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Power Rankings: Bristol to Darlington
By Pat DeCola | Published: August 27, 2019 21
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Bristol Motor Speedway and before the race at Darlington Raceway.
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20. Paul Menard (--): Menard has yet to finish in the top 10 in 12 starts at Darlington, resulting in a weak 23.5 average finish there. In need of a miracle to make the playoffs, this ain't the week.
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19. Chris Buescher (--): Buescher, also in need of a miracle, could potentially pull it off. The young veteran has bettered his finishing position from his starting position substantially in each of his three Darlington starts (25.7 avg. start/15.7 avg. finish; P13 last year), and that track has seen surprise winners over the years.
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18. Jimmie Johnson (--): Johnson needs things to go right, quickly. Darlington could be the place to do it, as the seven-time champ is the only active driver with three wins at the "Lady in Black." He has also scored the most top-five finishes (nine).
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17. Clint Bowyer (--): A turnaround for Bowyer this weekend, however, is not likely. The personable driver hasn't had any success in South Carolina with no wins in 13 starts and just one top 10 that came in 2007.
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16. Ryan Newman (--): As far as long shots go, Newman presents about as good of a dark horse resume as ever. Though he's winless in 20 Darlington starts, he has a series-best 13 top 10s and just one finish outside the top 20 since 2008.
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
15. Daniel Suarez (--): Suarez has had a rough go so far at Darlington, crashing out two years ago (P38) and finishing 29th last year.
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14. Aric Almirola (--): Almirola has no top 10s at Darlington in seven starts, but he was 14th last year after finishes of 20th and 32nd the years prior. He's trending toward that top 10.
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13. Erik Jones (--): It's just two races, but given how tough Darlington is, Jones' 6.5 average finish there -- good for second in the series -- is awfully impressive. He has a shot to win this weekend.
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12. William Byron (-1): Byron blew an engine last year in his first start at Darlington, resulting in a 35th-place finish after starting 10th. He has two top 10s and two 21st-place finishes in his last four races. In other words, no idea how he'll do this weekend because it really could go either way.
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11. Alex Bowman (-2): Bowman started fourth in this race last year but only bested his previous best finish there (24th) by one spot. With increased performance this year, expect better out of him Sunday.
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10. Kyle Larson (--): Larson led 284 laps in this race last year en route to a third-place finish. The Southern 500 and Darlington are tailor-made for Larson's style of racing, so it's just a matter of time before he scoops up a crown jewel.
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9. Ryan Blaney (+3): Blaney has two finishes outside the top 30 and no top 10s in four Darlington starts, but he's trending in the right direction in 2019. With four top 10s in his last five races, look for him to continue that trend Sunday.
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8. Kurt Busch (--): Though he has no wins in 22 Darlington starts, Busch has led laps in eight of them with three top-six finishes in his last four. He's a strong contender for the Southern 500 crown.
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7. Chase Elliott (-1): Elliott crashed out of his first Darlington race but has reeled off three straight top 11s since, culminating in last year's P5. A late-summer victory could be in the cards for the popular Hendrick Motorsports driver.
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6. Brad Keselowski (+1): The defending winner of the race also had a great runner-up run from the pole in 2015. He has led laps at Darlington in five straight races, and there's little reason to think that won't continue.
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5. Kevin Harvick (-2): With a win in 2014, top fives in five of the last six, 11 top 10s and 581 career laps led at Darlington -- second most in the series -- yeah, Harvick has a shot this weekend.
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4. Joey Logano (+1): Logano was runner-up last year at Darlington but has been pretty up and down there throughout his career. He has five finishes of 18th or worse over his 10 starts.
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3. Martin Truex Jr. (-1): The 2016 winner of the race also has four straight top 11s. He has been pretty solid there his entire career -- just one finish worse than 19th in 13 starts -- and he's one of Sunday's favorites.
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2. Denny Hamlin (+2): The hottest driver in the series also happens to be the 2017 winner, defending Busch Pole winner and, oh yeah, the best driver at Darlington. Hamlin sports a ridiculous 6.2 average finish there across 13 starts.
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1. Kyle Busch (--): Busch has a win at Darlington on his resume -- but not in the Southern 500. Still, he's the track's active laps led leader at 598, and his shot at breaking his winless drought is pretty solid this weekend.