SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Power Rankings

Pete Pistone factors Sunday’s Verizon 200 at The Brickyard into this week’s SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s ‘Power Rankings.’

by:
Pete Pistone
August 17, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 15: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Hyperice Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 15, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Pete Pistone will unveil Power Rankings each week of the NASCAR season. Check out this week’s edition of NASCAR Power Rankings below, and listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) on the SXM App now.

Here’s how Sunday’s Verizon 200 at The Brickyard impacted this week’s Power Rankings:

1. Kyle Larson – He was definitely a threat to win his second straight road course race but came up a little short. Larson has now finished top-three in four of the last five road course races and he leads the regular-season points by 22.

Driver Rating: 110.5
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: 1st

2. Chase Elliott – His fourth-place finish Sunday at Indianapolis exemplifies how good Elliott has been as a road racer this year. It was his worst road course finish in the last five starts.

Driver Rating: 99.8
Point Standings: 5th
Previous Ranking: 2nd

3. Kyle Busch – Frustration over a variety of issues boiled over for Busch several times in Indianapolis. A 20th-place performance was not what the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had in mind by any means.

Driver Rating: 99.3
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: 3rd

4. Denny Hamlin – The best thing Hamlin can say about his weekend was he clinched a Playoff spot based on points. He was leading late when contact from behind by Chase Briscoe spun him out and ultimately handed Hamlin a 23rd-place finish.

Driver Rating: 106.9
Point Standings: 2nd
Previous Ranking: 4th

5. Martin Truex Jr. – His late accident triggered a flurry of incidents that included the race being red-flagged for repair to the curbing on the track not long after Truex Jr.’s crash. He was able to salvage a 15th-place finish.

Driver Rating: 98.2
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 6th

6. Christopher Bell – A rough afternoon for Bell that derailed his recent streak of good finishes particularly on road courses. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was credited with a 36th-place Indianapolis finishing position.

Driver Rating: 84.8
Point Standings: 15th
Previous Ranking: 5th

7. William Byron – His day started great by winning the pole Byron’s second on a road course this season. Unfortunately, he was a victim of the late-race curb issues and Byron’s hard spin and crash put him out of Sunday’s race.,

Driver Rating: 97.5
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: 7th

8. Kurt Busch  – It wasn’t easy or very pretty but Busch persevered to bring his batted and bruised Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet home to a sixth-place finish after all of Sunday’s late-race chaos unfolded.

Driver Rating: 81.9
Point Standings: 14th
Previous Ranking: 9th

9. Ryan Blaney – A better outing for Blaney than recent performances. Sunday at Indianapolis he scored his first top-five finish on a road course this season.

Driver Rating: 88.5
Point Standings: 8th
Previous Ranking: NR

10. Alex Bowman – It has been a very long summer for Bowman who hasn’t been competitive for what seems like weeks. His 17th-place Indianapolis performance was the latest example of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 team’s struggles.

Driver Rating: 86.7

Point Standings: 12th
Previous Ranking: 7th

Dropped Out: Tyler Reddick



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