NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings after 2018 Federated Auto Parts 400
By Asher Fair
With eight races remaining in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season, how do the sport’s 30 full-time drivers rank against one another?
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch earned his seventh victory of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season and his first victory of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs by winning the second race of the first of four rounds that make up the playoffs.
After Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski opened up the playoffs by winning the first race of the round of 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Busch won the 400-lap Federated Auto Parts 400 at the four-turn, 0.75-mile (1.207-kilometer) Richmond Raceway oval in Richmond, Virginia to lock himself into the second round of the playoffs, the round of 12.
Busch’s win total of seven is tied for the highest among all drivers this season, as Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick earned seven victories in the regular season.
Harvick has all but locked himself into the second round of the playoffs one race remaining in the round of 16, the race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, but he has not yet mathematically clinched a berth in the round of 12.
Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., however, has mathematically clinched a berth in the round of 12 despite the fact that he did not win either of the first two races of the round of 16. There is no way that he can fall below the round of 12 cut line in the final round of 16 races because of the fact that his current point total is what it is.
How did Busch’s victory in the Federated Auto Parts 400 affect the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings? Here are the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings and the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings with one race remaining in the round of 16.
To see how the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings are calculated, click here.