Although Martin Truex Jr. didn’t have the best of days Sunday at Dover International Speedway, he remains No. 1 in this week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings.
Truex is the only driver with three Cup wins this season, but William Byron and Denny Hamlin are making their case for the top spot at the halfway point of the regular season.
Two drivers move into the top 10 this week: Dover winner Alex Bowman and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott. All four Hendrick drivers are in this week’s top 10.
NASCAR Power Rankings after Dover
1. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: No. 1) — A forgettable day at Dover with a 19th-place finish. Truex stays No. 1 based on his series-high three wins this season (all in the last nine races). He’s had five races with 49 points or more. Denny Hamlin has six such races but does not have the victories to match. Truex also has finished ahead of William Byron in four of the last six races.
2. William Byron (Last week: No. 2) — Moves closer to the No. 1 spot with his fourth-place finish. That gives him 11 consecutive top 10s this season. He led 21 laps at Dover. That’s equal to the number of laps he had led in the last six races before Dover.
3. Denny Hamlin (Last week: No. 3) — The points leader finished seventh at Dover, giving him 10 top-10 finishes — including nine top fives — in 13 races this year. He has finished first or second in six of the last 12 stages.
4. Kyle Larson (Last week: No. 5) — Finished runner-up for the second week in a row and third time this season. He has led 395 of 960 laps (41.4%) in the last three races but watched as others celebrated the win each time. He swept both stages at Dover and has won a series-high six stages this season.
5. Kevin Harvick (Last week: No. 7) — His sixth-place finish was his fourth consecutive finish of sixth or better. Harvick’s result also was his 10th top 10 this year.
6. Ryan Blaney (Last week: No. 4) — Finished 12th at Dover. The Atlanta winner has placed between eighth and 12th in six of the last seven races. He has scored points in 17 of the last 20 stages.
7. Joey Logano (Last week: No. 8) — His fifth-place finish at Dover made him best of the non-Hendrick cars and snapped a streak of three finishes in a row outside the top 10. Result gives him five top-five finishes in 13 races this season. Has had a feast-or-famine season. Logano has four races where he’s scored 50 or more points and four races he’s scored no more than 22 points.
8. Alex Bowman (Last week: Unranked) — Dover win was his second victory of the year. Bowman and Truex are the only drivers with more than one Cup win this season. Bowman’s two wins are his only top 15-finishes in the last seven races.
9. Chase Elliott (Last week: Unranked) — Third-place finish at Dover was his third top 10 in a row. It’s the first time he’s had as many top 10s in a row this season. Elliott has scored points in five of the last six stages.
10. Kyle Busch (Last week: No. 6) — Finished 27th at Dover after some mechanical issues in the first half of the race. He has four top-10 finishes, including a win, in the last six races.
Dropped out: Brad Keselowski (No. 9) and Chris Buescher (No. 10)
