SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Power Rankings

Pete Pistone will unveil Power Rankings each week of the NASCAR season. Check out this week’s edition of NASCAR Power Rankings below, and listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) on the SXM App now.

Here’s how Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway impacted this week’s Power Rankings:

1. Kyle Larson – He led the most laps of the race at 70 and finished second and third in the opening stages. But Larson could not maintain the top spot in the closing portions of the race and crossed the finish line in third. He has finished Top 3 in 10 of the last 14 races of 2021.

Driver Rating: 111.4
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: 1st

2. Chase Elliott – Had a very strong Chevrolet, but a decision to pit late in the race threw a wrench in Elliott’s plans to contend for the win. He came away from Michigan with an eighth-place finish and questions about the pit strategy.

Driver Rating: 100.5
Point Standings: 5th
Previous Ranking: 2nd

3. Ryan Blaney – Put himself in position to win the race late and did just that leading the final eight laps and holding off the field to score win No. 2 of the season. Blaney’s previous best Michigan finish was fourth two years ago and he put career victory No. 6 on the board on Sunday.

Driver Rating: 89.2
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 8th

4. Denny Hamlin – Was again in the mix late Sunday in hopes of ending his winless season. It was not to be for Hamlin who has now finished Top 6 in the last four Michigan races.

Driver Rating: 107.4
Point Standings: 2nd
Previous Ranking: 4th

5.   William Byron – Was in the hunt a lot of the afternoon in Michigan behind the wheel of a very potent Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron finished second and scored the first Top-5 finish for Hendrick at Michigan since Chase Elliott finished second there in June 2017.

Driver Rating: 98.2
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: 7th

6. Kyle Busch – He overshot his pit stall on a late stop that really ruined Busch’s day and ended any hope of contending for the win. He soldiered on to post a seventh-place Michigan finish.

Driver Rating: 99.4
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: 3rd

7. Kurt Busch – He continued his strong runs for Chip Ganassi Racing at Michigan with another solid outing. Busch has Top-10 finishes in seven of the last 10 races of 2021 after only having nine Top 10s all last season.

Driver Rating: 82.8
Point Standings: 14th
Previous Ranking: 9th

8. Martin Truex Jr. – Suffered some early damage to his car after contact on the race track, which severely hindered Truex Jr.’s Toyota. He was able to battle back and post a Top-10 Michigan finish at the checkered flag.

Driver Rating: 97.4
Point Standings: 6th
Previous Ranking: 5th

9. Christopher Bell – Made his way through the field in impressive style in the first half of Sunday’s race, but got caught with some late challenges that shuffled Bell out of the Top 10 and home from Michigan with a 13^th-place finish.

Driver Rating: 84.7
Point Standings: 15th
Previous Ranking: 6th

10. Alex Bowman – Summer misery continued for Bowman in Michigan, who was surprisingly not much of a factor despite his Hendrick teammates running up front most of the afternoon. A disappointing 16^th in the Irish Hills for Bowman.

Driver Rating: 86.4

Point Standings: 12th
Previous Ranking: 10th

Dropped Out: None