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.

The NASCAR Cup Series made its second trip of the year to Richmond Raceway on Sunday. Here’s a look at the Power Rankings after the Federated Auto Parts 400:

1. Chase Elliott

A fifth-place finish for Elliott was what the No. 9 team needed after a couple weeks of frustration. Elliott started the day 23rd and while it was an under the radar day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver he was able to move through the field for the top-five run.

Point Standings: 1st
Last Week: 1st

2. Denny Hamlin

A pit road miscue cost Hamlin an opportunity to sweep Richmond this season. Strategy worked to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s favor and he would have been in position to get the lead and perhaps the win had a bobble on pit road not cost the No. 11 team precious time.

Point Standings: 12th
Last Week: 3rd

3. Kevin Harvick

The first back-to-back race winner in the NextGen Cup car era was Harvick who followed his Michigan victory with another trip to Victory Lane in Richmond. He led 55 laps for career win number 60 and all of a sudden the veteran driver has established himself as a real championship contender in the late going of the regular season.

Point Standings: 8th
Last Week: 9th

4. Joey Logano

The Team Penske driver appeared on his way to a dominating victory in Richmond and led 222 laps of the 400. However changing track conditions impacted the handling of Logano’s car and he slipped back to a sixth-place finish.

Point Standings: 6th
Last Week: 5th

5. Ross Chastain

A great start for Chastain in Richmond leading the first 80 laps and in the process scoring a stage win. After that, it was more controversy as he made contact with Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. and then slid back to come home 18th in Richmond.

Point Standings: 5th
Last Week: 2nd

6. Christopher Bell

One of the fastest cars of the weekend belonged to Bell who drove from a 21st start spot to be a player on Sunday. Bell closed the gap a great deal on eventual race winner Kevin Harvick in the closing laps but was forced to settle for a second place performance.

Point Standings: 7th
Last Week: 7th

7. Kyle Larson

The weekend started off great for Larson who won the pole Saturday in Richmond and then flew to Iowa for a sixth-place Knoxville Nationals finish. Things didn’t go quite as well for Larson on Sunday who for a variety of reasons faded out of competition and ended up with a 14th-place finish.

Point Standings: 3rd
Last Week: 6th

8. Tyler Reddick

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Reddick since scoring his second win of the year in Indianapolis. The Richard Childress Racing driver spin out early to bring the day’s first caution and mechanical problems later in the race added up to a disappointing 31st-place finish.

 

Point Standings: 14th
Last Week: 4th

9. Kyle Busch 

He had to rally back and give it all he could to get a top-10 finish after an early incident with Ross Chastain took Busch from the front of the field. Despite being “Chastained” as he called it, Busch posted a ninth-place Richmond finish.

Point Standings: 9th
Last Week: 10th

10. Chris Buescher

The Roush Fenway Keselowski driver was right in the mix of potentially taking the win Sunday in Richmond. He ultimately came home third but Buescher has definitely been trending in the right direction late in the regular season and remains a player to possibly get a Playoff berth over the next two races.

Point Standings: 22nd
Last Week: NR

Dropped Out: Daniel Suarez