FOX Sports has updated their NASCAR Power Rankings following an exhilarating weekend at Darlington.
The great Bob Pockrass made the calls, and his list is fascinating. Check it out below to see where your favorite driver stands at the moment.
FOX Sports NASCAR Power Rankings:
- No. 5 Kyle Larson (—)
- No. 24 William Byron (+3)
- No. 1 Ross Chastain (-1)
- No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. (+2)
- No. 8 Kyle Busch (+2)
- No. 20 Christopher Bell (-3)
- No. 11 Denny Hamlin (-3)
- No. 4 Kevin Harvick (+1)
- No. 9 Chase Elliott (+1)
- No. 6 Brad Keselowski (NR)
On the verge: No. 12 Ryan Blaney; No. 17 Chris Buescher; No. 22 Joey Logano; No. 45 Tyler Reddick; No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.; No. 23 Bubba Wallace
Of course, you can’t start any conversation about last weekend’s Darlington race without speaking about Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain. The duo battled throughout the day on Sunday, and ultimately a wreck ruined their chance at a victory.
Still, Larson remains atop Pockrass’ rankings. Unchanged but not unchallenged, Larson has been in contention for many victories over the last couple of weeks. While they haven’t come for one reason or another, his luck will likely change over the summer if he keeps it up.
As for the aforementioned Chastain, he remains the NASCAR Cup Series point leader. However, he dropped a spot in FOX’s NASCAR Power Rankings. Much like Larson, he’s been in contention for a lot of wins, but has had difficulty closing races out. Time will tell how much, and how soon that changes for the Trackhouse Racing star.
Moreover, William Byron was the beneficiary of Larson and Chastain’s tomfoolery. The wheelman of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet found victory at Darlington. It was even sweeter, as he was bumped out of a checkered flag at the track last spring. It also helped Byron move up a spot on Pockrass’ rankings, and take the playoff point lead for the season. Not too shabby.
Elsewhere, Joe Gibbs Racing is the big losers from this past weekend, as two of their drivers lost three spots in the FOX NASCAR Power Rankings. Both Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have had some hard luck, and they’re beginning to feel it. Luckily they both have wins on the season, but they’ll be hoping for some better finishes over the summer.
Alas, it’ll be fascinating to watch these rankings change over the coming weeks, but for now, we’ll enjoy the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race on Saturday.
