Power Rankings: Bad Luck Blaney struck again, but the speed is blatant

By Pat DeCola | Wednesday, August 12, 2020

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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the races at Michigan International Speedway and before the inaugural race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

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20. Christopher Bell (NR)

Comment: Bell averaged a 15th-place finish in the Michigan doubleheader, and if he can hang around the top 15 the rest of the season, it'll be considered a solid learning campaign for the rookie. It'd be nice to see if he can reach the front of the field more, too, as he has just four laps led in 2020. He'll drive the No. 20 Toyota in 2021, so he'll be there soon enough.

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19. Cole Custer (-1)

Comment: Custer had a nice little run going with four top-eight finishes including a win in five races, but Michigan weekend was a dreadful one for the rookie.

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18. Tyler Reddick (-5)

Comment: Reddick announced he'd be back at Richard Childress Racing in 2021, shutting down any rumor that he'd be a candidate for the No. 48 Chevrolet. The decision may be a wise one for the rookie, who currently has more top 10s and a nearly identical average finish to the seven-time champ that currently inhabits that ride.

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17. Jimmie Johnson (--)

Comment: Johnson is currently set to miss the playoffs in his final season and second in a row unless he can pull off some throwback excellency over the next few races. He has no top 10s since Martinsville (June 10).

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16. Austin Dillon (+3)

Comment: Dillon picked up his first top 10 since his Texas win this past weekend, but it's just his second total such result since Homestead back in mid-June.

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15. Erik Jones (+1)

Comment: Jones still has a bright future ahead of him and though it's debatable if JGR should have kept him or not, he certainly didn't light the world on fire in search of keeping his job. The 24-year-old (still younger than Christopher Bell) led just 34 laps and has eight top 10s in 22 races with no wins.

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14. William Byron (+1)

Comment: Byron has yet to finish in the top five this year, arguably being outrun by a fellow Chevy driver in rookie Tyler Reddick. A playoff appearance still appears likely for Byron, but a deep run does not.

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13. Alex Bowman (+1)

Comment: Things aren't going especially well for Bowman, who owns an average finish of 22.7 and one top 10 over the last seven races and just 18 laps led since Charlotte.

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12. Clint Bowyer (--)

Comment: Though he's shown signs of life (43 laps led Sunday), Bowyer can't seem to put a full race together right now. He has no top 10s since picking up two at Pocono.

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11. Matt DiBenedetto (--)

Comment: DiBenedetto appears a safe bet to make the playoffs, but it's been kind of an average season overall for him after some talk of a breakout. The Wood Brothers Racing driver has just seven top 10s and 23 laps led in 22 races.

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10. Kurt Busch (--)

Comment: Busch has slid nicely into the wily veteran role, grinding out consistently above average finishes all season long albeit with no wins. He has the fourth-best average finish (11.3) and no finishes outside the top 18 since Vegas -- pre-break.

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9. Aric Almirola (-1)

Comment: Almirola really isn't getting enough credit for how consistently great he's been for the better part of two months. Over the last 11 races, the No. 10 Ford driver owns a 6.55 average finish, which is no fluke.

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8. Kyle Busch (+1)

Comment: There's still a ways to go, but Busch is starting to put the pieces together. Even though he's yet to win, the reigning champ is one of three drivers with double-digit top fives.

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7. Joey Logano (-2)

Comment: Logano still has just the two pre-break wins, but he's certainly not done making noise yet. He's been competitive, with double-digit laps led in 14 of the season's 22 races.

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6. Chase Elliott (--)

Comment: Elliott's Charlotte win feels like a distant memory, but the team may not be as far off as some may think (including the driver). A 9.8 average finish over the last five races indicates they're close to competing with the best again.

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5. Ryan Blaney (+2)

Comment: Blaney appeared set for at least his second straight top five of the weekend -- maybe a win -- before his teammate mistakenly ended his race, but the point remains: apart from the results, Blaney has been fast. He's led multiple laps in 13 of the last 15 races for 471 total and eventually the wins will drop.

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4. Martin Truex Jr. (--)

Comment: Four straight P3s and a runner-up at Kentucky before that show that Truex is still very, very much in the title picture, but there's still work to be done before he can consistently battle with Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin. He has no laps led since Kansas.

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3. Brad Keselowski (--)

Comment: Keselowski might be that third wheel in the 2020 version of the "Big Three" but he certainly hasn't fully claimed it yet. Still, he's been pretty great overall and though he has two fewer wins than Hamlin, he has two more top 10s (16) for second overall in the series.

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2. Denny Hamlin (-1)

Comment: Hamlin has four straight top-six finishes and stands as the unquestioned 1B to Harvick's 1A. There's little reason to think these two won't be battling at Phoenix for the title later this year, the only question is who will be joining them?

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1. Kevin Harvick (+1)

Comment: Harvick continues to be untouchable most weekends and his 888 laps led are now 257 more than Hamlin, his nearest competitor. He's nearly averaging a top-five finish (5.9), for crying out loud.

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