NASCAR Cup Series: Way-too-early 2021 power rankings

Way-too-early 2021 NASCAR Power Rankings: #24 and #23

Roush Fenway Racing had a down year in the 2020 season, and that hindered Ryan Newman in his second year with the team. Even without missing three races due to injuries suffered in his massive Daytona 500 wreck, he came nowhere near securing a playoff berth after doing so in 2019. Ironically, his ninth place finish that came in that nasty wreck ended up being one of only two top 11 finishes for him in 2020, as he also finished in sixth at Talladega Superspeedway later in the year. Unless Roush Fenway Racing can get back what they seemed to lose after the 2019 season, expect a similar 2021 season for the driver of the #6 Ford.

Like Ryan Newman, Chris Buescher simply didn’t perform as many expected he would in his first season with Roush Fenway Racing in what was a down year for the team. However, his consistency, which is well-documented from his historic 16-race run of top 18 finishes at JTG Daugherty Racing in 2019, something that not even seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson ever did at Hendrick Motorsports, was on display, as he was still able to secure eight top 10 finishes, doubling his career-high mark, and an additional 12 top 20 results. His two top five finishes, which tied his career-best mark in that category from 2016 and 2018, both came at Daytona International Speedway, with a third place finish in the Daytona 500 and a fifth place finish on the track’s road course.