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Power Rankings: Newman rockets to playoff sleeper, Truex holds at the top
By Pat DeCola | Published: September 24, 2019 17
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field after the race at Richmond Raceway and before the one at Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
16. Erik Jones (--): For a hot minute there, Jones looked to be in much better shape heading into the weekend, but he's now in must-win territory after his penalty. He has been pretty strong in his seven career road-course starts, with five top 10s and two top fives, though his one lap led doesn't bode well for his Hail Mary chances.
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15. Alex Bowman (-4): Is this a Boyz II Men music video? Because it sure looks like the end of the road for Bowman's playoff hopes at the Roval. The Hendrick Motorsports driver could surprise us, of course, but his mere two top 10s in nine road-course starts with no laps led doesn't inspire confidence when combined with how he has performed lately.
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14. William Byron (-4): Byron is on the good side of the cutline but can't afford a poor performance at the Roval. His P19 at Sonoma Raceway this year looks mediocre upon first glance, but he started on the front row and led 21 laps in that one. He has a solid chance of moving on.
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13. Kurt Busch (+2): Busch has just one career road-course win, but he tends to always hang around the top 10 and often the top five. Despite his precarious positioning (15th), he's not worth counting out yet, though he has work to do.
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12. Aric Almirola (+1): Almirola's history on road courses is spotty (two top 10s in 18 starts), and he has no top 10s since Daytona International Speedway in July. He's 11th now, but there would appear to be a better chance than not he drops below the cutline this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
11. Clint Bowyer (+3): Though he has just one road-course win, Bowyer has notched a top five in more than a third of his 29 starts. Regarded as one of the better road racers in the series, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver looks primed to move on despite being below the cutline currently.
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10. Ryan Blaney (-1): It's easy to think Blaney was just in the right place at the right time with his Roval win last year, but not so quick -- he led 16 laps before that. He also picked up a pair of top fives in the 2019 road races and is one of the more underrated drivers when it comes to turning left and right.
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9. Ryan Newman (+3): We probably shouldn't be surprised by now, but Newman continues to elevate his game come playoff time. A Round of 12 berth -- and likely further, if he keeps up this performance -- appears near-certain, and he's certainly capable of popping off another top 10, like his P7 run at Sonoma earlier this year.
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8. Kyle Larson (--): Larson has grown tremendously as a road-course racer over the years and looks to be in good shape heading into the weekend in eighth place. He led 47 laps in this event last year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Chase Elliott (--): Elliott shouldn't be sweating too much going into the weekend, sitting a decent seventh in points and riding a strong seven-race stretch. Everything seemed to click starting with his dominant Watkins Glen International win -- his second straight there -- and he could be in the mix again Sunday.
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6. Joey Logano (-2): Logano's best playoff days are likely ahead of him, though they might not start this weekend. The defending champ is coming off a relatively frustrating weekend, and his dual P23 finishes on the other two road courses this season don't scream Roval rebound.
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5. Braad Keselowski (--): Logano's Team Penske teammate, however, could certainly be a threat to finally crack Victory Lane again for the first time since Kansas Speedway. He has been hanging around the top five for a little more than a month, and his 29 Roval laps led last year make me think the No. 2 could be celebrating Sunday.
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4. Denny Hamlin (+2): Hamlin certainly ranks as one of the favorites this weekend and is a virtual lock to move on to the Round of 12. One of the most consistently excellent road racers in the series has a pair of top fives at Sonoma and Watkins Glen this year.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
3. Kevin Harvick (-1): Same goes for Harvick -- he'll likely be strong again this weekend based on his second-half performance gains and history as being formidable on road courses. He's already locked in, so he'll be solely trophy hunting.
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2. Kyle Busch (+1): Another favorite this weekend, Busch's only empty mark on his track wins resume is the Roval -- and that's pretty excusable since last year was the inaugural event. The Sonoma runner-up and road-course ace is highly motivated for many reasons right now, and Sunday might be when he ends his winless streak.
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1. Martin Truex Jr. (--): Truex almost won this race last year if not for getting spun, won the last two Sonoma races, finished runner-up in the last two Watkins Glen races and won the last two 2019 playoff races. So, yeah, I guess you could say he's a dark horse for Sunday.