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Power Rankings: Martin Truex Jr. set for 2021 road-course breakthrough?
By Pat DeCola | Published: August 10, 2021 21
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series drivers after the race at Watkins Glen International and before the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
20. Chris Buescher (--)
Season-high: 13th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Buescher has only finished outside the top 20 twice since Talladega, but it hasn't been enough to keep him above the cut line. He's been above average in every road course race this season, and with another one on tap this weekend he could build some late momentum.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
19. Michael McDowell (--)
Season-high: 10th
Season-low: Out
Comment: After looking like a strong contender on road courses earlier in the season and throughout his career in general, McDowell has finished outside the top 20 in each of the last three (Watkins Glen, Road America and Sonoma). Those are missed opportunities for him, but a rebound could certainly come at Indy for the veteran.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
18. Matt DiBenedetto (--)
Season-high: 14th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Sure, he still isn't winning, but DiBenedetto just put in one of his strongest four-race stretches of the season with a 10.25 average finish from Road America to Watkins Glen. After a rough start to road courses this season (37th, 23rd, 23rd respectively at Daytona, COTA and Sonoma) he could be a sleeper this weekend with more recent success on them.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
17. Aric Almirola (-1)
Season-high: 16th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Almirola was unable to convert on another top 10 after his NHMS win and continues a year-long search for back-to-back top 10 finishes. Still, he's in the playoffs after looking like it'd be a lost season a month ago. Look for him to get back on the horse at Michigan in a couple of weeks.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
16. Ross Chastain (+1)
Season-high: 16th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Chastain continues to turn in performances in the front of the field, particularly on road courses. He should have another chance to show his strength this weekend at Indy, where he's one of a small handful of drivers in the field to have raced on the road-course layout debuted for NASCAR in the Xfinity Series last year (he finished sixth).
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
15. Austin Dillon (--)
Season-high: 11th
Season-low: 16th
Comment: For all the knocks on Dillon's road-racing skills, he hasn't finished outside the top 15 on them since Daytona earlier this year. Still, you can count on him looking more forward to Michigan and Daytona for locking up a playoff spot than this weekend at Indy.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
14. Kurt Busch (-2)
Season-high: 6th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Busch has finished outside the top 10 two races in a row for the first time since May; but neither was a particularly bad race like that two-race stretch was (27th/38th at COTA/Charlotte). One of the better road racers on the circuit, expect him to be a quick taker to Indy's road layout this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
13. Brad Keselowski (-3)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 13th
Comment: Keselowski had a nightmare of a day at The Glen, which is never what a driver wants — but especially not when they start on the pole. To Indy he'll go, where, you'd think, the Team Penske cars could potentially have the upper hand considering who owns the track and the weekend's overall importance.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
12. Tyler Reddick (+1)
Season-high: 12th
Season-low: Out
Comment: Reddick's talent is clear out there, and he just keeps on turning in strong points days to further bolster his playoff positioning. A proven road-course ace this year, expect Reddick to potentially put some more room between he and teammate Austin Dillon on the cut line after this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
11. Christopher Bell (+3)
Season-high: 8th
Season-low: 16th
Comment: We mentioned after Nashville that Bell might be about to turn on the jets and really make himself a contender, and he has four top-seven finishes (two runner-ups) in six races since then, even tossing in an Xfinity Series win in that stretch to boot. He's on the rise and that should continue at Indy.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
10. Alex Bowman (-5)
Season-high: 5th
Season-low: 17th
Comment: Bowman has now finished outside the top 20 in two straight road-course races — both of which were won by his teammates. Even still, his 15.9 average finish on them in 17 career starts is best on any track type for him and the Hendrick cars clearly have the speed. Don't overlook him this weekend despite recent struggles.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
9. Kevin Harvick (+2)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 12th
Comment: After a brief two-race stretch outside the top 10 — the only such stint he's had this season — Harvick has now reeled off a pair of top eights and heads to one of his best tracks. The only problem: it's now a road-course layout. Given his talent, don't expect that to be a problem for the 2014 champ.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
8. Ryan Blaney (--)
Season-high: 5th
Season-low: 15th
Comment: Blaney was unable to turn in a fifth top-six result in six races but a 14th-place showing isn't awful after the rough day for Team Penske at The Glen. With road-course chops behind the wheel and Mr. Penske in his ear, expect Blaney to rebound solidly this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
7. Joey Logano (--)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 8th
Comment: Logano looked like a sure-fire title contender earlier in the year before being kind of up and down the past month-plus. Still plenty of time to get things ironed out — starting with this weekend — but Penske is clearly behind Hendrick and Gibbs as a whole at the moment.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
6. William Byron (--)
Season-high: 3rd
Season-low: 18th
Comment: Byron had one of the most impressive streaks of the season earlier this year, placing in the top 10 from Miami to Charlotte. His P6 at The Glen, however, was his first top 10 since June, a much-needed respite for the young driver. He'll likely be competitive again this weekend.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
5. Martin Truex Jr. (+4)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 10th
Comment: Surely, with so many road courses on the schedule this year Truex is bound to win one of them, right? The road stalwart of recent years is thus far 0-for-5, but has finished third in two of the last three. With another one on tap this weekend, here's a proclamation: the No. 19 team gets it done at The Brickyard and Truex reasserts himself as one of the strongest title contenders.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
4. Denny Hamlin (-1)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 6th
Comment: With two top fives and three top 10s in his last four races, Hamlin is doing the right things to fend off Larson in the regular-season title battle — except winning, which Larson is doing. With the latter coming off a road win and another such track this weekend, it's not looking good for Hamlin to keep up with the season's biggest victor, but he could certainly change that in three races.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
3. Kyle Busch (-1)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 14th
Comment: Busch is racing at an elite level at the moment and would surely have more than one win over the past two months if it weren't for those pesky Hendrick cars. With plenty of speed, strong Indy history and on road courses in general, there's literally no reason to think he won't be a contender on Sunday. Even if it rains, he'll have wet tires.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2. Chase Elliott (+2)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 10th
Comment: He finished second to his teammate, but Elliott probably ran the best race of anyone out there after coming back to the front from the rear twice. Given nobody can seem to top he or Larson at road courses at the moment, we might be in for another 5/9 battle on Sunday, and they keep getting better.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
1. Kyle Larson (--)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 14th
Comment: It's hard to believe he hadn't won since mid-June, but Larson is back to his winning ways and quashed any concern about a Hendrick drop-off coming out of the break. He's the clear title favorite at the moment and the next 12 weeks might be him pouring the gravy on top of a career year before vying for his first championship at Phoenix.