For the third time in the last four weeks Kyle Busch is the unanimous No. 1 pick in the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.
Busch made history last weekend at Auto Club Speedway, earning the 200th win of his NASCAR career across all three major series. With the three-race West Coast swing now in its rearview mirror, NASCAR heads to the series’ shortest track, the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway.
Making the biggest jump in this week’s rankings were Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski (seventh to fourth) and Ryan Blaney (ninth to sixth). The biggest drop was Martin Truex Jr., who fell to seventh from second.
Here’s how this week’s Power Rankings look:
1. Kyle Busch (40 points): The King of the sport at this point. In 10 national series starts this year, he has six wins and two runner-up finishes and has not finished lower than sixth in any race. Last week: 1st.
2. Joey Logano (35 points):Two top-two finishes during West Coast swing plus a 10th at Phoenix. Only Kyle Busch scored more points than Logano during the three-race swing. Last week: 3rd.
3. Kevin Harvick (30 points):Hasn’t led any laps since Las Vegas, but has finished fourth three times since Daytona. Last week: 5th.
4. Brad Keselowski (29 points):Rebounded from a dismal Phoenix race to lead 42 laps and place third atFontana.His four races since Daytona have included three finishes in top three.Last week: 7th.
5. Kurt Busch (22 points):Four consecutive top 10s but has failed to make the final round of qualifying in the last three races. That’s contributed to him having only four stage points in that time. Last week: 4th.
6. Ryan Blaney (17 points):He is nipping at the heels of his powerhouse Penske teammates. Could he join Logano and Keselowskiwith a playoff berthwith a win at Martinsville? Last week: 9th.
7. Martin Truex Jr. (16 points):Talk about consistency: Truex has finished second, eighth, second and eighth in his last four starts. Last week: 2nd.
8. Denny Hamlin (12 points):Still has not finished worse than 11th this season. Last week: 6th.
9. Aric Almirola (10 points):Just keeps clicking off top 10s. That’s four in a row for him.Now has nine top 10s (including a win last fall at Talladega) in his last 11 starts. Last week: 8th.
10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5 points): Even though he finished 14that Fontana, his second-worst showing of the season, again receives major points for displaying grit and sheer will.Climbs back into the top 10 afterdropping out last week.
Others receiving votes: Austin Dillon (2 points), Kyle Larson (1 point), Chase Elliott (1 point).