NASCAR Power Rankings: Can anybody stop Denny Hamlin?
By Asher Fair
Formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings Analysis
Denny Hamlin, Denny Hamlin, Denny Hamlin. Everybody knows how hot Denny Hamlin is at this point. You have to go all the way back to the race at Daytona International Speedway to find Hamlin’s most recent non-top five result.
In the six races that have been contested since then, his average finish has been a series-best (by far) 2.33, and his average finish in the last five races, of which none he has finished outside of the top three, has been a series-best (again, by far) 1.80.
But perhaps the hottest driver in the series as a whole given his equipment is Matt DiBenedetto, who, along with Brad Keselowski, made the biggest jump up the formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings this week.
DiBenedetto came just 11 laps away from securing what would have been the first victory of his career in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race before he was passed by Hamlin. He has competed in 164 races in his Cup Series career, and entering his 156th start, he had recorded four top 10 finishes. In the last nine races, he has recorded five top eight finishes, including the first three top five finishes of his career.
DiBenedetto will not return to Leavine Family Racing for the 2020 season, so he is fighting to not only stay in the Cup Series but to land a competitive ride. He certainly put the series on notice with his most recent performance if he hadn’t already done so.
Non-formulated NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings
Rank – Driver – Car, Team, Manufacturer – [Last Rank (Trend)]
1st – Denny Hamlin – #11, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [3rd (+2)]
2nd – Kyle Busch – #18, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [1st (-1)]
3rd – Martin Truex Jr. – #19, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [4th (+1)]
4th – Joey Logano – #22, Team Penske, Ford – [5th (+1)]
5th – Kevin Harvick – #4, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [2nd (-3)]
6th – Brad Keselowski – #2, Team Penske, Ford – [7th (+1)]
7th – Chase Elliott – #9, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [6th (-1)]
8th – Kurt Busch – #1, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [8th (0)]
9th – Kyle Larson – #42, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevrolet – [9th (0)]
10th – Ryan Blaney – #12, Team Penske, Ford – [13th (+3)]
11th – Alex Bowman – #88, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [11th (0)]
12th – William Byron – #24, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [10th (-2)]
13th – Erik Jones – #20, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota – [12th (-1)]
14th – Aric Almirola – #10, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [14th (0)]
15th – Clint Bowyer – #14, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [17th (+2)]
16th – Daniel Suarez – #41, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford – [15th (-1)]
17th – Ryan Newman – #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [16th (-1)]
18th – Matt DiBenedetto – #95, Leavine Family Racing, Toyota – [24th (+6)]
19th – Jimmie Johnson – #48, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet – [18th (-1)]
20th – Chris Buescher – #37, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [19th (-1)]
21st – Paul Menard – #21, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford – [20th (-1)]
22nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – #17, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford – [21st (-1)]
23rd – Daniel Hemric – #8, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [25th (+2)]
24th – Ty Dillon – #13, Germain Racing, Chevrolet – [23rd (-1)]
25th – Austin Dillon – #3, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet – [22nd (-3)]
26th – Darrell Wallace Jr. – #43, Richard Petty Motorsports, Chevrolet – [30th (+4)]
27th – Ryan Preece – #47, JTG Daugherty Racing, Chevrolet – [26th (-1)]
28th – Michael McDowell – #34, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [27th (-1)]
29th – Corey LaJoie – #32, Go Fas Racing, Ford – [29th (0)]
30th – Matt Tifft – #36, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [31st (+1)]
31st – David Ragan – #38, Front Row Motorsports, Ford – [28th (-3)]
Biggest Movers
Up: Matt DiBenedetto (+6)
Down: Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon (-3)