Power Rankings: Bowman bursts through bubble with remarkable run

12. Ryan Blaney (-2): Things looked to be trending in the right direction for Blaney at the tail end of the regular season and start of the playoffs, but a rough night at Richmond Raceway combined with a frustrating day at the Roval (that somehow still netted a top 10) plus his spotty Dover history (two top 10s since his 2016 debut) have us thinking he's an underdog to make the Round of 8.

11. Kyle Larson (-3): It's just a matter of time before Larson wins at Dover, and this weekend presents a good opportunity. He has the best average start there (8.3) in the series, and apart from a pair of hiccups at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Roval, he has been one of the hottest drivers in the series since New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

10. William Byron (+4): Don't look now, but Byron has three top-seven finishes in his last four races -- easily the best run of races of his Cup career. After a P8 finish at Dover that came from a front-row starting spot, it's looking good for the Hendrick Motorsports product to keep it rolling at the "Monster Mile."

9. Alex Bowman (+6): Though he didn't win, Bowman's run to a second-place finish was incredible and will be remembered for years to come. As far as runner-up finishes maybe not-so fresh on the mind -- Bowman also finished P2 at Dover in the spring. Despite a rough Dover history (25.6 average finish), he could be riding strong into the weekend.

8. Clint Bowyer (+1): Bowyer has yet to win at Dover in 27 starts, though he does have a respectable 13.2 average finish and top 10s in three of his last four there. He has two Talladega Superspeedway wins, but Dover marks his best track in the Round of 12. If trouble strikes in Delaware, he could struggle to make the Round of 8.

7. Denny Hamlin (-3): Hamlin's 27 winless Dover starts are most among playoff drivers, and he has definitely had some disappointing days there (17.5 average finish there is the fourth-worst track for him). It's not all bad, though, as his three poles are tied for the most among playoff drivers and he has five top 10s in the last six Dover races he has finished.

6. Joey Logano (--): Dover marks a super interesting track for Logano, who has never won at the "Monster Mile." From 2012-15, he averaged a finish of 7.625 over eight races. He then averaged a finish of 16.2 over the next five, before picking up 85% of his career Dover laps led with a 5.0 average finish over the most recent two. Also worth noting: He only has 26 career laps led there -- his least at any non-road course.

5. Brad Keselowski (--): It might be a Team Penske thing, though, as Keselowski also experienced similar stretches of strong and weak performances at Dover in similar time frames. He has been the more dominant of the two, however, with double-digit laps led in six of the last 10 Dover races for 375 overall in that time frame.

4. Chase Elliott (+3): Holy moly, indeed. Not only did Elliott just come off one of the most thrilling performances we've seen in some time, he's the defending Dover race winner, led a race-high 145 laps there in the spring, led a race-high 138 laps in this race two years ago and owns a ridiculous 4.4 average finish there, which, obviously, is best in the series.

3. Kyle Busch (-1): Busch needs to get things going in the right way, and quickly. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won this race two years ago and has led a whopping 1,210 Dover laps, so this weekend presents a good shot. His 12 top fives there are five more than any other playoff driver, too.

2. Kevin Harvick (+1): Harvick's race-high 286 laps led in this race last year -- and 1,443 total, most among playoff drivers -- bode well for a strong performance out of Harvick this weekend. Though he's off the pace from his eight wins, 23 top fives and 29 top 10s from a year ago, he's on pace for the best average start of his career (7.4). Considering how hard it can be to pass at Dover, if he qualifies well, he'll likely be in the top-five mix once again.

1. Martin Truex Jr. (--): Truex won the spring Dover race and his three wins there are tied for the most among playoff drivers. He'd need sheer disaster to strike (not impossible for JGR teams; see Erik Jones) to not make the Round of 8, and it doesn't look likely that it'll happen at Dover, one of his home tracks.