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Power Rankings: Texas to Bristol
By Pat DeCola | Published: April 2, 2019 21
Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
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Cindy Gonzalez | NASCAR Digital Media
NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers following the race at Texas and ahead of the race at Bristol.
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
Driver: Alex Bowman
Rank: 20
Change: -3
Comment: In Bowman's first four races at Bristol, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished 32nd three different times, with a 20th-place finish thrown in. In two races behind the wheel of the No. 88, he's finished fifth and eighth.
Rank: 20
Change: -3
Comment: In Bowman's first four races at Bristol, the Hendrick Motorsports driver finished 32nd three different times, with a 20th-place finish thrown in. In two races behind the wheel of the No. 88, he's finished fifth and eighth.
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Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Newman
Rank: 19
Change: --
Comment: Newman has the most Bristol starts (34) without a win, though he does have a top 10 in 52.9 percent of those races. He has only one finish outside the top 15 in the past nine races.
Rank: 19
Change: --
Comment: Newman has the most Bristol starts (34) without a win, though he does have a top 10 in 52.9 percent of those races. He has only one finish outside the top 15 in the past nine races.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Austin Dillon
Rank: 18
Change: -2
Comment: Despite just two top 10s in 10 starts, Dillon hasn't been awful at Bristol. Seven of those have been inside the top 15, including a fourth-place run in fall 2016.
Rank: 18
Change: -2
Comment: Despite just two top 10s in 10 starts, Dillon hasn't been awful at Bristol. Seven of those have been inside the top 15, including a fourth-place run in fall 2016.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: William Byron
Rank: 17
Change: (Not ranked last week)
Comment: Byron is rolling off his best weekend of the season and, though he has a rough average finish of 20.5 through two Bristol starts, he could be in the mix for a top 10. He started 11th and fifth in the two Tennessee races last year.
Rank: 17
Change: (Not ranked last week)
Comment: Byron is rolling off his best weekend of the season and, though he has a rough average finish of 20.5 through two Bristol starts, he could be in the mix for a top 10. He started 11th and fifth in the two Tennessee races last year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
Rank: 16
Change: +2
Comment: Johnson just snagged his first top five and pole of the season at Texas, so perhaps some of that mojo carries over to his old Bristol stomping grounds. The seven-time champ is the last non-Busch brother to win there (spring 2017) and he has just one finish worse than 11th in the last nine races.
Rank: 16
Change: +2
Comment: Johnson just snagged his first top five and pole of the season at Texas, so perhaps some of that mojo carries over to his old Bristol stomping grounds. The seven-time champ is the last non-Busch brother to win there (spring 2017) and he has just one finish worse than 11th in the last nine races.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Erik Jones
Rank: 15
Change: -1
Comment: Bristol is looking like it'll be a strong track for Jones throughout his career, but the results have certainly be mixed thus far. In four races, he has a pole, a runner-up finish, a fifth-place finish and two mediocre ones (17th, 26th).
Rank: 15
Change: -1
Comment: Bristol is looking like it'll be a strong track for Jones throughout his career, but the results have certainly be mixed thus far. In four races, he has a pole, a runner-up finish, a fifth-place finish and two mediocre ones (17th, 26th).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Daniel Suarez
Rank: 14
Change: +1
Comment: Suarez has been consistently above average thus far at Bristol but is still looking to break through for a top 10. Already on pace for a career-high in top 10s in 2019, perhaps the first will come this weekend.
Rank: 14
Change: +1
Comment: Suarez has been consistently above average thus far at Bristol but is still looking to break through for a top 10. Already on pace for a career-high in top 10s in 2019, perhaps the first will come this weekend.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Larson
Rank: 13
Change: -2
Comment: There's a strong chance Larson has a bit of a breakout performance this weekend. Something clicked for the young driver at Bristol the past two seasons, where he's landed three front row starting spots, four top 10s and two runner-ups.
Rank: 13
Change: -2
Comment: There's a strong chance Larson has a bit of a breakout performance this weekend. Something clicked for the young driver at Bristol the past two seasons, where he's landed three front row starting spots, four top 10s and two runner-ups.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Stenhouse absolutely ranks Bristol among his favorite tracks, and it's easy to see why. He's notched a top five in a third of his starts there and averages a finish of 8.5 in the spring race.
Rank: 12
Change: +1
Comment: Stenhouse absolutely ranks Bristol among his favorite tracks, and it's easy to see why. He's notched a top five in a third of his starts there and averages a finish of 8.5 in the spring race.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Clint Bowyer
Rank: 11
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer has never won at Bristol but he did lead his first laps -- 120 of them -- at the track since 2013 last fall. Coming off one of his best performances of the year, look for that to continue Sunday.
Rank: 11
Change: +1
Comment: Bowyer has never won at Bristol but he did lead his first laps -- 120 of them -- at the track since 2013 last fall. Coming off one of his best performances of the year, look for that to continue Sunday.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Driver: Kurt Busch
Rank: 10
Change: --
Comment: Busch finally re-found Bristol Victory Lane last summer -- his first win there in more than a decade. Overall, his six wins are second only to his brother, and he should contend again this weekend.
Rank: 10
Change: --
Comment: Busch finally re-found Bristol Victory Lane last summer -- his first win there in more than a decade. Overall, his six wins are second only to his brother, and he should contend again this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Ryan Blaney
Rank: 9
Change: -1
Comment: This seems to be the case for Blaney at a handful of tracks, but his excellent average starting position (9.7) has yet to fully translate to solid finishes (21.9 average.) He does have a pair of top 10s in his last three races there, and that should soon become the norm.
Rank: 9
Change: -1
Comment: This seems to be the case for Blaney at a handful of tracks, but his excellent average starting position (9.7) has yet to fully translate to solid finishes (21.9 average.) He does have a pair of top 10s in his last three races there, and that should soon become the norm.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Chase Elliott
Rank: 8
Change: +1
Comment: Though he was 29th in this race last year, Elliott has been pretty great at Bristol in the early going. The HMS driver has a trio of top-seven finishes through six starts and figures to be in the mix this weekend.
Rank: 8
Change: +1
Comment: Though he was 29th in this race last year, Elliott has been pretty great at Bristol in the early going. The HMS driver has a trio of top-seven finishes through six starts and figures to be in the mix this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
Rank: 7
Change: -1
Comment: You know by now that Truex has still yet to win a short track race, and Bristol might be his worst track. A pair of 30th-place finishes last year well-capture his history at the track, where he has just three top 10s in 26 starts.
Rank: 7
Change: -1
Comment: You know by now that Truex has still yet to win a short track race, and Bristol might be his worst track. A pair of 30th-place finishes last year well-capture his history at the track, where he has just three top 10s in 26 starts.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Driver: Aric Almirola
Rank: 6
Change: +1
Comment: Almirola has just three top 10s in 19 career Bristol starts. All three of them have come in the spring race, however, and the most recent one was last year.
Rank: 6
Change: +1
Comment: Almirola has just three top 10s in 19 career Bristol starts. All three of them have come in the spring race, however, and the most recent one was last year.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Driver: Joey Logano
Rank: 5
Change: --
Comment: Logano has been stellar at Bristol since making the move to Team Penske ahead of 2013. Since then, he has eight top 10s in 12 races with a pair of wins. He had just one top 10 (eighth) in his eight Bristol races with Joe Gibbs Racing prior to that.
Rank: 5
Change: --
Comment: Logano has been stellar at Bristol since making the move to Team Penske ahead of 2013. Since then, he has eight top 10s in 12 races with a pair of wins. He had just one top 10 (eighth) in his eight Bristol races with Joe Gibbs Racing prior to that.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Rank: 4
Change: -2
Comment: Keselowski notched a pair of consecutive Bristol wins from 2011-12, but has seen some pretty rough outings since. In the next 13 Bristol races, Kes has just three top 10s and an average finish of 21.0.
Rank: 4
Change: -2
Comment: Keselowski notched a pair of consecutive Bristol wins from 2011-12, but has seen some pretty rough outings since. In the next 13 Bristol races, Kes has just three top 10s and an average finish of 21.0.
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Matt Sullivan | Getty Images
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Rank: 3
Change: +1
Comment: Though he has just two wins in 36 tries, Harvick has been consistently strong at Bristol. The SHR driver is tied with Johnson for the most top fives (12) and one short on top 10s (19) -- seven of which have come over the last seven races.
Rank: 3
Change: +1
Comment: Though he has just two wins in 36 tries, Harvick has been consistently strong at Bristol. The SHR driver is tied with Johnson for the most top fives (12) and one short on top 10s (19) -- seven of which have come over the last seven races.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Denny Hamlin
Rank: 2
Change: --
Comment: Hamlin has been nothing short of excellent in 2019 and that should continue this weekend. Though he only has three top fives at Bristol since he won there in 2012, all of those were third-place finishes and he routinely starts near the front of the field (three Bristol poles are most in the series).
Rank: 2
Change: --
Comment: Hamlin has been nothing short of excellent in 2019 and that should continue this weekend. Though he only has three top fives at Bristol since he won there in 2012, all of those were third-place finishes and he routinely starts near the front of the field (three Bristol poles are most in the series).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Driver: Kyle Busch
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: But, of course, right now this guy has a lock on the top spot, particularly heading into this weekend. Busch's seven Bristol wins are the most in the series, and two of them have come in the last three races there.
Rank: 1
Change: --
Comment: But, of course, right now this guy has a lock on the top spot, particularly heading into this weekend. Busch's seven Bristol wins are the most in the series, and two of them have come in the last three races there.