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Power Rankings: Sonoma to Chicago
By Pat DeCola | Published: June 24, 2018 21
Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
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Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Sonoma Raceway and ahead of the race at Chicagoland Speedway.
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Daniel Shirey | Getty Images
Driver: William Byron
Rank: 20
Change: --
Comment: Byron looked competitive at times at Sonoma, but could struggle this weekend. In his two starts at Chicago in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, he finished 30th or worse in both, once with a transmission issue and once with a crash.
Rank: 20
Change: --
Comment: Byron looked competitive at times at Sonoma, but could struggle this weekend. In his two starts at Chicago in the Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series, he finished 30th or worse in both, once with a transmission issue and once with a crash.
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Robert Reiners | Getty Images
Driver: Daniel Suarez
Rank: 19
Change: NR
Comment: Suarez will continue to inch closer to a playoff spot on points as long as he continues to finish at least as well as he starts, like he did at Sonoma. The Joe Gibbs Racing sophomore did that at Chicago last year as well, starting 13th and finishing 12th.
Rank: 19
Change: NR
Comment: Suarez will continue to inch closer to a playoff spot on points as long as he continues to finish at least as well as he starts, like he did at Sonoma. The Joe Gibbs Racing sophomore did that at Chicago last year as well, starting 13th and finishing 12th.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Austin Dillon
Rank: 18
Change: -1
Comment: In his four races at Chicago, Austin Dillon has started well (11.0 average start) but finished poorly (22.2 average finish). That won't cut it for a driver looking to build some momentum ahead of the playoffs.
Rank: 18
Change: -1
Comment: In his four races at Chicago, Austin Dillon has started well (11.0 average start) but finished poorly (22.2 average finish). That won't cut it for a driver looking to build some momentum ahead of the playoffs.
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Daniel Shirey | Getty Images
Driver: Paul Menard
Rank: 17
Change: -3
Comment: Menard's 26th-place Sonoma finish broke a nice, four-race stint where he averaged a finish of 9.0, and he might not get back on track this weekend. The Wood Brothers Racing driver has just one top-10 finish in 11 Chicago starts -- and that came back in 2010.
Rank: 17
Change: -3
Comment: Menard's 26th-place Sonoma finish broke a nice, four-race stint where he averaged a finish of 9.0, and he might not get back on track this weekend. The Wood Brothers Racing driver has just one top-10 finish in 11 Chicago starts -- and that came back in 2010.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Rank: 16
Change: +2
Comment: Stenhouse started his Chicagoland career off on a good note, starting fifth and finishing eighth in 2013. In four races since, he's finished 17th, 18th, 25th and 25th.
Rank: 16
Change: +2
Comment: Stenhouse started his Chicagoland career off on a good note, starting fifth and finishing eighth in 2013. In four races since, he's finished 17th, 18th, 25th and 25th.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Alex Bowman
Rank: 15
Change: +1
Comment: With Hendrick Motorsports showing signs of life lately, Bowman could be one to watch at Chicagoland. He picked up his first top 10 while filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. there in 2016.
Rank: 15
Change: +1
Comment: With Hendrick Motorsports showing signs of life lately, Bowman could be one to watch at Chicagoland. He picked up his first top 10 while filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. there in 2016.
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Daniel Shirey | Getty Images
Driver: Erik Jones
Rank: 14
Change: +1
Comment: Jones struggled at Chicago last year in his only career start there, finishing 33rd and eight laps off the pace. As a whole, however, speedways between 1 and 2 miles like this track have been among his best, with a 15.6 average finish in 28 career races.
Rank: 14
Change: +1
Comment: Jones struggled at Chicago last year in his only career start there, finishing 33rd and eight laps off the pace. As a whole, however, speedways between 1 and 2 miles like this track have been among his best, with a 15.6 average finish in 28 career races.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Rank: 13
Change: --
Comment: Johnson is just two years away from leading a race-high 118 laps in this race, and stands as the only driver with multiple Busch Pole Awards at the track. He's also the track's active leader in laps led with 695.
Rank: 13
Change: --
Comment: Johnson is just two years away from leading a race-high 118 laps in this race, and stands as the only driver with multiple Busch Pole Awards at the track. He's also the track's active leader in laps led with 695.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Blaney
Rank: 12
Change: -3
Comment: Blaney's Sonoma slip-up (34th, though he did lose power steering) should be nothing but a speedbump. The Team Penske driver has averaged a finish of 7.5 in his two Chicago starts.
Rank: 12
Change: -3
Comment: Blaney's Sonoma slip-up (34th, though he did lose power steering) should be nothing but a speedbump. The Team Penske driver has averaged a finish of 7.5 in his two Chicago starts.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Chase Elliott
Rank: 11
Change: +1
Comment: Another great opportunity for Elliott to pick up his first win lies again this weekend at Chicago, where the HMS driver led 42 laps en route to a runner-up finish last year. The previous season, he led 75 before finishing third.
Rank: 11
Change: +1
Comment: Another great opportunity for Elliott to pick up his first win lies again this weekend at Chicago, where the HMS driver led 42 laps en route to a runner-up finish last year. The previous season, he led 75 before finishing third.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Larson
Rank: 10
Change: -2
Comment: For the second time this season, Larson has now finished 14th or worse in back-to-back races. With three top-seven finishes in four career Chicagoland starts, that mini slump should end.
Rank: 10
Change: -2
Comment: For the second time this season, Larson has now finished 14th or worse in back-to-back races. With three top-seven finishes in four career Chicagoland starts, that mini slump should end.
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Jerry Markland | Getty Images
Driver: Aric Almirola
Rank: 9
Change: +2
Comment: Almirola finished 10th in this race in 2015, but has no other Chicago top 10s and finished 24th or worse the last two years. As with all races this season, we'll see how being in Stewart-Haas Racing equipment betters his performance.
Rank: 9
Change: +2
Comment: Almirola finished 10th in this race in 2015, but has no other Chicago top 10s and finished 24th or worse the last two years. As with all races this season, we'll see how being in Stewart-Haas Racing equipment betters his performance.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Rank: 8
Change: +2
Comment: Hamlin is up there for best driver at Chicago the past four years. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the race in 2015 and has four straight finishes of sixth or better.
Rank: 8
Change: +2
Comment: Hamlin is up there for best driver at Chicago the past four years. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the race in 2015 and has four straight finishes of sixth or better.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Kurt Busch
Rank: 7
Change: --
Comment: While Busch has never won at Chicago, he's one of the track's best. The SHR driver has top 10s in more than half of his 17 career starts, though none have come since 2015.
Rank: 7
Change: --
Comment: While Busch has never won at Chicago, he's one of the track's best. The SHR driver has top 10s in more than half of his 17 career starts, though none have come since 2015.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Rank: 6
Change: --
Comment: Keselowski could finally break through for win No. 1 of the season this weekend. He has two wins at Chicago and hasn't finished worse than eighth since 2010.
Rank: 6
Change: --
Comment: Keselowski could finally break through for win No. 1 of the season this weekend. He has two wins at Chicago and hasn't finished worse than eighth since 2010.
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Robert Reiners | Getty Images
Driver: Joey Logano
Rank: 5
Change: -2
Comment: Like his Team Penske teammate, Logano has been exceptional at Chicago most of this decade -- though he is winless. Still, the 28-year-old has finished seventh or better in five of the past six races there.
Rank: 5
Change: -2
Comment: Like his Team Penske teammate, Logano has been exceptional at Chicago most of this decade -- though he is winless. Still, the 28-year-old has finished seventh or better in five of the past six races there.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Rank: 4
Change: +1
Comment: If Bowyer is looking for a heat check, Chicagoland should offer a good test. The Illinois track has given him fits over the past four years, when Bowyer finished 13th or worse.
Rank: 4
Change: +1
Comment: If Bowyer is looking for a heat check, Chicagoland should offer a good test. The Illinois track has given him fits over the past four years, when Bowyer finished 13th or worse.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Busch
Rank: 3
Change: -1
Comment: Busch won this race when it was in July in 2008 and led a race-high 85 laps last year from the pole -- his second in a row at Chicago. So, yeah, he'll be a threat.
Rank: 3
Change: -1
Comment: Busch won this race when it was in July in 2008 and led a race-high 85 laps last year from the pole -- his second in a row at Chicago. So, yeah, he'll be a threat.
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Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Rank: 2
Change: +1
Comment: Sunday's Sonoma winner is also the two-time defending winner at Chicago, as well -- but guess what? The Furniture Row Racing driver has just four top 10s in 12 career starts there.
Rank: 2
Change: +1
Comment: Sunday's Sonoma winner is also the two-time defending winner at Chicago, as well -- but guess what? The Furniture Row Racing driver has just four top 10s in 12 career starts there.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: Sunday is shaping up to be one heck of an intermediate-track battle between some heavy hitters on the veteran side (2, 11, 18, 41, 78) and on the youth-movement side (9, 12, 42). No matter what, any of them are going to have to go through this guy, who has two Chicago wins and has finished in the top five in more than half of his starts at the track.
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: Sunday is shaping up to be one heck of an intermediate-track battle between some heavy hitters on the veteran side (2, 11, 18, 41, 78) and on the youth-movement side (9, 12, 42). No matter what, any of them are going to have to go through this guy, who has two Chicago wins and has finished in the top five in more than half of his starts at the track.