NASCAR Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin Rises To No. 1 After Chicago Surge

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

Denny Hamlin started last and finished fourth at the Chicago Street Course. That was the best finish of all drivers in last week’s rankings.

So maybe drivers shouldn’t want to be listed on these. But that finish also moved Hamlin to the top of this list.

Shane van Gisbergen won for the second time in four races. But his finishes of 31st and 24th at Michigan and Pocono between the road-course victories keep him off the list.

Here’s the latest top 10 going into another race of turning left and right, but this time at Sonoma Raceway.

Dropped out: Chase Briscoe (Last Week: 10)

On the verge: Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, John Hunter Nemechek

10. Chris Buescher (Last Week: 6)

An apparent electrical control unit issue for Buescher ruined his Chicago race before it started. Somehow, the RFK Racing driver finished on the lead lap in 18th.

9. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 7)

Bell ended up a lap down in 24th at Chicago, as his car blew an engine on the final lap and he never made it to the finish. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver hasn’t finished in the top 15 in the last three races.

Christopher Bell waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course

8. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Has Reddick got his groove back? He has a fourth at Pocono and third at Chicago in his last two starts. The 23XI Racing driver only had four top fives in the 17 previous races.

7. Alex Bowman (Last Week: 8)

Bowman was spun at one point and roughed up in another but was on the better end of a heated battle with Bubba Wallace at the end as he finished eighth. That’s three top 10s in the last four races for the Hendrick driver.

6. Ryan Preece (Last Week: 9)

A solid seventh-place road-course finish was impressive for Preece, as the RFK driver has posted five top 10s in his last eight races.

5. William Byron (Last Week: 4)

Byron wrecked in practice and then had a clutch issue on the opening lap at Chicago. In other words, it was a weekend to forget. At least with just one lap, it should be easy for the Hendrick driver to forget.

William Byron walks the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course

4. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 5)

A 12th-place finish wasn’t great for Blaney, but at least he finished the race on the lead lap, as calamity has seemed to find the Penske driver throughout this season.

3. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 3)

A wreck late in practice put Elliott in a hole for the race and then a hole in his front fascia impacted the car’s ability to run at optimal pace. The Hendrick driver finished 16th.

2. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 1)

Like the rest of his Hendrick teammates, Larson had damage on Saturday that had to be repaired on Sunday. He started at the rear of the field, and after a spin midway through the race, settled for a 13th-place finish.

1. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 2)

Hamlin isn’t known as a road-course ace. So starting 40th after an engine blew on his first lap of practice and working his way to fourth by the finish should be considered an accomplishment for the JGR driver.

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.