Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
Don’t get the idea after reading this that just because a driver wins a race means the driver will jump to the top of the power rankings.
Winning will help, and Christopher Bell gets there. That’s thanks to a strong run at Daytona before getting turned (he admits his car did not handle a push all that great), in addition to making the moves he needed to win Sunday at Atlanta.
Here are the power rankings for this week. And if they look a little different, it’s because we are now listing them from 10th to first.
On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, John Hunter Nemechek, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
10. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 10)
Wallace finished fourth in the first stage at Atlanta, second in the second stage and then placed ninth in the race. That’s what solid drivers do when maybe not having the best car.
9. Tyler Reddick (LW: 3)
A teammate of Wallace at 23XI Racing, Reddick finished sixth in both stages before settling for a disappointing 19th. He’ll be looking to get back on track this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.
8. Austin Cindric (LW: 9)
Cindric led 47 laps at Atlanta and drove a great race, before being pinched into the wall by Kyle Larson. The Penske driver has to be happy with the speed, but seeing a win slip through his fingers was likely devastating.
7. Joey Logano (LW: 8)
Logano led a race-high 83 laps at Atlanta, as the Penske cars were the ones to beat for much of the race. He wound up 12th.
6. Chase Elliott (LW: 6)
Elliott was collected in a wreck in the second stage and ended up 20th. But the Hendrick driver had moved from 19th into the top 10 in the short opening stage and could have been a player if not for the accident.
5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 4)
Hamlin finished sixth at Atlanta, which was a solid run for the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran. He knew he wouldn’t be good in qualifying but was respectable during the race.
4. Kyle Larson (LW: 7)
Finally, at a drafting-style track, Larson challenged for the win. He was third when the caution came out. The Hendrick driver will take that finish and now eye a win at COTA.
3. Ryan Blaney (LW: 2)
Blaney finished fourth, despite a spin with 25 laps remaining. He is the series points leader after two races, a nod to his consistency and ability to earn stage points.
2. William Byron (Last Week: 1)
The Daytona 500 winner remained in contention enough to be among the top-10 drivers who were involved in the late-race wreck. That was the wreck that many would blame Byron’s Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson for causing.
1. Christopher Bell (LW: 5)
Bell has a swagger this year that he hasn’t had at the start of previous seasons. And now he has a win to back up that swag.
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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