Power Rankings: Will AJ Allmendinger punch playoff ticket in the Windy City?
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 20 hottest Cup Series drivers after the race at Nashville Superspeedway and before Sunday's inaugural Chicago Street Race (5 p.m. ET, NBC).
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20. AJ Allmendinger (Not ranked last week)
Season-high: 20
Season-low: Out
Comment: Allmendinger has earned two of his three top 10s this year in the past two weeks (the other being the season-opening Daytona 500) as he rides a four-race streak inside the top 15. Already a preseason favorite to win this weekend's street race, he's coming into the Windy City with the most momentum he's had all year, and this might be his best shot at the playoffs.
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19. Ty Gibbs (-1)
Season-high: 17
Season-low: Out
Comment: Though Gibbs has improved his finishing position in every race from the Coca-Cola 600-on, he's still looking for his first top 10 since the Bristol Dirt Race. He's shown a knack for road racing in his short career so far, and there's a good chance it'll translate to Chicago.
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18. Alex Bowman (-2)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: Out
Comment: Bowman did lead a handful of laps late at Nashville — his first since returning from injury — but faded to 17th when the checkered flag fell. He's still averaging a career-best 12.4 finish and has been in the mix on road courses late on occasion. He could be one to watch.
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17. Daniel Suárez (+3)
Season-high: 9
Season-low: Out
Comment: It wasn't quite the win his teammate had, but Suárez was still impressive at Nashville, nearly taking a backup car from the rear to a top-10 finish. Given his background and recent speed, there's a strong chance his fortune turns this weekend.
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16. Bubba Wallace (+1)
Season-high: 13
Season-low: Out
Comment: Wallace showed he had a fast car in qualifying on Saturday, but the speed wasn't quite as apparent during Sunday's race, finishing 15th with no stage points. He's starting to show road-course capability of late, and he could have a strong showing in an important race.
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15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-1)
Season-high: 12
Season-low: Out
Comment: Stenhouse is still enjoying the best season of his career but has hit a bit of a dry spell with just one top 10 (Charlotte) since Martinsville. His first two road courses this year have gone better than usual, however, so he could get a spark this weekend.
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14. Tyler Reddick (-1)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 15
Comment: Reddick could've perhaps battled for the win, but an earlier incident after leading 33 laps put him behind the 8-ball all night, and he landed 30th. His troubles should be short-lived, though, as the current road-course king might just be the outright favorite to win Sunday.
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13. Chris Buescher (-2)
Season-high: 11
Season-low: Out
Comment: At Nashville, Buescher turned in his worst finish (18th) since Bristol (also 18th), but no need to fret. There is literally no driver more consistent on road courses lately than Buescher, who is riding a top-10 streak on them that has him in the company of Hall of Famers.
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12. Brad Keselowski (+3)
Season-high: 9
Season-low: Out
Comment: Keselowski was unable to corral a top 10 for the fourth straight race, but he just missed out (11th). The 2012 champ has no road-course to wins to date — and none of any kind since 2021 — so he's probably not likely to break through droughts this weekend.
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11. Joey Logano (-6)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14
Comment: Logano and his No. 22 team really didn't put things together until later on last season en route to the championship, and he'd better hope to be on a similar trajectory as he's averaging his worst finish (15.6) since 2012 (17.4). That said, would it shock literally anybody out there if he went out and won Chicago? Nope. Logano wins big races. Sunday is a huge one.
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10. Ryan Blaney (-6)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 13
Comment: It was only three races ago, but Blaney's Charlotte win feels like a distant memory after a rough past few weeks. He's shown plenty of speed this year, but thus far, road courses haven't yielded a finish inside the top 20 in 2023.
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9. Kevin Harvick (-1)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 11
Comment: Take this with a grain of salt because he has three 11th-place finishes in this span, but Harvick has just three top 10s dating back to Bristol dirt after one of his most disappointing runs of the year at Nashville. Maybe he'll turn it around at Chicago, though winning at road courses hasn't been something he's shown to do consistently (two wins in 57 starts).
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8. Chase Elliott (+4)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: Out
Comment: Elliott looks like he never left out there, and it's just a matter of time before he breaks through and snags a win. We know how good he's proven to be on road courses, and there's no reason why he can't get it done this weekend and shake up the championship picture.
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7. Christopher Bell (+3)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 10
Comment: Bell is very much starting to heat up again as the Toyotas as a whole begin to come alive for their annual summer hot streak. He's shown to pop up as a sporty road-course competitor at times, and he'll have a strong shot to claim Chicago.
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6. Denny Hamlin (+3)
Season-high: 4
Season-low: 12
Comment: We saw how good Hamlin looked at Nashville, but he's been quite strong for two-plus months now, basically being a top-five car and only finishing outside of that when he's involved in a crash. For a driver as accomplished as he is, it's surprising to see him have just one road-course win still, but he's definitely capable of winning Chicago.
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5. Kyle Larson (+1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 11
Comment: Larson continues to show that he's a weekly front-of-the-field contender when he doesn't get mixed up in a wreck, and he could easily pop off for a few more wins before the playoffs. There's little chance he won't be fast at Chicago, and if he qualifies well — like he's wont to do on road courses — he should have a shot at the win.
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4. William Byron (-1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14
Comment: We're one race shy of exactly halfway through this season, and it's clear to see Byron is a title contender at this juncture after nearly securing his eighth top five at Nashville (he had five in total last season). He's as good a bet as any to take home the W in the Windy City.
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3. Ross Chastain (+4)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 7
Comment: If you were looking for the "Real Ross Chastain," you found him. The No. 1 was sensational at Nashville all weekend long, culminating in his statement win to grab a playoff spot. As far as Chicago, we've seen him win on a road course as recently as last year, and he's certainly got the mojo going.
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2. Kyle Busch (-1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 8
Comment: Busch turned in his worst finish since Kansas at Nashville ... but he's on a tear, and it was still a top 10. Everything is clicking for Rowdy and his new team — one that was super strong on road courses last year — and he very well could go out and win Chicago.
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1. Martin Truex Jr. (+1)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: 14
Comment: That's now four straight top fives for Truex, who has two wins in the last seven races as well as he enjoys a remarkable season after considering retirement. We saw the road-course ace snag another win at Sonoma earlier this month, and everything on paper says he should be among the ones to beat this weekend.