Power Rankings: Alex Bowman makes statement showing in strong playoff opener

16. Harrison Burton (--)

Season-high: 16
Season-low: Out

Comment: On the one hand, Burton walking out of Atlanta with just six points and still managing to be 14th in the standings is a bit of a win, but ... it's still just six points. He needed to capitalize at Atlanta and likely needs to win one of these last two races to advance, which isn't probable. Of the two, Watkins Glen feels more possible, as he's at least turned in a top-three finish on a road course before (at Indy in 2022).

15. Chase Briscoe (-2)

Season-high: 11
Season-low: Out

Comment: From first to worst -- Briscoe's playoffs got off to a woeful start after the highest of the highs the week before at Darlington, and it wasn't even his fault. Thankfully for him, he has the capability to be competitive at both Watkins Glen and Bristol, and No. 14 secured a top 10 at The Glen in 2021, leading seven laps there the following year.

14. Martin Truex Jr. (-4)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14

Comment: Suppose it shouldn't be too surprising to see Truex's final playoff run start the way it did -- in a much similar fashion to how most of the rest of the season had been for him. In perhaps his final true road-course start this upcoming weekend, it would be vintage Truex for the former Watkins Glen winner to reassert his dominance as a road racer and punch his ticket to the Round of 12. Absolutely possible, but every bit of his season says it's not likely in the cards.

13. Brad Keselowski (-4)

Season-high: 5
Season-low: 18

Comment: The two-time Atlanta winner didn't have a poor finish at the Georgia track, but Keselowski's result was an extremely thin P19 with no stage points, sinking him below the bubble. Sunday would be the perfect time for the 2012 champ to better those three straight runner-ups he once had at Watkins Glen and finally claim a spot in Victory Lane at the New York facility.

12. Ty Gibbs (-1)

Season-high: 4
Season-low: 15

Comment: Gibbs looked relatively strong at Atlanta and led his most laps since the Coca-Cola 600, but still netted a mediocre 23 points after he finished 17th. His first win feels almost likely to come on a road course, honestly, and it could come this weekend -- he was fifth at Watkins Glen last year.

11. Denny Hamlin (-7)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 11

Comment: Hamlin's Atlanta strategy was ... interesting ... and didn't quite work as intended, with his 13-point showing dropping him way too close to the elimination line for comfort and to a season-low here. This could be the weekend it all gets sorted back into place for he and the No. 11 team. Hamlin has been lights out at The Glen lately, winning in 2016 and being competitive in nearly every race there since, with two poles and four top fives -- including a runner-up last year. 

10. Daniel Suárez (+4)

Season-high: 10
Season-low: Out

Comment: Not only did Suárez nearly go back-to-back at Atlanta -- like we hinted at here last week was quite possible -- the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing driver is already quietly proving a lot of doubters wrong, and has been for several weeks. He's been quite solid for about two months now and the talented road racer should be among the favorites to win and advance at The Glen, where he has top fives in half of his six starts.

9. Chase Elliott (-3)

Season-high: 2
Season-low: 17

Comment: Elliott scored a strong 36 points -- more than the fourth-place finisher -- but the topsy-turvy nature of the race saw him still drop a spot in the standings coming out of Atlanta. Many drivers will still say he's the guy to beat at Watkins Glen -- where he has two wins and four top fives in the last five races -- so a "rebound," if you even want to call it that, should be in order Sunday. 

8. Austin Cindric (+7)

Season-high: 8
Season-low: Out

Comment: Cindric has steadily been improving over the past month leading into the playoffs, culminating in a strong top 10 with a career-high for laps led in a race to open the postseason, riding to a season-high rank here as well. The No. 2 Ford has been a top-15 car at Watkins Glen in Cindric's first two times there on the Cup side, and he should have a legit shot at a top 10 this weekend.

7. Alex Bowman (+5)

Season-high: 7
Season-low: 18

Comment: Raise your hand if you had Bowman slotting in as the one to give Hendrick its best showing in the playoff opener. ... Anyone? Bowman has faced nothing but questions since his Chicago win, and in one fell swoop essentially quieted the doubters while nearly punching his Round of 12 ticket. Hendrick has historically been strong at Watkins Glen, but it has yet to show up with Bowman behind the wheel -- he's never finished in top 10 despite a decade of racing there.

6. William Byron (+1)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 8

Comment: Byron faced some questions heading into the preseason but has now led in four straight races, notching a top 10 to open the 2024 playoffs as he attempts to make it back to the Championship 4. Last year's Watkins Glen winner has a great shot to really pour it on this weekend and firmly reestablish himself among the title favorites.

5. Kyle Larson (-4)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 5

Comment: And just like that, it's anyody's ballgame. Larson will likely still be viewed as the top threat in the garage, but the door has certainly been opened for a potential first-round knockout just one race in. That's now three finishes outside the top 20 in the last five races for the 2021 champ. He could easily turn things around in a big way this weekend, though -- No. 5 has won two of the last three Watkins Glen races.

4. Joey Logano (+4)

Season-high: 4
Season-low: 20

Comment: How many times does Joey Logano have to remind his doubters that he's the only two-time champ in the playoffs for a reason? "Sliced Bread" was at it again at Atlanta, clinching the first Round of 12 spot of anybody and once again putting himself and crew chief Paul Wolfe in A+ positioning at the most opportune time. He's been hit or miss at The Glen over the past decade, but does have a pair of top 10s there the past two years on top of a win in 2015. He'll just be racing for the win and stage points, so he could be a threat once again.

3. Tyler Reddick (-1)

Season-high: 1
Season-low: 14

Comment: Reddick had a relatively quiet sixth-place run at Atlanta, with no laps led and striking out on stage points, but he'll take it after such a difficult race a week ago and seeing so many title contenders upheaved this week. He's quickly established himself as one of the premier road racers at the sport's top level and after three straight strong results at Watkins Glen to start his career, a first win there this Sunday feels quite possible.

2. Christopher Bell (+1)

Season-high: 2
Season-low: 15

Comment: Bell continues to turn in results that suggest he's destined for a third straight Championship 4, with his third straight top-four finish and sixth race of 30-plus points in his last seven. There isn't a weak point in his game at the moment, and with three straight top-eight showings in his first Watkins Glen starts, he could be destined for a third career road-course win on Sunday.

1. Ryan Blaney (+4)

Season-high: 2
Season-low: 12

Comment: It took all season, but last year's champ is finally back on top in these rankings as his title defense appears to be in excellent shape at the moment. He's had perhaps the fastest car in the field each of the last two weeks and now holds the outright points lead among drivers not named Joey Logano. Watkins Glen will be a little bit of a heat check for he and the No. 12 team -- the defending champ has a decent average finish of 13.0 there but has been racing at the track since 2016 and has just two laps led. If Blaney leads laps Sunday, you'll know they're for real.