Power Rankings: Talladega to Kansas

NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs drivers after the race at Talladega Superspeedway and ahead of the race at Kansas Speedway.

Driver: Alex Bowman

Rank: 12

Change: --

Comment: You might look at Bowman's average finish of 27.7 at Kansas and figure he's as good as out this weekend. Most of that was compiled pre-Hendrick Motorsports, however, and he has seen much better performance driving the No. 88 (7th and 18th). Still, he likely needs a win and just getting into the top 10 -- while possible -- won't be enough.

Driver: Kyle Larson

Rank: 11

Change: -2

Comment: Larson desperately needs a stand-out performance this weekend after a Talladega to forget, and it's certainly possible. A pre-playoffs Championship
4 hopeful, he'll look to close the deal and pick up his first Kansas win after leading a race-high 101 laps there in the spring before finishing fourth.

Driver: Ryan Blaney

Rank: 10

Change: -3

Comment: Blaney has some work to do this weekend, and Kansas is just the right track for him to do it at. He's earned a top-five finish in 42.9 percent of races he's run there, leading multiple laps in each of the past three events for a total of 140.

Driver: Brad Keselowski

Rank: 9

Change: -4

Comment: Keselowski is on the wrong side of the bubble and needs to kick it into gear and take matters into his own hands on Sunday at Kansas. He has just one win there in his career, but his average finish of 13.2 is third-best among all full-timers.

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Rank: 8

Change: +3

Comment: Hey, did you know Kansas Speedway is Clint Bowyer's home track? *ducks* Of course you did, but did you also know that he has just two top-five finishes there in 20 starts, and has only seen the top 10 once since 2013? Now you do.

Driver: Martin Truex Jr.

Rank: 7

Change: -3

Comment: We're not used to seeing Martin Truex Jr. in danger of no longer being in the running for the title, but we're shockingly close. A tiny slip-up at Kansas and he could be out. Luckily for him, he swept the track last year and his 726 laps led there are most among full-time drivers.

Driver: Chase Elliott

Rank: 6

Change: --

Comment: Already locked in to the Round of 8, Elliott can pretty much sail through Kansas and just try to learn anything that will help him the rest of the way. He was fourth in this race last year and it should be a good weekend for the No. 9 team from start to finish.

Driver: Aric Almirola

Rank: 5

Change: +5

Comment: Almirola may have an average finish of 19.8 at Kansas -- the track where he broke his back -- and just five top 10s in 13 starts, but he's already punched his ticket to the Round of 8. Even still, he's put together two straight top-10s there and it's a good tune-up for a track type that we'll see in two of the final four races of the season.

Driver: Kurt Busch

Rank: 4

Change: +4

Comment: Busch nearly knocked off a winless track for him on Sunday at Talladega and should have a good shot to do so again this weekend. In his past seven races at Kansas, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has an average finish of 8.43. Only 24 of his 263 laps led there have come since 2012, however.

Driver: Joey Logano

Rank: 3

Change: --

Comment: Logano had a momentous win at Kansas in this race in 2015, moving Matt Kenseth out of the way, before, well, you know. He also won the fall event in 2014 and owns the best average start at 10.1. He'll be a factor on Sunday.

Driver: Kyle Busch

Rank: 2

Change: --

Comment: Busch has long since broken his Kansas curse, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver still has just one win at the track. He led a race-high 112 laps in this event last year before finishing 10th -- his seventh-straight finish inside the top 10 at the track.

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Rank: 1

Change: --

Comment: But let's be honest -- Harvick is probably gonna win this one. The Fords seem to have had the most speed all throughout the playoffs, with Harvick at the forefront. He already won at Kansas from the pole earlier this year and his three victories and eight top fives there are most among all playoff drivers. It'd be a shock if he's not in contention for the win.