NASCAR Cup Series: Driver Power Rankings after 2018 Toyota/Save Mart 350
By Asher Fair
Non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer | Last Rank | Trend |
| 1 | Kyle Busch | #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | #78, Furniture Row Racing, Toyota | 7 | +4 |
| 4 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford | 4 | -1 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford | 5 | -1 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 6 | -1 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 11 | +2 |
| 10 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford | 8 | -3 |
| 12 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 16 | +1 |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford | 17 | +1 |
| 17 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford | 14 | -3 |
| 18 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 21 | +2 |
| 20 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 19 | -2 |
| 22 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 24 | +2 |
| 23 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 25 | +2 |
| 24 | A.J. Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 22 | -2 |
| 25 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet | 23 | -2 |
| 26 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 26 | 0 |
| 27 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 28 | +1 |
| 28 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet | 29 | +1 |
| 29 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet | 27 | -2 |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford | 30 | 0 |
| 31 | Gray Gaulding | #23, BK Racing, Toyota | 31 | 0 |
Biggest Movers
Up: Martin Truex Jr. (+4)
Down: Ryan Blaney, Paul Menard (-3)
Conclusion
While there is still plenty of movement in both the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings and the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings from race to race, drivers seem to be hanging around the same ranges despite the fact that their average overall finishes in 2018 and their average finishes in the last five races are weighed equally but not guaranteed to match since far more than five races have been contested so far this season.
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This may have a lot to do with the fact that there have now been 16 races completed so far this season, which is a pretty big sample size. As a result of this, one great result or one awful result isn’t necessarily going to shoot a driver extremely far up or drop a driver extremely far down either of these sets of rankings even though those drivers will still likely move a few positions after above or below average performances.
Unless the regular race contenders change moving forward, this will likely continue to be the case as the race sample size grows larger and larger throughout the remainder of the season. While it is important to remember that the race sample size is always the largest that it has been during a season following a given race, it is also important to remember that that same race sample size is always the smallest that it is going to be throughout the rest of the season following that same race.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
The Overton’s 400 is the next race on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. That race is scheduled to take place later today at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It is scheduled to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network starting at 2:30 pm. ET.