Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
Ross Chastain had dropped out of the top-10 rankings after Kansas, but he’s back in after his thrilling victory Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600.
As is typical for the longest race on the NASCAR calendar, the field had its comers and goers.
The toughest decision for this list might have been at No. 1. Does Kyle Larson keep it despite crashing out of the 600?
Yes he does. Because while the first wreck was his fault, he was on his way to a potentially decent finish, when he was collected in the wreck that ended his day.
Here are this week’s power rankings heading into Nashville Superspeeedway.
Dropped out: Joey Logano (Last Week: 7)
On the verge: Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Michael McDowell
10. Tyler Reddick (LW: 9)
Reddick was 26th, his fifth consecutive finish of 14th or worse. He probably shouldn’t even be on this list. But he was second, third and fourth in the stages and sits fifth in the standings. The 23XI driver and defending regular-season champion is still looking to match the success of last year.
9. Ross Chastain (LW: NR)
Chastain won at Charlotte for his fifth top-seven finish in the last seven races. The Trackhouse driver seems to have found a groove after a slow start to the season.
8. Alex Bowman (LW: 5)
An early spin for Bowman resulted in a 29th-place finish, three laps down. The Hendrick driver has seven top 10s this year and six finishes of 26th or worse.
7. Chase Briscoe (LW: 10)
A third-place finish at Charlotte gave Briscoe his second consecutive top-five finish and his fifth top five of the season. He continues to show the Joe Gibbs Racing ride should suit him.
6. Chase Elliott (LW: 8)
Elliott placed sixth at Charlotte for his seventh top-10 finish of the year. The most important aspect of this top-10 finish is that it was the Hendrick driver’s first on a mile-and-a-half track this season.
Ross Chastain REVEALS How He Won the Coca-Cola 600
5. Ryan Blaney (LW: 2)
Blaney had four top-fives in the last five races, but a wreck at Charlotte ended his day early in 38th. The Penske driver didn’t finish in the top 10 in the first two stages, either. That was probably just as frustrating.
4. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6)
Hamlin’s team had a fueling issue that required him to make a pit stop late in the race. The JGR driver ended up 16th after being second at the end of the second and third stages.
3. Christopher Bell (LW: 3)
Bell wound up eighth on a day when he was the first to pit in trying to force other teams to decide on strategy. It wasn’t a great night for the JGR driver.
2. William Byron (LW: 4)
Byron won the opening three stages and led 283 laps but came up short as Chastain passed him with six laps remaining. It had to stink, but the speed is there in his Hendrick car.
1. Kyle Larson (LW: 1)
Larson had a forgettable Sunday, as both his Indy 500 and Coke 600 races ended with crashes. The second of his two crashes in Charlotte wasn’t his fault, and he had speed early. He’s got to hope he has a better Nashville.
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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