MRN’s Pete Pistone unveils this week’s Power Rankings following the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
1. Brad Keselowski – He battled the flu all weekend but delivered when it was needed most leading 33 laps on his way to victory No. 1 of the season. Keselowski became the all-time Team Penske win leader surpassing Mark Donahue on the list and his win Sunday secured a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Driver Rating: 91.8
Point Standings: 6th
Previous Ranking: 1st
2. Kyle Busch – He was forced to start from the rear of the field in a backup car but Busch made quick work of getting to the front. A tire issue in the second half caused him to spin but he again rallied back for a hard-fought sixth-place finish.
Driver Rating: 101.6
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: 2nd
3. Joey Logano – A poor qualifying effort mired Logano back to a 27th-place starting spot but more importantly a middle of pit road stall that led to all kinds of challenges. He did get to the lead for 22 laps in a spirited charge to the front but a loose wheel late cost Logano a good finish.
Driver Rating: 90.4
Point Standings: 5th
Previous Ranking: 3rd
4. Denny Hamlin – The Daytona 500 winner qualified well and started Sunday’s race inside the top five. He hovered near the front of the field most of the day before finally taking the checkered flag just outside the top 10 in 11th place.
Driver Rating: 89.9
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: 1st
5. Martin Truex Jr. – Did his best to try and run down eventual winner Brad Keselowski for the lead in the late going. But Truex Jr. was frustrated being stuck behind lapped traffic and was forced to settle for second, still his best career Atlanta finish.
Driver Rating: 92.1
Point Standings:
Previous Ranking: NR
6. Kevin Harvick – He did not dominate as many expected given his recent Atlanta prowess. But Harvick did have a strong car leading 45 laps on Sunday and coming from an 18th starting spot to knock down a top-five finish.
Driver Rating: 106.4
Point Standings: 2nd
Previous Ranking: 6th
7. Erik Jones – The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is off to a very sold start. After beginning the year with a third-place Daytona 500 effort Jones followed with a top-10 performance in Atlanta coming home with a seventh-place finish.
Driver Rating: 88.9
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 7th
8. Kurt Busch – His memory of a rough debut for Chip Ganassi Racing at Daytona were at least somewhat erased by a strong showing in Atlanta. Busch wheeled the No. 1 Chevrolet home to a third-place finish in career Cup start number 650.
Driver Rating: 84.6
Point Standings: 8th
Previous Ranking: NR
9. Aric Almirola – Won the pole and stayed in the lead pack most of the day. But Almirola was another driver that took himself out of contention by speeding on pit road. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver did rally back for a top-10 finish.
Driver Rating: 89.7
Point Standings: 11th
Previous Ranking: NR
10. Kyle Larson – Led a race-high 142 laps Sunday in Atlanta but a self-inflicted mistake cost Larson a chance to win. He was pegged for speeding on pit road and could only come back to finish 12th on a day when he had a much better car than that finish would indicate.
Driver Rating: 96.0
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: 9th
Dropped Out: Jimmie Johnson, Matt DiBenedetto, William Byron,
