SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Power Rankings – March 1, 2023

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 raced into the second week of the season. Here’s a look at the “Power Rankings” after Sunday’s final trip to Auto Club Speedway:

1. Kyle Busch

It took two races and Busch brought Richard Childress Racing a trip to Victory Lane. His win on Sunday was the 61st of Busch’s career and made the Busch Brothers the winningest pair of siblings in NASCAR history with 95 victories.

Point Standings: 8th
Last Week: NR

2. Ross Chastain

A couple of stage wins and a race-high 91 laps led punctuated Chastain’s strong day in Fontana that ended up with a top-five finish. It appears the Trackhouse Racing train has not lost any steam after last season.

Point Standings: 1st
Last Week: 3rd

3. Joey Logano

The Team Penske driver was at the front of the field most of Sunday afternoon. He faded some as teh checkered flag grew nearer and at the end of teh day Logano ended his Auto Club Speedway career with a top-10 finish.

Point Standings: 2nd
Last Week: 1st

4. Brad Keselowski

The trajectory for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing is definitely on the upswing as Keselowski battled through a day of some adversity to post a top-10 finish. Last year after Daytona he did not have a top-10 until June.

Point Standings: 10th
Last Week: 10th

5. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The JTG Daugherty Racing driver is off to the strongest start of his Cup career. He won the Daytona 500 and his 12th-place Fontana performance was a nice follow-up to winning “The Great American Race.”

Point Standings: 7th
Last Week: 2nd

6. Daniel Saurez

This season is the first in his Cup career that Suarez has opened the schedule with back-to-back top-10 finishes. He gave Trackhouse Racing two drivers in the top-five taking the checkered flag in fourth on Sunday.

Point Standings: 5th
Last Week: 9th

7. Alex Bowman

The Hendrick Motorsports driver is out of the gate with a couple of top-10 finishes to start the year. Bowman led 17 laps in Fontana and took the checkered flag in eighth-place.

Point Standings: 3rd
Last Week: 7th

8. Chris Buescher

The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has opened up the season with a pair of good performances. After leading 42 laps in the Daytona 500, Buescher followed up with a 13th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway.

Point Standings: 6th
Last Week: 5th

9. Denny Hamlin

A nondescript sixth-place finish for Hamlin in Fontana. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver did lead three times for 11 laps but was not in the picture to win the race settling for a still solid top-10 performance.

Point Standings: 9th
Last Week: 8th

10. Chase Elliott

A nice rebound from a disappointing Daytona 500 for Elliott who started almost at the rear of the field and raced his way through the pack to finish second Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.

Point Standings: 16th
Last Week: NR

Dropped Out: Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney