SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s Power Rankings

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 (Channel 90) on the SiriusXM app now.

Here’s how the Blu Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway impacted this week’s edition of the Power Rankings:

1. Martin Truex Jr. – He became the first driver to win two races this year by scoring career win number 29 at Martinsville on Sunday. Truex Jr. is the hottest short track driver in the series with five wins in the last 11 races after starting his Cup career 0 for 80 on short tracks.

Driver Rating: 107.1
Point Standings: 2nd
Previous Ranking: 5th

2. Denny Hamlin – He has finished top-five in seven of the eight races this season. Hamlin led 276 laps, his second-most at Martinsville to 296 in March 2009, but he failed to win both races, settling for third on Sunday.

Driver Rating: 117.6
Point Standings: 1st
Previous Ranking: 1st

3. Joey Logano – There were challenges for Logano Sunday, including being sent to the rear of the field for a penalty. But he was able to rally back and followed his Bristol dirt win with a top-10 Martinsville performance.

Driver Rating: 104.5
Point Standings: 3rd
Previous Ranking: 2nd

4. Ryan Blaney – A bitter pill for Blaney to swallow at Martinsville. He led 157 laps but was penalized for removing equipment on the final stop after his air gun got hung up on the car while running second. He wound up finishing 11^th.

Driver Rating: 91.8
Point Standings: 5th
Previous Ranking: 3rd

5. William Byron – The Hendrick Motorsports driver continues to roll in 2021. Byron scored his sixth straight top-10 finish, the best streak of his career.  He has finished top-10 in three of the last four races at Martinsville.

Driver Rating: 98.5
Point Standings: 6th
Previous Ranking: 4th

6. Kyle Larson – A very solid outing for Larson. Scored his second top-five finish at Martinsville in 13 career starts. He has finished top-10 in six of the eight races this season.

Driver Rating: 105.7
Point Standings: 4th
Previous Ranking: 6th

7. Chase Elliott – A much-needed run for Elliott at Martinsville.  His second place ties his best finish this season and was just his third top-five finish 2021. Elliott has finished top two in three of the last five Martinsville races.

Driver Rating: 95.8
Point Standings: 7th
Previous Ranking: 7th

8. Brad Keselowski –  He had a fast race car until disaster struck for Keselowski. The Team Penske driver got caught up in an accident and was credited with a 33^rd place finish. The DNF snapped a 10-race streak of finishing top-10 at Martinsville.

Driver Rating: 91.1
Point Standings: 9th
Previous Ranking: 8th

9. Kevin Harvick– The theme of the season continued for Harvick. He wasn’t terrible but not good enough to challenge for the lead or race win. It was another top-10 finish for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

Driver Rating: 90.3
Point Standings: 8th
Previous Ranking: 9th

10. Kyle Busch – Not there yet in terms of being a threat to win on a regular basis but consistent finishes are still coming as evident of Busch’s top-10 effort at Martinsville on Sunday.

Driver Rating: 90.2
Point Standings: 11th
Previous Ranking: 10th

Dropped Out: None