NASCAR Cup Series: Early 2020 power rankings

#12 and #11

Alex Bowman was one of the drivers who entered the 2019 season with the spotlight on him as far as securing his first victory was concerned, and he got the job done at Chicagoland Speedway just over one month after becoming the first non-winner in Cup Series history to finish in second place in three consecutive races. However, consistency remains an issue for the driver of the #88 Chevrolet. It took him until the 10th race of the season to finish in the top 10, and then he secured six of his 12 top 10 finishes in an eight-race span, a span during which his average finish of 6.63 was the best in the Cup Series. If he can be just a little bit more consistent, he can become a deep round threat in the playoffs following two seasons of round of 12 appearances.

William Byron drastically improved from his rookie season to 2019, jumping 12 positions in the championship standings, qualifying for the playoffs and advancing to the round of 12 for the first time and tying or bettering his previous career-high finish of sixth place on seven occasions. However, he is still seeking what would be his first trip to victory lane. He has what it takes to put it all together and get the job done, but before he sets his sights on anything else, his focus needs to be on getting both crew chief Chad Knaus and the #24 team back to victory lane for the first time in a long time, 2017 for Knaus and 2015 for the #24 team.