NASCAR Cup Series: Driver Power Rankings after 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400
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 | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 5 | +1 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 9 | +1 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 8 | -1 |
| 10 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 14 | +4 |
| 11 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford | 10 | -2 |
| 13 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 12 | -1 |
| 14 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 13 | -1 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford | 17 | +1 |
| 17 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford | 16 | -1 |
| 18 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 22 | +4 |
| 19 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 20 | +1 |
| 20 | A.J. Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 25 | +5 |
| 21 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 23 | +2 |
| 22 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 18 | -4 |
| 23 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 21 | -2 |
| 24 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 19 | -5 |
| 25 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet | 28 | +3 |
| 26 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet | 24 | -2 |
| 27 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet | 29 | +2 |
| 28 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 26 | -2 |
| 29 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 27 | -2 |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford | 30 | 0 |
| 31 | Gray Gaulding | #23, BK Racing, Toyota | 31 | 0 |
Biggest Movers
Up: A.J. Allmendinger (+5)
Down: Jamie McMurray (-5)
Conclusion
A number of drivers who typically finish toward the front of the field in NASCAR Cup Series races either finished toward the back or failed to finish the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, and a number of drivers who typically finish toward the back of the field in Cup Series races finished toward the front of the field in that race. This is fairly common in restrictor plate races.
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As a result, both the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings and the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings were primarily shaken up from the middle to the bottom, and a few drivers in both sets of these rankings experienced rather sizable jumps or drops.
Race winner Erik Jones jumped up noticeably in both sets of rankings, as did third place finisher A.J. Allmendinger, and both Jamie McMurray and Daniel Suarez dropped noticeably in both sets of rankings following disappointing performances, as neither driver finished the race and both drivers have been struggling as of late.
There was still a fair bit of movement toward the tops of both sets of these rankings, particularly Kevin Harvick taking jumping from third place to the lead and Kyle Busch dropping from the lead to third in the formulated set, but most of the drivers stayed within the ranges that they have occupied following many of the recent races.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
The Quaker State 400 is the next race on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and it is scheduled to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 14. Be sure not to miss it.