Power Rankings: Aric Almirola sizzling as summer stretch heats up

By Pat DeCola | Tuesday, July 7, 2020

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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and before the race at Kentucky Speedway.

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20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (-3)

Comment: Stenhouse Jr. drops three spots, and with no Kentucky top 10s on his resume, one might guess he's bound to fall out of these rankings completely. Before we jump to that conclusion, let me remind you that Stenhouse led 21 laps in this race last year.

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19. Bubba Wallace (NR)

Comment: Wallace has yet to finish in the top 10 at Kentucky, but he was P11 there in 2017 and is coming off a top 10 at Indy. While a win may be a long shot, the fringe playoff contender is far from a pushover.

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18. Erik Jones (-2)

Comment: At some point, Jones' luck will turn around, right? Right? Well, Kentucky might be the best shot for it to happen, as the JGR driver has been nothing short of strong there in his three races with an average finish of 5.3.

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17. Austin Dillon (NR)

Comment: Dillon has no top 10s at Kentucky, with a pair of 16th-place finishes marking his best efforts. The RCR driver has seen his Kentucky finish dwindle every year since 2016.

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16. Jimmie Johnson (-2)

Comment: We haven't heard yet if Jimmie will be racing at Kentucky, but he's 15th in points. Plus, the seven-time champ could still conceivably make the playoffs, so he remains in the rankings for now. The track is one of a small handful where he hasn't won, with an un-Jimmie-like 17.0 average finish.

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15. Tyler Reddick (+4)

Comment: Reddick has no Kentucky Cup starts to his name, but inexperience hasn't been a hindrance thus far -- as evidenced by his top-10 run at Indy. The talented rookie won in 2017 at Kentucky in the Xfinity Series.

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14. William Byron (-1)

Comment: Byron won a stage at Indy and looked like his luck was finally catching up to his speed ... but alas, a wreck out front. He has two top-10-less starts at Kentucky, but look for a rebound this weekend, perhaps.

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13. Matt DiBenedetto (+2)

Comment: DiBenedetto has no top 10s at Kentucky, but finished P16 last year in his first shot at it with a decent ride under him. Given his alignment with Team Penske, look for him to battle for a top 10 on Sunday.

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12. Clint Bowyer (-2)

Comment: Bowyer has only landed in the top 10 twice at Kentucky, but one of those was a P6 last year in which he led 40 laps. With SHR hitting on all cylinders at the moment, a strong showing seems likely for Bowyer.

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11. Kurt Busch (+1)

Comment: Busch is the defending winner of this race after he fended off his brother Kyle in one of the most memorable finishes in history. It marked his third top-six finish there in the last four races.

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10. Alex Bowman (-2)

Comment: Bowman was 17th in this race last year, his best-ever showing at Kentucky. He's been yo-yo-ing in and out of the top 10 since Atlanta, but Kentucky doesn't mark a great spot for him to find balance.

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9. Martin Truex Jr. (-2)

Comment: Truex flat-dominated two of the last three Kentucky races for a pair of wins, but was 19th in his first formal start with JGR there last year. He needs a strong turnaround after the Indy disaster, and it'll be interesting to see if he hits on something this weekend at what has historically been his forte (1.5-mile tracks).

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8. Kyle Busch (+3)

Comment: Alright, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen this weekend. It's bonkers that Busch is winless into July, but Kentucky is arguably his best track. He very nearly added a third win last year before ceding to his brother, but still owns top fives in seven of his nine starts for a 4.7 average finish.

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7. Aric Almirola (+2)

Comment: Almirola has only finished in the top 10 at Kentucky once (2018) but has been a man on a mission since Martinsville, having finished in the top five in five straight. Look for the Bacon Man to keep sizzling in the hot Kentucky sun.

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6. Ryan Blaney (-1)

Comment: After a disappointing day at Indy in his boss' backyard, look for Blaney to re-assume the strength he's shown since NASCAR's return at Kentucky, where he placed P2 in 2018.

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5. Joey Logano (+1)

Comment: Logano has yet to win at Kentucky, but he's been tremendously consistent as a strong contender there in his Team Penske years. Since joining the group in 2013, Logano has a top 10 in every race save for crashing out in 2016.

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4. Chase Elliott (--)

Comment: Elliott's early showings at Kentucky have not been exceptional. He does have a P3 to his credit in 2017, but his other three finishes all landed outside the top 10.

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3. Brad Keselowski (--)

Comment: Keselowski might be the second favorite to Kyle Busch this weekend, having literally won a third of the Cup races ever held at Kentucky. Another trip to Victory Lane could be in store for the Team Penske driver, just somebody please give him a corkscrew for that champagne bottle.

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2. Denny Hamlin (-1)

Comment: Hamlin, like most weekends, will be an interesting one to watch after letting win No. 5 slip from his grasp at Indy. On the one hand, he's been amazing in 2020, but on the other he's winless at Kentucky with a pedestrian 14.9 average finish.

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1. Kevin Harvick (+1)

Comment: Harvick is another that hasn't won at Kentucky, but we saw him cross Pocono off the list not too long ago. The four-time 2020 winner owns a 10.8 average finish at Kentucky, and last year's 22nd-place showing was his first non-top-10 since 2012.

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