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Power Rankings: Joe Gibbs Racing trio makes big jump before New Hampshire
By Staff Report | Published: July 26, 2020 21
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NASCAR.com ranks the top 20 NASCAR Cup Series drivers after the race at Kansas Speedway and before Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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20. Bubba Wallace (-1)
Comment: Forget being knocked out in a wreck at Kansas -- Wallace continues to get more out of his equipment than most in the garage. Having just two career Cup Series starts at New Hampshire, though, gives us pause.
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19. Cole Custer (+1)
Comment: Custer was quiet at Kansas -- mostly quiet. At the drop of the checkered, though, the No. 41 Ford came across the stripe seventh. Those kind of surprise top-10 finishes will be even more necessary once the playoffs begin.
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18. Jimmie Johnson (-2)
Comment: The pair of recent surprise winners and a downtick in performance has Johnson slumping. The breakout may come in August, but likely not at New Hampshire.
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17. Austin Dillon (-3)
Comment: Dillon is just one race removed from a surprise win at Texas Motor Speedway, but finishing 27th at Kansas last week was a kick to the gut. His recent performance at New Hampshire isn't much better. His finishing position has gotten worse in each of the last four races there, dropping to 32nd last year.
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16. William Byron (+2)
Comment: Sure, there were some tricks to Byron finishing 10th at Kansas -- pit strategy, namely. That said, the No. 24 team gutted out a top 10 on a day when it needed the points. Progress.
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15. Alex Bowman (-2)
Comment: Like teammate William Byron, some strategy in the pits -- and some guts running the high side -- got Bowman a much-needed eighth-place result at Kansas.
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14. Tyler Reddick (+1)
Comment: We're jumping Reddick a spot because of his sheer brazenness the past few weeks. It's the sign of a driver with plenty of confidence heading to his first Cup Series start in the Granite State.
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13. Erik Jones (+4)
Comment: After a much-needed top-five finish, Jones heads to a Joe Gibbs Racing stronghold in New Hampshire. He has earned a respectable 110 points in his last four starts there.
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12. Clint Bowyer (--)
Comment: Bowyer was dejected over his radio at Kansas and seems to be teetering on the playoff bubble precipice.
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11. Matt DiBenedetto (--)
Comment: DiBenedetto's top-five New Hampshire run last year opened some eyes. He gets the benefit of the doubt heading into this week's race.
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10. Kurt Busch (-1)
Comment: There's nothing wrong with Busch's performance of late. It's just that it has been good, not great.
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9. Aric Almirola (-1)
Comment: Almirola is a sneaky pick to win this week. He has performed well at flat tracks in his career, and his average NHMS finish in two starts with Stewart-Haas Racing is 7.0.
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8. Chase Elliott (-2)
Comment: Elliott has one top-five finish in his past four New Hampshire starts. His 112 points earned in that stretch ranks first among Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
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7. Kyle Busch (+3)
Comment: OK, we're drinking the Rowdy Kool-Aid a bit here. No driver has earned more points in the past four Loudon races (189), and of all the remaining tracks in the regular season, this one feels the most likely place for Busch to break through for his first win of 2020.
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6. Joey Logano (-1)
Comment: Logano has been consistent lately at New Hampshire, with finishes of 10th, ninth and ninth since 2017.
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5. Ryan Blaney (-1)
Comment: Another driver we're eyeing as a breakthrough New Hampshire winner is Blaney, who finished fourth in last year's race.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Martin Truex Jr. (+3)
Comment: Like Kyle Busch, we're giving Truex a big bump this week to compensate for JGR's mastery at the 1.058-mile oval. His 183 points in the last four New Hampshire races is second-most to only Busch.
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3. Brad Keselowski (--)
Comment: The "Big 2" of Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are the class of the NASCAR field for now, but Keselowski is the driver most likely to squeeze his way into the title talk with those two.
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2. Kevin Harvick (-1)
Comment: Denny Hamlin took the overall lead in wins this season with his fifth at Kansas, but Harvick could grab his fifth this weekend. The Nos. 4 and 11 dueled for the win last year, too.
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1. Denny Hamlin (+1)
Comment: It seems like Hamlin can do no wrong this year. He's our new No. 1 and our favorite to win this weekend.