Christopher Bell has finished second in four of the last five races. That string of solid performances puts him at the top of this subjective power ranking list. I know, I know, he hasn’t won. And Ty Gibbs has a win, a third and two fourths over the last six races.
But Bell’s run over the last five races shows that he’s right there challenging for the win every single week.
Here are my NASCAR power rankings heading into the Saturday night race at Richmond Raceway:
Dropped out: Ryan Preece (Last Week: 9), Carson Hocevar (Last Week: 10)
On the verge: Josh Berry, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece
10.
Buescher finished 13th but slips into the top 10 — thanks to a 10th, an 11th and a 13th in his last four races. With so much parity, three top 10s in four races puts him on this list.
9.
Maybe I just don’t have the heart to drop Reddick off the list. He has a series-high five wins and that has to mean something. But Reddick is trying his best to fall off this list with four finishes of 30th or worse in his last six starts.
8.
Welcome back on the list, Willy B! A ninth-place finish might be what’s expected for someone from Hendrick, but as the best Hendrick car at Iowa, it shows he is doing something right.
7.
Logano finished second in both stages at Iowa but a loose wheel when he started to drive away on a pit stop forced him to put the car in reverse to return to his pit stall and lose valuable spots. With no cautions in the final stage, he never recovered.
6.
A speeding penalty hurt Wallace, but he still placed 12th at Iowa. In a feast-or-famine season, this was closer to feast for Wallace.
5.
Briscoe overcame brake issues over the weekend to place sixth. It was his fifth top-six finish in his last six races.
4.
Blaney jumped a couple of spots after winning the pole and placing third at Iowa, where he led a race-high 129 laps. It was his first top 10 in three weeks and his series-high 16th of the season.
3.
Gibbs earned his second victory of the season with the triumph at Iowa. He is more consistently running in the top five, and if he does that, this won’t be his last win of the year.
2.
Hamlin rallied to finish fifth despite not having confidence in his brakes throughout the race at Iowa. He has a big lead in the point standings and has four top fives in the seven races since his last win. Some would say he should remain atop this list.
1.
It’s rare to have a non-winner atop the list this late in the season. But Bell has seven second-place finishes this year, including four in the last five races and six of the last 11. Some would say he’s the first loser, but he won’t be a loser much longer if he keeps knocking on the door.
