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Power Rankings: Martin Truex Jr. about to find his groove?
By Pat DeCola | Published: July 14, 2020 21
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Kentucky Speedway and ahead of the race at Texas Motor Speedway.
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20. Christopher Bell (NR)
Comment: The rookie Bell doesn't have a Cup start to his name at Texas yet, but he does have five top-10 finishes in the last 11 races after starting the season with five straight outside the top 20.
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19. Erik Jones (-1)
Comment: Perhaps a missed chance at turning the ship around at Kentucky, Jones gets another shot this weekend at picking up some much-needed momentum. In seven races at Texas he owns a series-best 9.4 average finish with five straight top 10s.
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18. Cole Custer (NR)
Comment: Well, that certainly came out of nowhere ... or did it? Custer landed a top-five at Indy a week prior and was above average at both Pocono races. He certainly has the equipment capable of winning, and now he's in the playoffs.
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17. Austin Dillon (--)
Comment: Dillon could be in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs. Already in a precarious position, Texas has never gone well for him, with just one top 10 in 14 tries.
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16. Jimmie Johnson (--)
Comment: Johnson is back from a one-week absence and was nearly a factor for the win at Kentucky. He could be again this weekend, as the track's leader with seven wins and having led 60 laps from the pole in last year's spring event.
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15. Tyler Reddick (--)
Comment: After falling off considerably at Talladega and Pocono, Reddick has slapped together a pair of top 10s the last two weekends. He'll need to keep that up in order to make the playoffs, as there's now one less spot up for grabs.
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14. William Byron (--)
Comment: Byron is running out of time for his breakout campaign to begin, as we're essentially halfway through the full season. Texas could be a nice spot for him, however, with two top 10s in four races and a strong 12.2 average finish.
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13. Clint Bowyer (-1)
Comment: Bowyer is hanging around in pretty good playoff positioning, but still not a consistent top-10 presence quite yet. He should have a strong showing at Texas, as last spring's runner-up that also led 36 laps in the fall.
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12. Matt DiBenedetto (+1)
Comment: A third-place finish on an intermediate is a strong sign of where DiBenedetto and his team are, and it'll be interesting to see if they can keep up the pace with another two on the docket.
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11. Kyle Busch (-3)
Comment: Busch has bounced in and out of the top 10 the last eight races since finishing runner-up at Atlanta. We're still confident he'll put it all together at some point this year, but as tracks like Kentucky tick by and he doesn't, it's hard to pinpoint when.
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10. Alex Bowman (--)
Comment: Bowman has finished 18th or worse in four of the last six races, and it doesn't quite line up for Texas to be a turnaround, either. He has just one top 10 in nine races there, although that was a P5 last fall.
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9. Kurt Busch (+2)
Comment: Busch hasn't won yet this year, but he legitimately hasn't had a "bad" race since Vegas back in February. That consistency should continue at Texas, where he owns six straight top 10s.
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8. Aric Almirola (-1)
Comment: Almirola has just four top 10s in 18 starts at Texas, but three of them came in the past three outings, culminating in last fall's runner-up.
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7. Joey Logano (-2)
Comment: Logano has just the one win at Texas that came all the way back in 2014, but he's had some really strong runs there since. Six top fives in 11 races since that trip to Victory Lane indicate this weekend is a good spot for him to regain some footing.
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6. Chase Elliott (-2)
Comment: Does it seem like Elliott has been quiet lately, or is it just me? Look for him to make a reemergence this weekend with a sterling 11.0 average finish and five top 10s in eight races at Texas.
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5. Martin Truex Jr. (+4)
Comment: Truex is 0-for-29 at Texas, but might be the guy to watch this weekend. I have a feeling he and the No. 19 group are about to find their sweet spot, and with eight top 10s at Texas since 2015, the run of dominance could start this weekend.
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4. Ryan Blaney (+2)
Comment: Blaney has led 40 or more laps at Texas in three of the last six races and tacked on a runner-up in 2018 to his resume. One of the most consistently fast drivers this year, look for him to be competitive this weekend.
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3. Brad Keselowski (--)
Comment: Here's a bit of a shocker: Keselowski has never won at Texas, has a subpar eight top 10s in 23 starts and none since 2017. What won't be a shocker: if one of this season's best drivers finds a way to turn that around this weekend.
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2. Denny Hamlin (--)
Comment: For the first time this season, Hamlin finished two straight races outside the top 10. Let's just go ahead and assume last spring's Texas winner doesn't let it slip to three.
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1. Kevin Harvick (--)
Comment: Harvick very nearly landed his fifth win of 2020 at Kentucky -- which would have eclipsed his entire 2019 total -- but he has perhaps the best shot of anybody to land in Victory Lane this weekend. The winner of the last two fall races led a 1-2-3 SHR finish last November and has been on another planet this year.