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 GoBowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International impacted this week’s Power Rankings:

1. Kyle Larson  – Win number five of the season came at Watkins Glen, and with the victory, Larson has climbed the standings to tie Denny Hamlin for the regular-season point lead. He led twice for 27 laps including the final 26 Sunday for his first win since Nashville Superspeedway back on Father’s Day weekend.

Driver Rating: 109.7
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: 1st

2. Chase Elliott – Forced to start from the rear of the field after a pre-race inspection failure, Elliott came one spot short of a third consecutive win at The Glen. He has now finished top 2 in eight of the last nine road course races including the last three races at Watkins Glen.

Driver Rating: 99.1
Point Standings: 6th
Previous Ranking: 2nd

3. Kyle Busch – He has finished top 10 in 13 of his 16 starts at Watkins Glen. Busch has finished top-five in five of the last six races this season, all but wrecking while leading at New Hampshire in the rain.

Driver Rating: 99.8
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: 3rd

4. Denny Hamlin – More consistency from Hamlin who took the checkered flag fifth on Sunday. He’s finished top-five in four of the last five races at Watkins Glen but is now tied with Kyle Larson for the regular-season point lead.

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

5. Christopher Bell – Pre-race inspection issues forced Bell to the back of the pack to start the race but he came back and despite an incident making contact with Kyle Larson still finished seventh on Sunday. It was his fourth straight top-10 finish this season in his first Cup start at Watkins Glen.

Driver Rating: 85.1
Point Standings: 15th
Previous Ranking: 6th

6. Martin Truex Jr. – He led the way for the Joe Gibbs racing team that put three drivers inside the top-five on Sunday. Truex Jr. has finished top three in the last four races at Watkins Glen.

Driver Rating: 99.1
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 8th

7. William Byron – A sixth-place performance ties his best road course finish. Sunday was Byron’s first overall top 10 finish in the last five races of the 2021 season.

Driver Rating: 97.4
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: 5th

8. Alex Bowman  – Not a great day for Bowman who suffered through a challenging afternoon at The Glen to eventually finish 20^th on Sunday.

Driver Rating: 87.2
Point Standings: 11th
Previous Ranking: 5th

9. Kurt Busch – There were some higher hopes for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver at The Glen but it didn’t quite pan out for Busch who crossed the finish line with a 13^th-place performance.

Driver Rating: 81.9
Point Standings: 14th
Previous Ranking: 10th

10. Tyler Reddick – A tenth-place effort for Reddick at The Glen. His worst finish in the last six races is 13^th and Reddick is 16^thin the Playoff Standings, now +15 over teammate Austin Dillon for the final spot.

Driver Rating: 80.0

Point Standings: 12th
Previous Ranking: NR

Dropped Out: Aric Almirola