One race is in the books for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and here are the 10 drivers that make up Pete Pistone’s first edition of this year’s Power Rankings.
1. Austin Dillon – If winning the Daytona 500 to start the year doesn’t put you number one in the Power Rankings nothing will. Dillon deserves the top spot in the opening edition after pulling off the biggest win of his career in thrilling and yes controversial fashion.
Driver Rating: 84.8
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: NR
2. Ryan Blaney – The third Team Penske driver may have had the best car in the Daytona 500. Blaney was ahead of the field for a race-high 118 laps but a closing laps miscalculation proved to be his downfall and led to a seventh-place finish.
Driver Rating: 132.6
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: NR
3. Denny Hamlin – Got edged by Wallace for second on Sunday but the outside pole sitter was definitely the best Toyota of this year’s 500. Hamlin led 22 laps and battled back from an early 1-lap penalty to come away from the day with a solid third-place performance.
Driver Rating: 100.8
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 7th
4. Joey Logano – He was in position for a second career Daytona 500 win behind the late race mayhem. A top-five finish considering the day’s circumstances that saw him go a lap down at one point was actually not too shabby.
Driver Rating: 105.2
Point Standings: 2nd
Previous Ranking: 10th
5. Martin Truex Jr. – Survival is the best way to describe Truex Jr.’s Daytona 500. He was battered and beaten after being involved in a late-race multi-car wreck and somehow managed to come home with an 18th-place finish, which may not sound like much but compared to many others was quite the accomplishment.
Driver Rating: 85.3
Point Standings: 12th
Previous Ranking: 1st
6. Bubba Wallace – This year’s Daytona Cinderella story definitely belonged to Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports. A second-place finish in their first outing together with the new Camaro ZL1 produced tremendous drama and emotion was one of this year’s most memorable moments.
Driver Rating: 101.2
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: NR
7. Brad Keselowski – He had one of the best cars all week long both the primary and then the back-up Team Penske Ford. But Keselowski’s bad luck was too much to overcome during this Speedweeks and he was eliminated despite being a strong contender in one of Sunday’s many accidents.
Driver Rating: 66.3
Point Standings: 32nd
Previous Ranking: 3rd
8. Paul Menard – Not surprisingly Menard was a quiet force in the Daytona 500. His first ride behind the wheel of the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford ended up with a very solid sixth-place performance.
Driver Rating: 91.0
Point Standings: 5th
Previous Ranking: NR
9. Kurt Busch – The Stewart-Haas Racing driver came very close to becoming the first back-to-back Daytona 500 winner in decades. He got caught up in an accident that set-up the eventual overtime finish to thwart his chance to making the record book.
Driver Rating: 93.5
Point Standings: 16th
Previous Ranking: NR
10. Aric Almirola – Only a half a lap away from a Daytona 500 win until his fateful contact with Austin Dillon, who went on to win “The Great American Race.” Almirola took it in stride but the frustration and bitterness was understandably evident.
Driver Rating: 88.9
Point Standings: 10th
Previous Ranking: NR
See Also: Preseason Power Rankings
