NASCAR Power Rankings: Chase Elliott rallies as Kevin Harvick continues surging
By Asher Fair
With the first round of the 2019 playoffs in the books, how do the drivers stack up against one another in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings?
After Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. opened up the four-round, 10-race 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with two consecutive victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott overcame an embarrassing one-car wreck to win the round of 16 finale at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, the Bank of America Roval 400.
How did Elliott’s victory in this 109-lap race around the 17-turn, 2.28-mile (3.669-kilometer) Charlotte Motor Speedway roval in Concord, North Carolina affect the NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings?
These NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings were calculated using a formula, which you can see here. But before they are revealed, take a look below at some of the highlights of this edition of these rankings.
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NASCAR Cup Series Driver Power Rankings Analysis
One week after nobody in the NASCAR Cup Series had an average finish of better than 10.00 over the course of the last five races, five drivers have an average finish or 10.00 or better over the course of the last five races.
One of these drivers is Chase Elliott, whose average finish in the last five races was the best among all Cup Series drivers for two consecutive races even before he won the round of 16 finale in come-from-behind fashion. This race was the first of the playoff races, however, after which he actually moved up in the power rankings.
How far up did he climb?
But while Elliott won this race, another driver now sits atop the Cup Series in this category, as a 39th place finish in the race at Bristol Motor Speedway is no longer included in the calculation for his average finish in the last five races like it had been. His average finish in the last five races dropped by a whopping 7.20 from 10.60 to 3.40 following the round of 16 finale.
In fact, in addition to shooting to the top of the Cup Series in this category, this driver also shot to the top of the power rankings.
On the flip side, one driver who has spent much of the season in the top two in these rankings plummeted after what was his third finish of 19th place or worse and second finish of 37th or worse in the last four races.