NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings after 2019 Quaker State 400
By Asher Fair
Following the Quaker State 400, how do the full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers stack up against one another in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings?
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kurt Busch earned his first victory of the 36-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season by winning the season’s 19th race at Kentucky Speedway, the Quaker State 400 in thrilling fashion over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, his brother.
Kurt Busch’s victory in this 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Kentucky Speedway oval in Sparta, Kentucky is his first victory driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He earned his most recent victory prior to this race in last August’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
By winning this race, Kurt Busch became the ninth different driver to win a race this season, of whom eight are eligible to score points in the Cup Series and thus advance to the playoffs. Three drivers have become first-time winners in the 2019 season over the course of the last three races.
Only Spire Motorsports’ Justin Haley, who won last Sunday’s race at Daytona International Speedway in shocking fashion, even for an underdog, has won a race this season but is not eligible to score points in the Cup Series. He is a full-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and has only competed in three races in his Cup Series career, all this season.
How did Kurt Busch’s first victory of the 2019 season affect the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings? Here are the non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings following the season’s 19th race.
Non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings
Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer – [Last Rank (Trend)]
1st – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [2nd (+1)]
2nd – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford – [1st (-1)]
3rd – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [8th (+5)]
4th – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [7th (+3)]
5th – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [4th (-1)]
6th – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [6th (0)]
7th – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford – [5th (-2)]
8th – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [3rd (-5)]
9th – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [9th (0)]
10th – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [14th (+4)]
11th – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford – [12th (+1)]
12th – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [11th (-1)]
13th – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [10th (-3)]
14th – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [16th (+2)]
15th – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [17th (+2)]
16th – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [18th (+2)]
17th – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [15th (-2)]
18th – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [13th (-5)]
19th – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford – [19th (0)]
20th – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [20th (0)]
21st – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [21st (0)]
22nd – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [22nd (0)]
23rd – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota – [24th (+1)]
24th – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [25th (+1)]
25th – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet – [23rd (-2)]
26th – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [29th (+3)]
27th – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet – [28th (+1)]
28th – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [27th (-1)]
29th – Corey LaJoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford – [26th (-3)]
30th – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [31st (+1)]
31st – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [30th (-1)]
Biggest Movers
Up: Kurt Busch (+5)
Down: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson (-5)
Here are the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings following the Quaker State 400. To see how the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings are calculated, click here.