NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings after 2018 Quaker State 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 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | #2, Team Penske, Ford | 7 | +3 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | #22, Team Penske, Ford | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Clint Bowyer | #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 4 | -3 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Ryan Blaney | #12, Team Penske, Ford | 12 | +3 |
| 10 | Erik Jones | #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 10 | 0 |
| 11 | Aric Almirola | #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford | 11 | 0 |
| 12 | Denny Hamlin | #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 9 | -3 |
| 13 | Chase Elliott | #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | Jimmie Johnson | #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Alex Bowman | #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 15 | 0 |
| 16 | Paul Menard | #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford | 17 | +1 |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford | 16 | -1 |
| 18 | Austin Dillon | #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 18 | 0 |
| 19 | Daniel Suarez | #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota | 22 | +3 |
| 20 | Ryan Newman | #31, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet | 19 | -1 |
| 21 | Jamie McMurray | #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet | 24 | +3 |
| 22 | William Byron | #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet | 23 | +1 |
| 23 | Chris Buescher | #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 21 | -2 |
| 24 | A.J. Allmendinger | #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet | 20 | -4 |
| 25 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet | 26 | +1 |
| 26 | David Ragan | #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 29 | +3 |
| 27 | Kasey Kahne | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet | 25 | -2 |
| 28 | Michael McDowell | #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford | 28 | 0 |
| 29 | Ty Dillon | #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet | 27 | -2 |
| 30 | Matt DiBenedetto | #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford | 30 | 0 |
Biggest Movers
Up: Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, Jamie McMurray, David Ragan (+3)
Down: A.J. Allmendinger (-4)
Conclusion
At this point in the season, it will be hard for any driver who is not currently in the top three positions in either the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings or the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings to break into the top three positions in either of those sets of rankings.
Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., who have otherwise become known as this season’s “big three”, have earned five, five and four victories, respectively, so far this season.
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This means that only five of the 19 races that have been contested so far this year have been won by a driver not in the “big three”.
While those three drivers are ranked in a different order in the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings and the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings, none of them moved in either set of rankings following the Quaker State 400.
That said, there are several drivers who are competing to be the “best of the rest”, and if any one or more of them get hot, they could certainly challenge Harvick, Busch and Truex Jr. for a spot in the top three in either set or possibly even both sets of these rankings in the near future.
Next: Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time
The Foxwoods Resort Casino is the next race on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. That race is scheduled to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from New Hampshire Motor Speedway starting at 2:00 p.m. ET next Sunday, July 22. Be sure not to miss it.