Martin Truex Jr. remains at the top of the NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings after finishing third at the Pocono Speedway. Tyler Reddick is the tallest player on this week’s power rankings. Another top 5 finish lifted him up three places. A new driver has joined the list. Ryan Blaney went through a six-race streak with four finishes in 30th place or worse.
NBC SPORTS NASCAR POWER RANKINGS
1. Martin Truex Jr. (Last week: 1) — Backed up the win at New Hampshire with a third-place finish at Pocono. Scored points in the first two stages and led 20 laps. Left the Tricky Triangle with a 30-point lead over William Byron in the regular-season standings. Currently on pace for 18.9 top-10 finishes.
2. Kyle Larson (2) — 20th-place finish does not reflect the No. 5 team’s speed at Pocono. Larson led 24 laps and won stage 2. Sustained damage hitting the outside wall after Denny Hamlin moved him up the track and once again after hitting Hamlin under caution.
3. Denny Hamlin (4) — Continued a consistent season with a historic weekend. Won for a track-record seventh time at Pocono and for the 50th time in the Cup Series. Scored points in the first two stages to move to third in the regular-season standings.
4. William Byron (3) — Started from the pole and led 60 laps. Did not score points in the first two stages due to pit strategy. Headed down pit road for fresh tires after the caution flew with 17 to go. Finished 14th after giving up track position and left Pocono second in the standings.
5. Kyle Busch (5) — Struggled with handling throughout the Pocono race. Lost track position late after fuel strategy led to an extra pit stop. Left Pocono 21st. Heads to Richmond next where he finished 14th in April.
6. Joey Logano (6) — Took the lead after the first caution in stage 1 and scored a playoff point while other lead-lap drivers headed down pit road for fresh tires. Stopped for fuel and tires during the stage break and restarted in the middle of the pack. Crashed on the stage 2 restart and lost multiple laps waiting for a push back to pit road. Finished 35th after showing speed.
7. Tyler Reddick (10) — Had a five-race stretch where he finished 27th or worse. Rebounded at New Hampshire with a sixth-place finish. Built momentum at Pocono with points in the first two stages and a second-place finish in the race.
8. Chase Elliott (8) — The No. 9 team struggled with handling and consistency at New Hampshire but still pulled off a 12th-place finish. Showed speed at Pocono and finished 10th after giving up track position to make a final pit stop with under 17 to go.
9. Michael McDowell (7) — Entered the Pocono race holding the final playoff spot by one point. Finished 19th after scoring points in stage 1. Delivered a clean race at a pivotal point of the regular season. Left Pocono with a 17-point advantage over the cutline after Daniel Suarez finished 36th and AJ Allmendinger finished 17th.
10. Kevin Harvick (NR) — Finished fourth at Pocono one week after finishing fourth at New Hampshire. Left Pocono 146 points above McDowell and the playoff cutline. Heads to Richmond where he won his second race last season and finished fifth in April.
Dropped out: Ryan Blaney (10)
