Denny Hamlin continued his hot streak at Pocono Raceway. It was his third consecutive win and third consecutive race from the pole.
He stays out front in these power rankings and Tyler Reddick, who was the runner-up at Pocono, stays put at second. Those were about the only no-brainers.
The rest of the power rankings are quite debatable, as few drivers have been consistently strong over the last month.
Here are my power rankings heading into this weekend’s race at Naval Base Coronado, a one-time temporary street course as part of the 250th anniversary of the United States:
Dropped out: Carson Hocevar (Last Week: 8), Chase Elliott (Last Week: 9)
On the verge: Chase Briscoe, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek
10. Daniel Suárez (Last Week: 10)
Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet
A 13th-place finish keeps Suárez on this list? Yes, it does because he was top 10 in each of the first two stages, earning the stage points he needs to remain comfortably in a playoff spot. Plus, he started third, so he is showing speed.
9. Chris Buescher (Last Week: Not Ranked)
RFK Racing No. 17 Ford
Buescher finished seventh at Pocono for back-to-back top 10s and now five top-10 finishes in his last eight races. He was the top Ford finisher at Pocono.
8. William Byron (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet
Byron finished third with a strong race at Pocono. It was his first top-five finish since Martinsville. He appeared to have the confidence and speed that he hasn’t had in recent weeks.
7. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 4)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota
Bell gutted out Pocono with his broken wrist and rolled the dice by trying to make it to the finish, and a possible win, by saving fuel. Instead, he had to pit prior to the final lap and finished 26th.
6. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 6)
Team Penske No. 12 Ford
Blaney wound up 10th at Pocono for his 11th top-10 finish of the season. He hasn’t been top five since Bristol but appears to be getting the most out of his equipment.
5. Erik Jones (Last Week: 7)
Legacy Motor Club No. 43 Toyota
Jones is on a tear with a second at Michigan and a sixth at Pocono. Compared to where Jones and Legacy were a couple of months ago, that is impressive. And it should generate confidence, along with his teammate John Hunter Nemechek placing fourth at Pocono.
4. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: 5)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota
A slow pit stop early in the race at Pocono forced Gibbs to have to try and rally for most of the race. He finished ninth, and while not where he should have been considering his speed, it’s better than Gibbs over-driving the car and making a mistake.
3. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 3)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet
Larson placed second in the opening stage and finished fifth. It was a solid day. He might not have had the long-run speed to match the Toyotas, but he’s needed some solid finishes lately. And lucky for him, he has three top fives in his last four races.
2. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 2)
23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota
Reddick finished second at Pocono. It was another solid run for him as he has five wins and 10 top fives this year. He still leads the standings by 19 points over Hamlin.
1. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 1)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota
Hamlin has three consecutive wins and six top fives in the last eight races. He’s clearly the hottest driver on the circuit. He expects that to come to an end with two road courses in the next two weeks.
