NASCAR: Driver Power Rankings after Atlanta – Denny Hamlin rises
By Asher Fair
Non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings
NOTE: Only full-time drivers are included in these power rankings.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer | Last Rank | Trend |
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford | 3 | +1 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 17 | +13 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford | 16 | +11 |
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 22 | +16 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota | 9 | +2 |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 15 | +7 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 4 | -6 |
| 11 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 5 | -6 |
| 12 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 18 | +6 |
| 13 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford | 7 | -6 |
| 14 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet | 6 | -9 |
| 16 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 24 | +8 |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford | 21 | +4 |
| 18 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 23 | +5 |
| 19 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 12 | -7 |
| 20 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 10 | -10 |
| 21 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 11 | -10 |
| 22 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 19 | -3 |
| 23 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 25 | +2 |
| 24 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 26 | +2 |
| 25 | A.J. Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 20 | -5 |
| 26 | Trevor Bayne | #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford | 13 | -13 |
| 27 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 27 | 0 |
| 28 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet | 28 | 0 |
| 29 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 29 | 0 |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford | 30 | 0 |
| 31 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet | 31 | 0 |
| 32 | Gray Gaulding | #23, BK Racing, Toyota | N/A | N/A |
| 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet | 32 | -1 |
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Biggest Movers
Up: Clint Bowyer (+16)
Down: Trevor Bayne (-13)
How will these non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings complete to the the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings after next Sunday’s Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is the third of 36 races scheduled for the 2018 season?
As of now, there are definitely some differences. However, with only two races having been completed so far and 34 still on the schedule, will this continue to be the case, or will the formulated and non-formulated power rankings start to look more similar? Which set of rankings do you think is more accurate? It will be interesting to see how things play out down the stretch.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
The next edition of the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings is scheduled to be published following the conclusion of the next Cup Series race, which is the Pennzoil 400. This race is set to take place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada next Sunday, March 4th and is set to be broadcast live starting at 3:30 pm ET on FOX.