Kyle Larson got beat (or fenced, depending on your view) on the final lap Sunday by Denny Hamlin, but considering he was spun early in the Kansas Speedway race and finished second, Larson moves up to the top spot in these rankings.
Hamlin makes the biggest jump, four spots to fourth, after his victory.
After a disappointing race, Christopher Bell drops two spots to third. And welcome back Chase Elliott, who has four consecutive finishes of 12th or better in his return from a broken left leg.
Here’s the full list of these power rankings. And in the spirit of “throwback weekend” at Darlington, I’ll throw it back to May 2013 — 10 years — in talking about where each driver was in his career (complete with a throwback pic).
1. Kyle Larson (Last week: 2)
Ten years ago: Larson is in his first year in the Nationwide Series at Chip Ganassi Racing and is considered one of the top prospects, doing things in a sprint and midget at a young age that are bringing comparisons to Tony Stewart. Larson won the East Series title last year and captured the truck race last month at Rockingham. Now the question is whether he can have the same prowess on intermediate tracks.
2. Ross Chastain (LW: 3)
Ten years ago: This young Florida driver had a few promising performances piloting a truck for Bobby Dotter last year and is now running a part-time schedule for Brad Keselowski Racing. Whether there ever is a Cup race in his future is debatable.
3. Christopher Bell (LW: 1)
Ten years ago: Bell made it to the C-Main in the Chili Bowl a year after making the A-Main as a 17-year-old. He is a Toyota driver but whether a NASCAR path would be one where he thrives is still to be seen.
4. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8)
Ten years ago: Hamlin should have won the Cup title in 2010 — it was part him blowing it and part the greatness of Jimmie Johnson. But don’t forget: He’s in just his sixth Cup season. He’ll win a title sooner than later. But first, he’ll have to show that the broken back that kept him out of four recent races won’t have a long-term effect.
5. William Byron (LW: 4)
Ten years ago: Byron excelled in Legends car last year, but most of his training has been online. That’s right, online. Like that really is going to get someone ready to really race actual cars. Lol.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5)
Ten years ago: Truex has just one win in seven-plus years of Cup racing. He’s driving for Michael Waltrip Racing, which hopes to revive his glory days of winning two Busch Series titles. They are going to have to do it quickly or time could run out in Truex’s career as a Cup driver.
7. Kyle Busch (LW: 7)
Ten years ago: Busch has 26 Cup wins, and about the only thing he hasn’t done is win a Cup title. He’ll be a threat to win one this year and for many years to come. His biggest challenge might just be himself.
8. Tyler Reddick (LW: 10)
Ten years ago: Reddick, who has been impressive in dirt late models, is trying to break into NASCAR. He started 13th in his truck debut last month driving for Ken Schrader at Rockingham but spun after just a handful of laps and finished 30th. Rockingham was a great place for him last year — he won the 2012 East Series finale at the track.
9. Kevin Harvick (LW: 9)
Ten years ago: Harvick is in his lame duck year at Richard Childress Racing before heading to Stewart-Haas Racing. He has one win this year, but it has been a mediocre year for the most part. The move to SHR likely can’t come soon enough for Harvick.
10. Chase Elliott (LW: NR)
Ten years ago: A Hendrick development driver, Elliott was respectable finishing fourth in the East Series last year but was not as dominant as many would expect. That might have been an anomaly, though, as he has a fifth and a sixth in his first two truck starts this year as a 17-year-old.
On the verge: Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass, and sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass.
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