Martin Truex Jr. holds on to the top spot in this week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings after finishing seventh at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course.
This week’s rankings also sees one Ford Performance driver fall while a former champion gets back into the top 10.
NBC SPORTS NASCAR POWER RANKINGS
1. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 1st) — He has not finished worse than seventh in the past five races, a run that includes a win at New Hampshire. He had a quiet day at Indianapolis, but he scored points in the first stage and ended the race 60 points ahead of Denny Hamlin as they continue to battle for the regular-season championship.
2. Denny Hamlin (2) — Hamlin’s run of three consecutive top-three finishes ended at Indy during a race that only featured one caution. He gambled on strategy by avoiding pit road until the end of stage 2. This helped him score 10 stage points and a playoff point, but the lack of restarts also led to him finishing 19th.
3. Chris Buescher (4) — Entered the weekend with seven straight top-10 finishes on road courses – eight if you count Chicago. This streak ended, but he still finished 11th and moved into the top 10 in points. Buescher has more opportunities to pass drivers ahead of him with races at Watkins Glen and Daytona.
4. Kyle Larson (7) — He finished eighth at Indy, marking his third top-10 finish in the past five races. The No. 5 team has struggled with consistency this season and has failed to finish six races because of crashes. The past 10 races have been better with seven top-10 finishes, five top fives and only one DNF. Now Larson will try to win his third straight Cup race at Watkins Glen.
5. Brad Keselowski (5) — Like Hamlin, Keselowski gambled on fuel strategy. He pitted after a caution for Justin Haley on Lap 2, and he stayed out on the track through the end of stage 2. He scored seven stage points before finishing 22nd. Keselowski is eighth in points and only two spots back of Kevin Harvick with two races remaining before the playoffs.
6. Kevin Harvick (3) — His streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes ended at Indy as he crossed the line 23rd. He is still the top winless driver above the playoff cutline with two races remaining. Harvick now heads to Watkins Glen where he has four straight finishes of 12th or better.
7. Chase Elliott (NR) — He fell out of the top 10 after a crash at Michigan and only one top-10 finish in five straight races. He rocketed up to seventh after a runner-up at Indy. Elliott could not chase down Michael McDowell for the win, but he delivered a complete performance by qualifying third and scoring 14 points in the first two stages. Now he prepares for a road course where he has two previous wins.
8. William Byron (9) — He missed qualifying after the No. 24 Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times, and he served a pass-through penalty on the opening lap. He still finished 14th and kept himself third in the regular-season standings.
9. Michael McDowell (NR) — He entered the Indy race in the midst of a strong season. He delivered his best performance by setting a new career-high in laps led and delivering Front Row Motorsports’ first stage win. McDowell punched his ticket to the playoffs with a dominant car, and he will try to follow it up at Watkins Glen where he finished sixth last season.
10. Bubba Wallace (10) — He moved into the final playoff spot and lost half of his points cushion, but he did nothing wrong. The drivers he is battling on the bubble all had standout days. McDowell dominated the race and celebrated in Victory Lane. Daniel Suarez finished third after scoring 17 stage points. Wallace just finished 18th after a quiet day where he avoided mistakes.
Dropped out: Joey Logano (6), Kyle Busch (8)
