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Power Rankings: Auto Club to Martinsville
By Jessica Ruffin | Published: March 19, 2018 21
Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
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Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
NASCAR.com's Jessica Ruffin ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Auto Club Speedway and before Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Rank: 20
Change: --
Comment: This weekend will mark Bubba's first Monster Energy Series start at Martinsville Speedway, and it's the shortest track on the circuit. Wallace is a two-time winner at the short track in the Camping World Truck Series, though. Patience will be key for the rookie driver as he navigates the tough, tight turns.
Rank: 20
Change: --
Comment: This weekend will mark Bubba's first Monster Energy Series start at Martinsville Speedway, and it's the shortest track on the circuit. Wallace is a two-time winner at the short track in the Camping World Truck Series, though. Patience will be key for the rookie driver as he navigates the tough, tight turns.
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Jerry Markland | Getty Images
Driver: AJ Allmendinger
Rank: 19
Change: Not ranked
Comment: 'Dinger is known for road courses, yes. But his Martinsville numbers aren't bad, either; he's finished in the top 11 six of eight races since joining JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014.
Rank: 19
Change: Not ranked
Comment: 'Dinger is known for road courses, yes. But his Martinsville numbers aren't bad, either; he's finished in the top 11 six of eight races since joining JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Rank: 18
Change: +1
Comment: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. only has two top 10s at Martinsville -- but they've both come in his last two trips to the Paperclip. After running mid pack for the majority of 2018 thus far, a short track could be just what the No. 17 needs.
Rank: 18
Change: +1
Comment: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. only has two top 10s at Martinsville -- but they've both come in his last two trips to the Paperclip. After running mid pack for the majority of 2018 thus far, a short track could be just what the No. 17 needs.
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Sarah Crabill | Getty Images
Driver: Alex Bowman
Rank: 17
Change: --
Comment: The No. 88 driver is coming off his best race of 2018 thus far and the team seems to be slowly making gains. But Martinsville is tricky; Bowman has never run at Martinsville in Hendrick equipment and his prior starts there in a Cup car (average finish of 31.0) aren't stellar.
Rank: 17
Change: --
Comment: The No. 88 driver is coming off his best race of 2018 thus far and the team seems to be slowly making gains. But Martinsville is tricky; Bowman has never run at Martinsville in Hendrick equipment and his prior starts there in a Cup car (average finish of 31.0) aren't stellar.
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Sarah Crabill| Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Newman
Rank: 16
Change: --
Comment: The 2012 Martinsville winner has an average finish of 12.14 in his last seven trips to the Paperclip, including a third-place result in 2014. Newman's start to 2018 hasn't been the strongest, but it also has seen glimmers of strength (he led laps at both Atlanta and Phoenix) and his veteran ability should bode well.
Rank: 16
Change: --
Comment: The 2012 Martinsville winner has an average finish of 12.14 in his last seven trips to the Paperclip, including a third-place result in 2014. Newman's start to 2018 hasn't been the strongest, but it also has seen glimmers of strength (he led laps at both Atlanta and Phoenix) and his veteran ability should bode well.
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Robert Laberge | Getty Images
Driver: Austin Dillon
Rank: 15
Change: -1
Comment: The 2018 Daytona 500 winner has never won at a track smaller than 1.5 miles in length in the Monster Energy Series, but does have finishes of fourth and fifth in the last two spring races at Martinsville.
Rank: 15
Change: -1
Comment: The 2018 Daytona 500 winner has never won at a track smaller than 1.5 miles in length in the Monster Energy Series, but does have finishes of fourth and fifth in the last two spring races at Martinsville.
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Sarah Crabill| Getty Images
Driver: Kurt Busch
Rank: 14
Change: -3
Comment: Despite having two wins at Martinsville, Busch is not a favorite heading into Virginia. He has an average finish of 21.7 in 35 starts and with the exception of his 2014 win, has not landed a top-10 finish at Martinsville since 2005.
Rank: 14
Change: -3
Comment: Despite having two wins at Martinsville, Busch is not a favorite heading into Virginia. He has an average finish of 21.7 in 35 starts and with the exception of his 2014 win, has not landed a top-10 finish at Martinsville since 2005.
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Christian Petersen | Getty Images
Driver: Erik Jones
Rank: 13
Change: -1
Comment: Jones' two starts at Martinsville resulted in 12th- and 26th-place finishes. Not his best track, but the No. 20 has been stout thus far in 2018, rattling off four straight top-11 finishes after a wreck at Daytona.
Rank: 13
Change: -1
Comment: Jones' two starts at Martinsville resulted in 12th- and 26th-place finishes. Not his best track, but the No. 20 has been stout thus far in 2018, rattling off four straight top-11 finishes after a wreck at Daytona.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Chase Elliott
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Chase Elliott nearly nabbed his first career Monster Energy Series win at Martinsville last fall, leading 123 laps before tussling with Denny Hamlin on the track. Redemption time for the No. 9?
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Chase Elliott nearly nabbed his first career Monster Energy Series win at Martinsville last fall, leading 123 laps before tussling with Denny Hamlin on the track. Redemption time for the No. 9?
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Josh Hedges | Getty Images
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Rank: 11
Change: +4
Comment: With nine trips to Victory Lane -- his most recent coming in 2016 -- Johnson leads active drivers in Martinsville victories. A ninth-place run at Auto Club suggests the No. 48 camp is gradually making strides, and if he's going to end his winless streak, it may as well be at the Paperclip.
Rank: 11
Change: +4
Comment: With nine trips to Victory Lane -- his most recent coming in 2016 -- Johnson leads active drivers in Martinsville victories. A ninth-place run at Auto Club suggests the No. 48 camp is gradually making strides, and if he's going to end his winless streak, it may as well be at the Paperclip.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Aric Almirola
Rank: 10
Change: -2
Comment: Almirola's first five races of 2018 have been solid, nabbing two top 10s on the three-leg NASCAR Goes West Tour. His best run at Martinsville came in 2012 with a fourth-place finish -- but he hasn't landed in the top five since then at the short track.
Rank: 10
Change: -2
Comment: Almirola's first five races of 2018 have been solid, nabbing two top 10s on the three-leg NASCAR Goes West Tour. His best run at Martinsville came in 2012 with a fourth-place finish -- but he hasn't landed in the top five since then at the short track.
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Sarah Crabill| Getty Images
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Rank: 9
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer -- along with the rest of Stewart-Haas Racing -- has shown speed early in 2018. He comes off Auto Club with an 11th-place result, but heads into Martinsville with a pair of top-seven results in his last two trips to Virginia.
Rank: 9
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer -- along with the rest of Stewart-Haas Racing -- has shown speed early in 2018. He comes off Auto Club with an 11th-place result, but heads into Martinsville with a pair of top-seven results in his last two trips to Virginia.
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Photo by Sarah Crabill | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Larson
Rank: 8
Change: -2
Comment: Kyle Larson runs well at most race tracks -- but Martinsville isn't at the top of that list. Although he sat on the pole in this race last year, his average finish of 23.6 and three DNFs in eight starts aren't promising.
Rank: 8
Change: -2
Comment: Kyle Larson runs well at most race tracks -- but Martinsville isn't at the top of that list. Although he sat on the pole in this race last year, his average finish of 23.6 and three DNFs in eight starts aren't promising.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Blaney
Rank: 7
Change: -3
Comment: Blaney's best finish at Martinsville came last fall, when he drove the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to an eighth-place finish. The rest of his numbers aren't especially promising, but being that it's his first trip to the Virginia short track in the No. 12 Team Penske ride, there's a lot to be discovered.
Rank: 7
Change: -3
Comment: Blaney's best finish at Martinsville came last fall, when he drove the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford to an eighth-place finish. The rest of his numbers aren't especially promising, but being that it's his first trip to the Virginia short track in the No. 12 Team Penske ride, there's a lot to be discovered.
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Sarah Crabill | Getty Images
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Rank: 6
Change: +3
Comment: Keselowski is off to a strong start in 2018, coming up fourth last week at Auto Club. He's the reigning race winner at Martinsville, having led 116 laps en route to his win last spring. While he finished fourth in the fall at the Paperclip, he also paced the field for 108 laps.
Rank: 6
Change: +3
Comment: Keselowski is off to a strong start in 2018, coming up fourth last week at Auto Club. He's the reigning race winner at Martinsville, having led 116 laps en route to his win last spring. While he finished fourth in the fall at the Paperclip, he also paced the field for 108 laps.
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Sarah Crabill| Getty Images
Driver: Joey Logano
Rank: 5
Change: +2
Comment: Like his Team Penske teammate Keselowski, Logano is enjoying a strong start to the 2018 season. He's also led at least one lap at every Martinsville race since 2014, pacing the field for 50 or more laps in four events.
Rank: 5
Change: +2
Comment: Like his Team Penske teammate Keselowski, Logano is enjoying a strong start to the 2018 season. He's also led at least one lap at every Martinsville race since 2014, pacing the field for 50 or more laps in four events.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Rank: 4
Change: +1
Comment: Hamlin has quietly rattled off four top-six finishes to start 2018, totaling his average finish in 2018 thus far to an impressive 6.8. The hometown hero, the No. 11 is always considered a favorite heading into Martinsville, and his five trips to Victory Lane would support that.
Rank: 4
Change: +1
Comment: Hamlin has quietly rattled off four top-six finishes to start 2018, totaling his average finish in 2018 thus far to an impressive 6.8. The hometown hero, the No. 11 is always considered a favorite heading into Martinsville, and his five trips to Victory Lane would support that.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Rank: 3
Change: -2
Comment: A wreck at Auto Club kept Harvick from making it four straight wins. He's won at Martinsville (2011), but never with Stewart-Haas Racing and his average finish there since joining the team is 14.75.
Rank: 3
Change: -2
Comment: A wreck at Auto Club kept Harvick from making it four straight wins. He's won at Martinsville (2011), but never with Stewart-Haas Racing and his average finish there since joining the team is 14.75.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Rank: 2
Change: --
Comment: The reigning series champ nabbed his first win of 2018 at Auto Club and can never really be counted out anywhere on the circuit -- especially with an average finish of 9.17 over the last six races at Martinsville.
Rank: 2
Change: --
Comment: The reigning series champ nabbed his first win of 2018 at Auto Club and can never really be counted out anywhere on the circuit -- especially with an average finish of 9.17 over the last six races at Martinsville.
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Sarah Crabill | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Busch
Rank: 1
Change: +2
Comment: A faulty pit road error kept Busch from possibly earning the win at Auto Club on Sunday. Never mind that; he'll have (more than) a shot this weekend. The No. 18 driver has won two of his last four races at Martinsville and hasn't finished outside the top five since 2014.
Rank: 1
Change: +2
Comment: A faulty pit road error kept Busch from possibly earning the win at Auto Club on Sunday. Never mind that; he'll have (more than) a shot this weekend. The No. 18 driver has won two of his last four races at Martinsville and hasn't finished outside the top five since 2014.