return to the race and make three laps to jump six spots to 31st after 90 minutes of repairs.
The big winner at Atlanta. Elliott was able to dice his way to the front and snap a 44-race winless streak. He also jumped to second in the series point standings, just 37 points behind his teammate William Byron.
Byron was among those eliminated in the big wreck. The Hendrick driver has three finishes of 27th or worse in the last four races.
Blaney was eliminated from Atlanta after getting clipped in the aftermath of the Christopher Bell spin. The Team Penske driver now has six DNFs on the season.
Buescher finished ninth at Atlanta, where he led 15 laps. It was the fourth consecutive top-10 finish for the RFK Racing driver.
Bell wasn’t involved in the big wreck because he was already in the garage after an early spin and damage. His JGR team got the car to where he could meet minimum speed and pass all those cars eliminated from earlier accidents. He finished 30th.
Bowman was among the leaders late in the race at Atlanta, where he helped push Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott to the win, while himself settling for third. Another solid day for Bowman, who is currently 39 points above the playoff cutoff.
Preece finished 15th, his sixth finish of 15th or better in the last seven races. He currently sits 23 points out of the playoff cutoff.
You’re going to hear this often in these power rankings: Briscoe’s day ended because of an accident. He got caught up in the 23-car wreck that opened Stage 2. His Joe Gibbs Racing team had worked to fix the car but NASCAR saw an issue with the chassis and determined he couldn’t continue.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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