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Power Rankings: With Dover on deck, is Jimmie Johnson’s moment upon us?
By Pat DeCola | Published: August 18, 2020 21
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1. Kevin Harvick (--)
Comment: With two wins at Dover -- both of which have come since 2015 -- and four top-six finishes the last four outings at the "Monster Mile," it seems entirely likely that Harvick will escape the weekend with at least one victory. Could it be two?
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2. Denny Hamlin (--)
Comment: Hamlin once again was one of the drivers to beat this past weekend, and it's not likely to change with the twin bill on tap for Saturday and Sunday. Though he's yet to win at Dover in 28 starts, he led a race-high 218 laps in the last race there.
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3. Martin Truex Jr. (+1)
Comment: Truex has three wins at Dover, won the fall 2016 race and is the most recent full-time driver to win at the track. Naturally, he will finish third in both races this weekend, extending his streak of five straight third-place results.
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4. Chase Elliott (+2)
Comment: Not only is Elliott coming off a brilliant performance at Daytona, he rolls into the weekend as the likely favorite with two strong chances at another W. The fall 2018 Dover winner led a race-high 145 laps last spring as well and has six top fives in eight races there.
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5. Brad Keselowski (-2)
Comment: Keselowski is the Penske driver that does have the Dover win, though in his 20 starts he has just eight total top 10s. He's been exceptionally fast in 2020, however, so it's hard to see how he doesn't collect at least one more this weekend, and possibly two.
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6. Joey Logano (+1)
Comment: For all of its success elsewhere, Team Penske sure has had a rough go of it at Dover, with just one win combined between their three drivers. Logano, himself, is 0-for-22 with just 26 laps led, though he does have 12 top 10s.
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7. Ryan Blaney (-2)
Comment: Blaney, again, was hit with bad luck late at Daytona and now heads to a track in Dover where he's had nothing but bad luck with just two top 10s in eight races for a 21.2 average finish. He might already be looking ahead to the playoffs.
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8. Kurt Busch (+2)
Comment: Busch should have a decent weekend in him, with a win in his back pocket at Dover (2011) and three top 10s in his last four -- just don't expect another trip to Victory Lane. The 2004 champ has led just three laps there since 2013.
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9. Aric Almirola (--)
Comment: Almirola has previously said Dover is among his favorite tracks, and with a pair of top fives in 2015 it was starting to look like it might be a powerhouse for him. He has no top 10s there since, however.
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10. Kyle Busch (-2)
Comment: Is Busch going to go the entire regular season without a win? If a victory were to happen, you'd have to think it would happen this weekend and not at the unpredictable Daytona (where Busch's history is spotty at best). Rowdy last won there in the 2017 fall race, his third Dover victory overall.
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11. Clint Bowyer (+1)
Comment: Bowyer has yet to win at Dover in his long-tenured career, but he's no stranger to running well there. Spring 2018's runner-up has four top 10s in his last five races at the Delaware track.
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12. Alex Bowman (+1)
Comment: Bowman has yet to rekindle his early-season speed, but maybe he'll regain some footing at Dover. In two races last year, the No. 88 driver notched a pair of top-three finishes.
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13. Matt DiBenedetto (-2)
Comment: DiBenedetto has just one top 10 in 10 starts at Dover -- but it came last fall. He's not in terribly precarious playoff positioning, but he certainly does need to finish the regular season strong.
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14. William Byron (--)
Comment: Will the historic Hendrick dominance at Dover finally shift over to Byron? Thus far, he has just one top 10 in four tries. Fighting for a playoff spot, Byron could really use some magic this weekend.
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15. Jimmie Johnson (+2)
Comment: Is this it? The story seems to have written itself, with Johnson on the outside looking in of the playoff picture with a doubleheader at his absolute best track coming up as his chances are dwindling. It's also the site of his last win, all the way back in 2017. If 2020 owes us anything, it's the moment of Jimmie Johnson back in Victory Lane to make one final title run.
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16. Erik Jones (-1)
Comment: Jones' somewhat disappointing season continues, as he has no top 10s since Kansas. Perhaps things will spark at Dover, where his 11.7 average finish is fourth best among active drivers.
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17. Tyler Reddick (+1)
Comment: Reddick hasn't been as good as his rookie counterparts at Dover in the Xfinity Series (12th or worse in three of his five starts) but on the other hand, he's been better on the whole than them in 2020 in Cup.
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18. Austin Dillon (-2)
Comment: We don't know yet if Dillon will be cleared from his COVID-19 diagnosis in time for this weekend's doubleheader. The No. 3 driver has just two top 10s in 13 starts.
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19. Christopher Bell (+1)
Comment: Bell is another that saw Dover success at the Xfinity Series level, with two wins in four races. It's coming at the right time for the rookie, who has no top 10s since Kentucky.
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20. Cole Custer (-1)
Comment: Custer is still stumbling with three straight finishes outside the top 20, but could rebound at Dover. The "Monster Mile" was kind to him in the Xfinity Series, with a win last fall.
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at the Daytona Road Course and before the doubleheader at Dover International Speedway.