2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs: Round of 12 Driver Power Rankings

#9 through #7

In his sixth season as a full-time Cup Series driver and in his fourth playoff appearance, Kyle Larson is looking to finally advance to the round of 8. In doing so, he will be looking to end a win drought of over two years, the longest win drought among the 11 drivers in the round of 12 who have previously driven to victory lane. He has taken a recent step forward with seven top eight finishes in the last nine races, and he is set to start the round of 12 just above the round of 8 cut line in eighth place in the championship standings. Will he finally move past the round that has ended his championship hopes in both of the last two seasons?

Most fans think that Alex Bowman is somewhat of a pretender after advancing to the round of 12 for the second consecutive season the way he did at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval. But above all, he proved that he is willing to fight through an ailment from the back of the field after multiple run-ins with other drivers to the point where he needs medical attention after a race as long as it means keeping his championship hopes alive. Let’s also not discount that fact that while he is set to start the round of 12 below the round of 8 cut line in ninth place in the championship standings, the three round of 12 races are all at tracks where he finished in second earlier this season.

Denny Hamlin’s regular season included four victories, which tied for the series lead, and it made the driver who has undoubtedly become the best non-champion in the series look like one of the championship favorites. However, his round of 16 performance was nothing to write home about. He was one of only two round of 12 drivers who failed to finish outside of the top 10 in multiple races, and he recorded just one top 14 finish. If he is a true championship contender, he will need to step it up. He is set to enter the round of 12 in third place in the championship standings.