Power Rankings: The Coca-Cola 600 From Charlotte

Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

This week’s Power Rankings will not result from a full-field analysis as is the case after “normal” weekly event, because not all of the regular competitors were participants. For the same reason, only one Honorable Mention driver will be listed. Granted, all of the key players were there, (except for one notable exception) but the event itself was anti-climatic, did not deliver anywhere near the amount of entertainment I’m sure NASCAR was hoping for and was the least competitive of any of the three national touring series’ races this weekend.

There were however, some performances which necessitated a tweak or two to the list, but for the most part, it is very similar to last week’s rankings. Read below to see how your favorite driver fared!

New to the list this week: 11

Dropping off the list this week: 1

Honorable Mention

No. 15. Michael Waltrip Racing. CLINT BOWYER. HM. (Last Week: NR) – Clint was consistent all race, running just outside the top 10 at the end of each segment. With some improvement, he is certainly capable of breaking in sometime soon.

Power Rankings

#10. (Last Week: 10) – The two-tire strategy used during his stop between the first and second segments won him the second and third segments and he was running fourth after the fourth segment. He must have not gotten the memo that there were still 10 laps left after that, because he (figuratively) didn’t show up.. No. 2. Team Penske. BRAD KESELOWSKI

#9. (Last Week: 9) – Another consistent effort from Joey, but nothing worth a move up or down the list this week.. No. 22. Team Penske. JOEY LOGANO

#8. (Last Week: NR) – Any win carries a lot of weight. I’m sliding him into McMurray’s slot from last week because Jamie was the only one from our top ten that deserved to go.. No. 11. Joe Gibbs Racing. DENNY HAMLIN

No. 20. Joe Gibbs Racing. MATT KENSETH. #7. (Last Week: 7) – Kenseth delivered increasingly higher finishes in each of the first three segments on Saturday, going from 13th to 9th to 7th. He ultimately finished fifth, but he’ll have to do more to move up here.

(Last Week: 6) – Kurt marched up 11 quick spots after the start and remained in the top 10 for each of the remaining segments. He started to show some angst on the radio once or twice, though… hope it’s not a small tremor before a larger seismic event.. No. 41. Stewart-Haas Racing. KURT BUSCH. #6

#5. (Last Week: 5) – I have always supported Danica Patrick’s presence in this series and I always will, but there is no logical reason Truex, Jr. wasn’t the fan vote winner given his performance this year. Unfortunately though, that didn’t happen. I do believe that you don’t lose your spot on the list due to an absence beyond your control. Martin remains fifth.. No. 78. Furniture Row Racing. MARTIN TRUEX, JR.

#4. (Last Week: 3) – With all of the Memorial Day barbeques surely popping up next weekend, what are the chances Dale will pick up more hot dog / hamburger debris on his grill again next week?. No. 88. Hendrick Motorsports. DALE EARNHARDT, JR.

#3. (Last Week: 4) – His fourth place finish to Earnhardt’s 10th is what moves him to third this week. With the No. 48 seemingly not having his usual grasp on CMS, Jeff could be poised for his biggest swan song win next weekend.. No. 24. Hendrick Motorsports. JEFF GORDON

#2. (Last Week: 1) – It’s hard to bet against this team at CMS, but they just didn’t show it on Saturday night. So, they drop to 2nd., but that can change just as quickly again next week.. No. 48. Hendrick Motorsports. JIMMIE JOHNSON

#1. (Last Week: 2) – Kevin had the fastest car all night, no doubt. Two words explain why he couldn’t pass Hamlin – aero push. Had he gotten around Denny, he would have checked out.. No.4. Stewart-Haas Racing. KEVIN HARVICK

Where did your favorite driver rank? Are they on the list? Did they fall off? Did they join? Discuss below!

Next: Grading Every NASCAR Team And Driver Coming Out Of The All-Star Break

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