NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings after 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400
By Asher Fair
Following one of the most shocking results of a NASCAR Cup Series race ever, how do the NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings look?
Spire Motorsports’ Justin Haley secured one of the biggest upset victories if not the biggest upset victory in NASCAR Cup Series history in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, which was postponed from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon due to rain.
Haley’s victory in this rain-shortened 127-lap (scheduled 160-lap) race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona International Speedway oval in Daytona Beach, Florida was the first victory of his Cup Series career in just his third career start.
Haley is a full-time Xfinity Series driver for Kaulig Racing, so his victory does not do anything as far as the Cup Series playoffs are concerned as he is not a full-time Cup Series driver, nor is he eligible to score points in the Cup Series.
Due to this, he is not even classified in these NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings.
How did the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 affect the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings? Here are the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings following the first victory of Haley’s career.
Non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings
Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer – [Last Rank (Trend)]
1st – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford – [1st (0)]
2nd – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [2nd (0)]
3rd – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [3rd (0)]
4th – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [6th (+2)]
5th – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford – [5th (0)]
6th – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [4th (-2)]
7th – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [7th (0)]
8th – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [9th (+1)]
9th – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [8th (-1)]
10th – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [14th (+4)]
11th – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [11th (0)]
12th – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford – [10th (-2)]
13th – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [13th (0)]
14th – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [12th (-2)]
15th – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [18th (+3)]
16th – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [15th (-1)]
17th – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [17th (0)]
18th – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [16th (-2)]
19th – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford – [21st (+2)]
20th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [19th (-1)]
21st – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [22nd (+1)]
22nd – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [20th (-2)]
23rd – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet – [24th (+1)]
24th – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota – [25th (+1)]
25th – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [23rd (-2)]
26th – Corey LaJoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford – [30th (+4)]
27th – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [27th (0)]
28th – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet – [29th (+1)]
29th – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [26th (-3)]
30th – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [31st (+1)]
31st – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [28th (-3)]
Biggest Movers
Up: William Byron, Corey LaJoie (+4)
Down: Ryan Preece, David Ragan (-3)
Here are the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings with half of the 2019 season in the books. To see how the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings are calculated, click here.