NASCAR Power Ranking Following Phoenix
by Jay Horne of NASCARWagers.com, NASCAR Handicapping Service
Last Sunday Kevin Harvick scored his 3rd consecutive victory in the Ticket Guardian 500 at ISM Raceway to put another stamp on his dominant start to the 2018 season. Obviously Harvick and the #4 team at Stewart-Haas Racing are the best in the garage at the moment as they have proved the last several weeks. The team is unloading fast cars, the crew is making the correct changes with solid pit stops, and Harvick is ultimately getting the job done behind the wheel. However now that we have 4 races under our belt, I wanted to take this time to discuss where the rest of the competition stacks up in the Cup Series among the top drivers and teams. Take a look as we provide our NASCAR power ranking following Phoenix.
#10 – Kurt Busch
Austin Dillon has a Daytona 500 victory and a guaranteed spot in the Chase. Dillon probably deserves a spot in this list but aside from Daytona has been mediocre at best. In attempting to breakdown the best cars/teams as they currently stand, I would slide Kurt Busch into the fold. Busch has been really solid in the last few weeks and honestly has been fast every week. He posted top 10 finishes at Atlanta and Phoenix. Not to mention, he had a top 10 car at Las Vegas before he got into Chase Elliott.
#9 – Clint Bowyer
Along with Harvick, all of the Stewart-Haas Racing cars have been performing fairly well. Kurt Busch has been solid. The same can be said for Aric Almirola. However, Clint Bowyer is the driver that is putting together the finishes. Bowyer’s 6th place finish on Sunday was his 2nd top 10 in the last 3 weeks following a strong 3rd place showing at Atlanta. From a fantasy and H2H standpoint, Bowyer has been one of the best kept secrets of the season and remains a driver to keep on your radar as we move forward.
#8 – Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski has posted a few quality finishes highlighted by the 1.5 mile tracks. Keselowski posted finishes of 2nd and 6th between Atlanta and Las Vegas. The team struggled a bit this week at Phoenix but I still like the speed that the #2 team has shown thus far. Teams are going to have off weeks, it cannot be avoided. However consistent speed will prevail and the #2 team has that going for them.
#7 – Chase Elliott
At times you simply have to look past poor finishes and focus on speed. Chase Elliott got into an accident at Daytona, was wiped out by Kurt Busch at Las Vegas, and did not have the performance we expected at Atlanta. However, the #9 team did rebound this past weekend at ISM Raceway with a 3rd place showing. More importantly Elliott had one of the fastest cars throughout the entire weekend and was in contention in the closing laps. Despite the issues, Elliott has been fast and it appears they are getting faster each week.
#6 – Joey Logano
I have been thoroughly impressed with Joey Logano’s start this season following the disastrous 2nd half of the 2017 season. Logano has posted 3 top 10 finishes and just keeps battling each week. When you look at speed, the #22 team is not standing out on the speed charts. However, they are making the cars better on raceday and Logano is doing a good job towards getting the best of his equipment. I think everyone should keep an eye on this #22 team with Logano over the next few weeks because I feel like they have some sleeper potential.
#5 – Kyle Larson
I am a bit surprised that Kyle Larson has not truly contended for a victory yet. He finished 3rd at Las Vegas but I don’t think he was ever a threat for the victory. Last Sunday, Larson led several of the early laps at ISM Raceway before a solo car spin ruined his afternoon. For whatever reason, this team has just been a bit off. I specifically mentioned rear tire chatter and grip issues going into Sunday’s race in my preview and those concerns are what ultimately led to the spin/continued issues in the Ticket Guardian 500. From talent alone, Larson will be a threat especially with some favorable tracks upcoming. However, the #42 team has some obvious work to do in order to get better cars on the track.
#4 – Denny Hamlin
I have been watching the #11 team closely this season and they are showing some sneaky speed. Hamlin finished 3rd at Daytona and we know he is a great restrictor plate driver. He also posted a 4th at Atlanta and another 4th place showing this Sunday at ISM Raceway. Going into Sunday, I was pretty happy to get an 11-1 price tag with Hamlin as I had him pegged as one of my favorite plays. Hamlin did not necessarily disappoint. He looked really strong at times, led laps, but ultimately fell short. Either way, the team is performing well and Hamlin’s opportunity at victory will grow especially with Martinsville just two weeks away.
#3 – Martin Truex Jr
The defending champion has been quiet but the #78 team still has a lot of speed. They have not shown the 2017 speed where they dominated the 1.5 mile tracks leading the vast majority of the laps. However, they have not been too far off either. Truex posted top 5 finishes on both 1.5 mile tracks and then backed it up with yet another top 5 finish at Phoenix on Sunday. The team is a touch off in terms of winning speed but they are definitely within striking distance.
#2 – Kyle Busch
If it were not for Kevin Harvick’s monstrous start, we would probably be talking a lot more about Kyle Busch. Busch posted his 2nd straight runner-up finish to Harvick on Sunday after leading 128 of the 312 laps. Busch had the fastest car but could not run down Harvick after losing ground during the final round of pit stops. Still, Busch has been very good leading laps in the last 3 races and challenging for victory in the final two. I have been impressed with the speed from the #18 in recent weeks despite JGR’s modest performance. The #18 team is clicking and I do not see them going away any time soon.
#1 – Kevin Harvick
I do not believe an explanation is truly necessary. Kevin Harvick has won the last 3 races joining the elite company of guys like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and others that have won 3 straight races at NASCAR’s highest level. Last Sunday’s victory at ISM Raceway may have been the most impressive of the victories thus far. Harvick did not appear to have the fastest car as that title belonged to Kyle Busch who led the most laps. However, Harvick did the best behind the wheel getting by Chase Elliott after the final pit stop to take the lead and then held off Busch in the closing laps. Since Daytona, Harvick has led exactly 433 (47.4%) of the 904 laps run and appears to be in the best form of his career.
