NASCAR Power Rankings: How far does Denny Hamlin move after Michigan win?

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

Denny Hamlin outdueled the field in mixing speed, track position and fuel mileage at Michigan.

Denny Hamlin celebrates after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan

Does it put him atop these power rankings with three wins this year? Not yet.

William Byron did lead 98 of the 200 laps, and that was enough for him to keep the top spot. Hamlin moved up two spots to second.

Here are my rankings, as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to its inaugural race in Mexico City this weekend.

Dropped out: Joey Logano (Last Week: 9), Chase Briscoe (LW: 10)

On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece

10. Chase Elliott (LW: 6)

Elliott led 19 laps but lost his track position and ended up 15th. That’s three finishes of 15th in the last four races. And yet the Hendrick driver is still fifth in driver points.

9. Tyler Reddick (LW: 7)

Reddick was 13th, but the defending winner at Michigan was expected to race better even after starting from the rear after his diffuser needed repairs following practice. His ninth and 13th in his last two races were better than his previous five finishes.

8. Bubba Wallace (LW: Not Ranked)

A fourth-place finish for Wallace gives him a sixth and a fourth in his last two races. It appears he has found the groove he had earlier in the season with 23XI Racing.

7. Chris Buescher (LW: NR)

Buescher felt the win slipped away from him at Michigan and for good reason. He appeared to have the fastest car in the middle of runs and late in the runs. The RFK driver lost track position and blamed himself for a mistake late in the race that kept him from getting to Hamlin. Buescher’s second-place finish was his second top 10 in the last four races.

6. Ross Chastain (LW: 8)

A sixth-place finish at Michigan was Chastain’s sixth top-seven finish in the last nine races. The Trackhouse driver started 20th but showed he could find speed during a race once again.

5. Christopher Bell (LW: 5)

It was an off weekend for Bell, as he started 25th and finished 16th at Michigan. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had seven top 10s in the previous eight events.

NASCAR Cup Series: FireKeepers Casino 400 Highlights

4. Ryan Blaney (LW: 3)

A spin and contact with the wall ruined the day for Blaney, who entered Michigan fresh off the win at Nashville. The Penske driver finished 32nd at Michigan.

3. Kyle Larson (LW: 2)

Larson finished fifth at Michigan but wasn’t his usual threatening-to-win self. The fifth was the Hendrick driver’s ninth top-five finish of the season.

2. Denny Hamlin (LW: 4)

Hamlin now has three wins and two other second-place finishes this year. After four straight races of finishes of 16th or worse, Hamlin has a third and a first in his last two starts.

1. William Byron (LW: 1)

Running out of fuel with a couple of laps to go resulted in a 28th-place finish for Byron. But the Hendrick driver led 98 laps and had a strong car, just not the fuel mileage (or a long enough pit stop) that he needed.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.