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Power Rankings: Sonoma to Chicagoland
By Pat DeCola | Published: June 25, 2019 21
Harris Lue | NASCAR Digital Media
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Harris Lue | NASCAR Digital Media
NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Sonoma Raceway and before Chicagoland Speedway.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Chris Buescher
Rank: 20
Change: Not ranked last week
Comment: As expected, Buescher had a decent run at Sonoma. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver now heads to Chicagoland where he's never finished better than 22nd, but has improved his finishing position each consecutive time there.
Rank: 20
Change: Not ranked last week
Comment: As expected, Buescher had a decent run at Sonoma. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver now heads to Chicagoland where he's never finished better than 22nd, but has improved his finishing position each consecutive time there.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images
Driver: Paul Menard
Rank: 19
Change: --
Comment: Menard led the field to green from the pole in last year's race, but was unable to lead any laps or even finish in the top 10. In 12 starts at the Illinois track, he's averaged a finish of 21.3 with just one in the top 10.
Rank: 19
Change: --
Comment: Menard led the field to green from the pole in last year's race, but was unable to lead any laps or even finish in the top 10. In 12 starts at the Illinois track, he's averaged a finish of 21.3 with just one in the top 10.
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Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Rank: 18
Change: -1
Comment: At some point, the No. 48 team will put it all together, right? ... right? Chicago offers a good spot for Johnson -- he's tied with Kevin Harvick for most top 10s (11), is the only driver with multiple poles and has led the most laps there (695).
Rank: 18
Change: -1
Comment: At some point, the No. 48 team will put it all together, right? ... right? Chicago offers a good spot for Johnson -- he's tied with Kevin Harvick for most top 10s (11), is the only driver with multiple poles and has led the most laps there (695).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Erik Jones
Rank: 17
Change: +1
Comment: Despite a few hiccups lately (Charlotte, 40th; Michigan, 31st), Jones is starting to put the pieces together after an eighth-place Sonoma run. Perhaps he keeps it rolling this weekend at Chicago, where he placed sixth last year.
Rank: 17
Change: +1
Comment: Despite a few hiccups lately (Charlotte, 40th; Michigan, 31st), Jones is starting to put the pieces together after an eighth-place Sonoma run. Perhaps he keeps it rolling this weekend at Chicago, where he placed sixth last year.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Larson
Rank: 16
Change: --
Comment: "Slide job!" -- you think Larson is sick of hearing that yet? (We aren't.) With three top fives and an average finish of 7.0, last year's hard-luck runner-up has a shot at closing the deal this weekend and putting the wheels in motion for a nice summer run.
Rank: 16
Change: --
Comment: "Slide job!" -- you think Larson is sick of hearing that yet? (We aren't.) With three top fives and an average finish of 7.0, last year's hard-luck runner-up has a shot at closing the deal this weekend and putting the wheels in motion for a nice summer run.
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Stacy Revere | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Newman
Rank: 15
Change: --
Comment: Newman earned a pole and a win in his first two Chicago starts in 2002 and '03. He has none of either since, but enjoyed a nice stretch from 2007-15 where he notched seven top 10s in nine races.
Rank: 15
Change: --
Comment: Newman earned a pole and a win in his first two Chicago starts in 2002 and '03. He has none of either since, but enjoyed a nice stretch from 2007-15 where he notched seven top 10s in nine races.
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Logan Riely | Getty Images
Driver: Daniel Suarez
Rank: 14
Change: -2
Comment: It's a small sample size of only two races, but Suarez appears headed towards a top 10 this weekend based on his history. He's got an average start -- and finish -- of 11.5, with results of 12th and 11th the last two years.
Rank: 14
Change: -2
Comment: It's a small sample size of only two races, but Suarez appears headed towards a top 10 this weekend based on his history. He's got an average start -- and finish -- of 11.5, with results of 12th and 11th the last two years.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: William Byron
Rank: 13
Change: +1
Comment: Despite a 19th-place Sonoma finish, Byron actually netted the fifth-most points -- hello, stage racing! -- and the No. 24 team is a group on the rise.
Rank: 13
Change: +1
Comment: Despite a 19th-place Sonoma finish, Byron actually netted the fifth-most points -- hello, stage racing! -- and the No. 24 team is a group on the rise.
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Robert Reiners | Getty Images
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer notched seven top-10 finishes in his first eight trips to Chicagoland, but sputtered for the next four from 2014-17 with a best finish of 13th. A fifth-place run from a fifth-place starting spot last year suggests better luck this time around.
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer notched seven top-10 finishes in his first eight trips to Chicagoland, but sputtered for the next four from 2014-17 with a best finish of 13th. A fifth-place run from a fifth-place starting spot last year suggests better luck this time around.
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Robert Reiners | Getty Images
Driver: Alex Bowman
Rank: 11
Change: -1
Comment: Bowman didn't quite light up Sonoma like some expected, but Chicago offers a good shot at redemption. The 1.5-mile track is one of just a handful on the circuit he has multiple top 10s.
Rank: 11
Change: -1
Comment: Bowman didn't quite light up Sonoma like some expected, but Chicago offers a good shot at redemption. The 1.5-mile track is one of just a handful on the circuit he has multiple top 10s.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Aric Almirola
Rank: 10
Change: +1
Comment: Almirola had a top 10 at Chicago in 2015 back in the Petty days for him, but actually led a race-high 70 laps in last year's race before a 25th-place finish. Sonoma was just his second top 10 since Talladega.
Rank: 10
Change: +1
Comment: Almirola had a top 10 at Chicago in 2015 back in the Petty days for him, but actually led a race-high 70 laps in last year's race before a 25th-place finish. Sonoma was just his second top 10 since Talladega.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Kurt Busch
Rank: 9
Change: -2
Comment: Busch's 18 winless starts at Chicagoland are most in the series, and he's been shut out of the top 10 since 2015. He has just two top 10s since Talladega as well, though one of them was a runner-up (Michigan).
Rank: 9
Change: -2
Comment: Busch's 18 winless starts at Chicagoland are most in the series, and he's been shut out of the top 10 since 2015. He has just two top 10s since Talladega as well, though one of them was a runner-up (Michigan).
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Blaney
Rank: 8
Change: +1
Comment: Blaney could be one to watch this weekend. He seems to finally be gaining some momentum, had a fourth-place Chicago finish in 2016 and started on the front row last year.
Rank: 8
Change: +1
Comment: Blaney could be one to watch this weekend. He seems to finally be gaining some momentum, had a fourth-place Chicago finish in 2016 and started on the front row last year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Chase Elliott
Rank: 7
Change: -1
Comment: Elliott's first two races in the Midway went super well, with a pair of top-three finishes and 117 laps led. He stumbled a bit last year, never finding the front of the field and finishing 19th.
Rank: 7
Change: -1
Comment: Elliott's first two races in the Midway went super well, with a pair of top-three finishes and 117 laps led. He stumbled a bit last year, never finding the front of the field and finishing 19th.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Rank: 6
Change: +2
Comment: Hamlin won at Chicago in 2015, but -- somewhat surprisingly -- has just 13 laps led there in 13 races. He's capable of popping off a W anywhere, this weekend just doesn't line up as one of the more probable opportunities.
Rank: 6
Change: +2
Comment: Hamlin won at Chicago in 2015, but -- somewhat surprisingly -- has just 13 laps led there in 13 races. He's capable of popping off a W anywhere, this weekend just doesn't line up as one of the more probable opportunities.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Rank: 5
Change: -1
Comment: Harvick has 10 top fives at Chicago in his career -- three more than any other active driver -- and will certainly be in the conversation as a favorite as the weekend opens. Still, this team has some work to do to catch up to Penske and Gibbs' best at the moment.
Rank: 5
Change: -1
Comment: Harvick has 10 top fives at Chicago in his career -- three more than any other active driver -- and will certainly be in the conversation as a favorite as the weekend opens. Still, this team has some work to do to catch up to Penske and Gibbs' best at the moment.
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Robert Reiners | Getty Images
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Rank: 4
Change: -1
Comment: After a brief respite from Victory Lane (four races) Keselowski might line up as the most likely to land there again this weekend. He hasn't finished outside the top 10 since 2010 and owns a pair of wins.
Rank: 4
Change: -1
Comment: After a brief respite from Victory Lane (four races) Keselowski might line up as the most likely to land there again this weekend. He hasn't finished outside the top 10 since 2010 and owns a pair of wins.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Joey Logano
Rank: 3
Change: -1
Comment: Like his Penske teammate Keselowski, Logano has been a fixture in the top 10 for most of the past decade. An engine failure derailed his run from the pole in 2013 (37th-place finish) but he's otherwise not finished worse than eighth since 2011.
Rank: 3
Change: -1
Comment: Like his Penske teammate Keselowski, Logano has been a fixture in the top 10 for most of the past decade. An engine failure derailed his run from the pole in 2013 (37th-place finish) but he's otherwise not finished worse than eighth since 2011.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Rank: 2
Change: +3
Comment: For Penske to reclaim some stake, it'll have to go with Gibbs' current two-headed monster -- starting with Truex. The 2017 champ flexed some serious muscle at Sonoma and has won two of the past three Chicagoland races.
Rank: 2
Change: +3
Comment: For Penske to reclaim some stake, it'll have to go with Gibbs' current two-headed monster -- starting with Truex. The 2017 champ flexed some serious muscle at Sonoma and has won two of the past three Chicagoland races.
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Jonathan Ferrey | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Busch
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: Truex is hot on Busch's heels for this top spot -- and may overtake him next week -- but for now, Busch is top of the tops. He's the defending Chicago winner, has started on the pole three of the last five years and led a race-high 85 laps in 2017. We could see another teammate battle come Sunday.
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: Truex is hot on Busch's heels for this top spot -- and may overtake him next week -- but for now, Busch is top of the tops. He's the defending Chicago winner, has started on the pole three of the last five years and led a race-high 85 laps in 2017. We could see another teammate battle come Sunday.