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Power Rankings: Kyle Larson on fire, rounding into title sleeper
By Pat DeCola | Published: September 3, 2019 21
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and before the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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20. Paul Menard (--): Yes, we know he has a win here in the not-too-distant past and two top 10s in his last three starts. No, we don't think it's likely he finds his way into the playoffs by the time the checkered falls.
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19. Chris Buescher (--): Buescher likely missed his last, best shot at the playoffs Sunday at Darlington (he still finished a respectable 12th), and an Indy miracle isn't likely. Still, he placed ninth there in 2017, and he's much better this year, so you never know.
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18. Jimmie Johnson (--): Well, this is it. Indianapolis is a do-or-die scenario for Johnson, currently set to miss the playoffs for the first time in his career. A win would solve all, and -- luckily for him -- Johnson has twice as many Brickyard 400 wins (four) as any other active driver.
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17. Ryan Newman (-1): The 2013 winner also has two straight top 10s, with a P3 in '17 -- all good signs for his ability to force his way into the playoffs when all is said and done. His series-best 9.7 average start ain't too bad either.
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16. Daniel Suarez (-1): Suarez is riding a nice three-race run and stands poised to make a playoff push Sunday. A seventh-place run in 2017 and a newfound swagger make him a dark horse for the win, too.
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15. Clint Bowyer (+2): Bowyer needs to keep his head above water at Indy to keep his playoff positioning, and a good day could be in store. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver tied for race-high 37 laps led last year, and two of his four top-six finishes there in 13 starts have come in the last four years.
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14. Aric Almirola (--): Almirola had to have sighed a breath of relief after clinching his playoff spot at Darlington. In seven Brickyard 400s, the SHR driver has a best finish of 13th with an average finish of 22.3 and no laps led.
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13. William Byron (-1): Byron didn't make any noise at Indy last year, with a 22nd-place start and 19th-place finish. His team -- then No. 5 of Kasey Kahne -- won in '17, however, so he's one to watch Sunday as a potential dark horse.
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12. Alex Bowman (-1): Bowman can rest easy this weekend knowing he's already in the playoffs with a win. In three Indy starts, the young driver has a best finish of 33rd.
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11. Ryan Blaney (-2): In the two races at Indy in which he hasn't crashed, Blaney owns a keen 11.5 average finish. In the two in which he has crashed, he has averaged a result of 29.5. Pro tip: Try not to crash, man!
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10. Erik Jones (+3): Jones finished 31st in his first Indy race but crashed out of that one after leading 10 laps. The Darlington winner then went out and was last year's runner-up. Not too bad.
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9. Chase Elliott (-2): Indy is one of a small number of tracks the third-year driver has been making starts at since 2015, but that still hasn't helped him fare well there yet. In four starts, the popular driver has a best finish of 15th (twice).
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8. Kyle Larson (+2): In his early years, Indy looked like a track Larson was destined to master (seventh, ninth and fifth in 2014-16). The last two years he finished 28th and then 14th. His talent and current hot streak make us think he's set to right the ship there this weekend and ride into the playoffs as a sleeper for the title.
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7. Kurt Busch (+1): Luckily for Busch, he can skate on through this weekend and still be in the playoffs, because Indy isn't one of his better tracks. Though the '04 champ placed sixth last year, his 18 winless starts are most in the series and he sports a weak 18.8 average finish.
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6. Brad Keselowski (--): This was the period when Keselowski got scalding-hot last year, and it could could be happening again with a pair of top fives the past two races. He's the defending winner at Indy after placing P2 the year before.
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5. Martin Truex Jr. (-2): Perhaps the Joe Gibbs Racing magic will finally rub off on him here, but Indy hasn't been kind to Truex over the years. His last two starts resulted in DNFs and three top 10s in 18 starts pin him with a 20.9 average finish.
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4. Kevin Harvick (+1): Want to know how challenging of a race the Brickyard 400 is? Harvick (tied with Johnson) is the track's active leader in top-five finishes, with six ... in 18 starts. Also worth noting: He has four straight top sixes.
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3. Joey Logano (+1): Logano really, really wants to win at the Brickyard for team owner Roger Penske. Logano is bound to one of these days -- the defending series champ has a pristine 6.5 average finish there the last six years.
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2. Denny Hamlin (--): Hamlin continues to be one of the sport's hottest drivers, and that should keep rolling this weekend. The JGR mainstay tied for a race-high 37 laps last year en route to a third-place finish.
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1. Kyle Busch (--): Though he's battling a mini-winless streak right now, Busch is the likely favorite for Sunday. The JGR driver started on the pole the last three years, won two in a row from 2015-16 and has led a series-high 324 laps there among active drivers.