Previous to lacking the Coca-Cola 600 attributable to climate problems whereas moreover operating the Indianapolis 500 the identical day, Kyle Larson was the ability rankings chief.
By default, he dropped out of the highest spot that week, however it felt like solely a matter of time earlier than he climbed again on his throne. After successful his third race of the season in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, he has carried out simply that whereas cementing himself because the runaway favourite for the 2024 Cup Sequence title.
In the meantime, let’s check out the place the remainder of the sphere stands as NASCAR will get set to move to corn nation for subsequent Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350, set to be the inaugural Cup Sequence race at Iowa Speedway.
1. Kyle Larson (Final week: 3)
This was a straightforward name. Regardless of operating one fewer race than the remainder of the sphere, Larson is the Cup Sequence factors chief whereas additionally holding no less than a share of the lead in wins, top-fives and laps led after his Sonoma victory. He was mired again in site visitors attributable to pit technique at the beginning of the ultimate stage on Sunday, but raced his approach all the way in which to the entrance regardless of having no assist from cautions. It was a efficiency that maybe solely Larson might have placed on, and that is why he is again on high of this week’s rankings.
2. Tyler Reddick (Final week: 6)
Determining who would take “better of the remaining” honors this week was a bit more durable, as each of final week’s high two — Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski — had less-than-stellar races, whereas William Byron and Christopher Bell, who had been respectively fourth and fifth, did not do a lot to face out both. So Reddick vaults all the way in which as much as P2 after main 35 laps and ending eighth for his third consecutive top-10.
3. Denny Hamlin (Final week: 1)
Hamlin’s day in wine nation got here to an finish after solely two laps with a blown motor, and that will have been a blessing in disguise, as he appeared poised for a protracted afternoon after qualifying again in twenty fifth. Iowa subsequent week ought to go higher for him — although it is exhausting to say given the Cup Sequence has by no means raced there earlier than — as it is a related observe to Richmond Raceway, the place Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing have been dominant over time.
4. Martin Truex Jr. (Final week: 7)
It is unclear who Truex angered on the luck financial institution this season, however his No. 19 staff appears to discover a new strategy to lose each week. At Sonoma, he battled for the lead late within the going with Larson and Chris Buescher and appeared set to complete within the runner-up spot, however ran out of gasoline on the ultimate lap and crawled to the end line in twenty seventh. Nonetheless, the velocity continues to be there.
5. Chase Elliott (Final week: 8)
Yet one more strong, constant run for Elliott, who ended up fourth on Sunday after benefiting from Truex and Kyle Busch’s last-lap points. He continues to guide the sphere in common end (9.5) and but stays having solely led the Tenth-most laps within the sequence (136), so whereas it appears like some regression is due, he simply retains on plugging away.
6. Brad Keselowski (Final week: 2)
It was an anticipated drop for Keselowski this week, who has by no means excelled on highway programs and has notably struggled on them in recent times. Nonetheless, regardless of by no means factoring close to the entrance, his Thirteenth-place end was amongst his higher showings at Sonoma, as he stayed out of bother and gained some positions with sensible pit technique.
7. Ryan Blaney (Final week: 10)
Every week after his heartbreaking loss in Gateway, Blaney had one other robust run and this time acquired the end he deserved in Sonoma with a seventh-place effort, his first top-10 in additional than a month. Blaney ran inside the highest 5 for a lot of the primary two levels on Sunday however needed to drive his approach again by site visitors after pit technique dropped him by the sphere afterward.
8. William Byron (Final week: 4)
Byron, the winner of the 2024 season’s solely earlier highway course race at Circuit of the Americas, did not have the day he hoped for in Northern California after he was caught up in one of many a number of early accidents. With a broken automotive, Byron limped round to complete two laps down in thirtieth and can merely must put this one behind him.
9. Christopher Bell (Final week: 5)
One other sufferer of the identical wreck that took out Byron, Bell was in a position to escape with barely much less harm and rebound for a ninth-place end. It was a little bit of a comedown from his previous two weeks wherein he was a bitter engine at Gateway away from successful back-to-back races, however Bell’s third top-10 in a row has him rolling because the season approaches its halfway level.
10. Ross Chastain (Final week: 11)
Chastain made extra noise than he has shortly, each with contending velocity in addition to a little bit of classic controversy when he acquired into Kyle Busch on the ultimate lap. He completed fifth, incomes solely his second top-five of 2024, however there’s certain to be extra to return if he can sustain the momentum. Maybe re-establishing his villain function is what he must get himself going once more.
11. Chris Buescher (Final week: 13)
Add one more race to the checklist of near-wins for Buescher in 2024, as he led for a lot of the closing levels in Sonoma earlier than Truex and Larson had been each in a position to chase him down. On the plus aspect, a lot of Buescher’s rivals on the playoff bubble had races to neglect, permitting him to place a ways between himself and seventeenth place within the standings as he now sits 32 markers forward of Kyle Busch. Talking of whom…
12. Kyle Busch (Final week: 15)
As talked about above, Busch was on observe for a top-five end earlier than his contact with Chastain, though he nonetheless ended up ending a strong twelfth. He’ll want greater than that to re-enter the playoff image, although, as he is presently eight factors again of Bubba Wallace for the ultimate spot within the 16-man subject with ten common season races to go.
13. Michael McDowell (Final week: not ranked)
McDowell enters the ability rankings for the primary time this yr after Truex’s gasoline points allowed the highway racing ace to cost to a runner-up end in Sonoma. He is as much as the top-20 in factors after being as little as twenty ninth in latest weeks, however at almost 100 factors out of the playoffs, he’ll most likely want a win to get in. The road race in Chicago subsequent month could also be his finest probability.
14. Ty Gibbs (Final week: 9)
Very like his JGR teammates, Gibbs had a Sunday to neglect as a blown tire ended his afternoon solely a handful of laps into the going and he completed thirty seventh. One would assume he is protected points-wise in terms of the playoff race as he stays tied for seventh, however issues can change quick, particularly if there are extra winners from exterior the sphere. He might have to get the “first profession win” monkey off his again to be protected.
15. Joey Logano (Final week: 14)
Logano gained the pole this previous weekend, persevering with his reign of terror on new or repaved surfaces, however his luck ran out on race day as he was concerned in a crash after being mired again in site visitors on pit technique and completed twenty first. He stays exterior the playoffs, 16 factors in arrears of Wallace, however on the intense aspect, Iowa — one other a type of new surfaces — feels prefer it could possibly be considered one of his finest alternatives to win his approach in.
16. Austin Cindric (Final week: 12)
Cindric, identified for his highway racing expertise, most likely wish to have adopted up his stunning Gateway win with a greater efficiency than he had at Sonoma, as he spun a number of occasions and completed twenty second. Nonetheless, the remainder of the common season is just about meaningless for him as he is locked into the playoffs, so he’ll simply look to maneuver onto the following one.
Dropped out: Alex Bowman
