Power Rankings: Will Joey Logano repeat at Atlanta to spark second-half surge?
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 20 hottest Cup Series drivers after the inaugural Chicago Street Race and before Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
20. Alex Bowman (-2)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: Out
Comment: Bowman continues to not have any top-10 finishes since April 2 at Richmond after looking like one of the best out there over the first two months. He was held out of the top 10 at Atlanta each of the last two times out so a turnaround may not be in store for Sunday.
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19. Daniel Suárez (-2)
Season-high: 9
Season-low: Out
Comment: For the second straight week Suárez watched one of his Trackhouse Racing teammates win — while he was held out of the top 10. Atlanta didn't go so well for him earlier this year (DVP, 29th) but he averaged a top five in the two races there prior.
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18. Bubba Wallace (-2)
Season-high: 13
Season-low: Out
Comment: Chicago was a long race for No. 23, which still has no top 10s since May. Wallace has shown time and again that superspeedways are his bread and butter, however, so look for him to crack back into the playoff picture this weekend.
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17. Michael McDowell (Not ranked last week)
Season-high: 17
Season-low: Out
Comment: That's now three top 10s in the past four races for McDowell, who continues to maximize his opportunities. We continually see him shine on road courses and superspeedways and with two in back-to-back weeks he could keep the momentum going.
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16. Ty Gibbs (+3)
Season-high: 16
Season-low: Out
Comment: Gibbs is now just three races shy of a full season of starts under his belt and he's really starting to round into form despite his rookie status, improving his finish in every race from Charlotte-on. His first 2023 top 10 came at Atlanta and he very well might just make it 2-for-2.
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15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (--)
Season-high: 12
Season-low: Out
Comment: Stenhouse has already matched his top-10 total from a season ago — but has just one such finish since Martinsville. Still, you can always give the Daytona 500 winner a look on superspeedways and Sunday will be no different despite the doldrums.
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14. Tyler Reddick (--)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 15
Comment: Reddick looked fast at times throughout the weekend in Chicago but ultimately wound up shuffled to the back of the pack for a result that puts him on pace for his worst careeer average finish (17.9). He ran in the top five in the spring Atlanta race, however, so despite the inconsistency perhaps he gets it going in the right direction down south.
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13. Brad Keselowski (-1)
Season-high: 9
Season-low: Out
Comment: Count Keselowski among those searching for a return to the top 10 — he hasn't seen it since Darlington, in May. Still, the 2012 champ has always favored Atlanta and knows a thing or two about superspeedway wins so perhaps he clinches a surprise ticket to the playoffs in Georgia.
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12. Chris Buescher (+1)
Season-high: 11
Season-low: Out
Comment: The current master of top 10s on road courses, Buescher kept his streak alive as he remains solidly above the elimination line. He tends to be around at the end of superspeedway races but crashed out at Atlanta earlier this year — after leading five laps.
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11. Ryan Blaney (-1)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 13
Comment: Blaney has fallen on hard times of late, collecting a mere 11 points across the last three races combined. He's been known to pop up on superspeedways occasionally and was P7 at Atlanta earlier this year, so perhaps this is where the skid stops.
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10. Kevin Harvick (-1)
Season-high: 3
Season-low: 11
Comment: Here we go, Harvick's last shot at the track he first won at all the way back in 2001, but this weekend finds him riding a three-race streak of finishes outside the top 10. Atlanta looks and races plenty different than it did when he first found Victory Lane, but a win Sunday might be just as special.
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9. Joey Logano (+2)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14
Comment: Logano continues to show a great display of fight in a season in which Ford is lacking a bit of performance, now turning in three top 10s in the last four races of his championship defense. The most recent Atlanta winner should have a great shot to keep it going as he looks to solidify things as we near the playoffs.
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8. Chase Elliott (--)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: Out
Comment: It's honestly kind of surprising Elliott hasn't won yet since his return from injury, just because he's looked so strong the entire time. It just means it'll come his way eventually, and the Georgia native certainly wouldn't mind at all if it happened this weekend.
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7. Christopher Bell (--)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 10
Comment: Bell might've been the one to beat Sunday — and he was, of course, though not really through any fault of his own — and he picked up more points in 18th than everyone in front of him until McDowell, in P7. He's led in two of the last three Atlanta races and turned in a top five there in the spring so he should be able to keep it rolling.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. Ross Chastain (-3)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 7
Comment: Chastain wasn't able to make it two in a row, but Trackhouse was — and that always gives a driver confidence to see his team produce winning cars. Count him among the favorites for Sunday as well after a pair of Atlanta runner-ups in the last three races there.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Denny Hamlin (+1)
Season-high: 4
Season-low: 12
Comment: Though Sunday could've gone a bit better, Hamlin showed throughout the weekend why it's still surprising he has just one road win in his career; he's generally pretty good at them. No need to dwell, however, as he's also incredible on superspeedways and win No. 2 of 2023 could certainly come Sunday.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Kyle Larson (+1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 11
Comment: Larson has such a sneaky-bad average finish this year (15.2) considering its his worst showing since 2015 yet he has two wins, four straight top eights and feels like a slam dunk among the title favorites. He should have speed at Atlanta and will look to rectify things there after a crash-induced P31 in the spring.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3. William Byron (+1)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14
Comment: Byron has two finishes outside the top 10 in the last three races, but they were both top 15s. Zoom out as well and he owns seven top 10s — including a win — in the last nine and he looks even stronger. A recent Atlanta winner, Byron should be a contender once again on Sunday.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. Kyle Busch (--)
Season-high: 1
Season-low: 8
Comment: Busch might've run one of the more impressive races of the day on Sunday, ramming into the tire barriers windshield-deep ... only to somehow rebound for a top five when all was said and done. He does have two wins at Atlanta — but both on the old configuration. Still, he did land in the top 10 there earlier this year.
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1. Martin Truex Jr. (--)
Season-high: 2
Season-low: 14
Comment: Busch arguably could've landed here but Chicago felt like enough of an outlier that we'll stick with the points leader despite a 32nd-place finish — he had four top fives including a win before that. He's been next-level (albeit winless) at Atlanta over the years though his last two showings there didn't net top 10s. Prior to that, however, he had nine straight.