Joey Logano might prove the doubters wrong by possibly clinching a championship this season. The Bristol race was intense, marked by incidents like Ryan Blaney smashing knuckles, showcasing the high-stakes drama. After three events, it’s worth questioning if Denny Hamlin can regain his winning form as the season shifts to a three-race stretch on intermediate tracks, starting this weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Here are my updated rankings of championship contenders after the first three of the 10 Chase races:
On The Fringe (in alphabetical order):
Chris Buescher (RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, 124 points behind leader): Buescher placed 13th at Bristol, earning only one stage point. His chance at a title seems to be fading, especially as he heads to Kansas, where he’s achieved just one top-five finish in his career.
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, 121 points back): Byron managed a respectable ninth at Bristol, but consecutive top-10 finishes are costing him ground. He does have two top-five finishes at Kansas in the Next Gen era.
Austin Cindric (Team Penske 2 Ford, 116 behind): An 11th-place Bristol finish won’t cut it during the playoffs. Cindric has never cracked the top 10 at Kansas.
Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet, 117 back): Elliott struggled, finishing 23rd with no stage points, effectively removing him from serious contention. However, he is the defending winner of the fall Kansas race, his best result this season.
Ryan Preece (RFK Racing No. 60 Ford, 124 points down): Preece came in 10th at Bristol without stage points and is 14th overall. That falls short, especially as he moves to Kansas, where he only has one top-10 career finish.
Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy, 134 behind): Suárez aims to crack the top 10 in points, currently 32 points away, after finishing 14th at Bristol. Kansas marks a track where his best is a 10th-place finish during the Next Gen era.
Top Contender Rankings:
Carson Hocevar: Hocevar secured third at Bristol with a solid 41-point day but isn’t truly a favorite due to upsetting many rivals, as evidenced by a post-race altercation. His best Kansas finish is only 13th.
Bubba Wallace: Seventh at Bristol and just two points off the leader, Wallace enters three upcoming tracks that favor Toyota teams. He has back-to-back fifth-place finishes at Kansas and won there in fall 2022, recently mixing it up with Denny Hamlin near the finish line.
Tyler Reddick: Despite a tough day, Reddick salvaged 18th place and maintains hope because of his spring win at Kansas, though he has led only 26 laps in his last six starts there.
Chase Briscoe: A late-race mechanical issue dropped Briscoe to 27th at Bristol, losing ground in points. He’s optimistic about Kansas, where he has consistently placed in the top four since joining Joe Gibbs Racing, needing a top-five to remain in the title hunt.
Ty Gibbs: Leading 120 laps and finishing fifth, Gibbs earned 47 points but remains behind the leader. He made some gains in points but must have a career race at Kansas, where he has only one top-five in eight starts.
Ryan Blaney: A crash with Hocevar at Bristol left Blaney furious and placed 33rd, costing 19 points. Although he’s always motivated, Kansas isn’t his strongest track; he’s led just seven laps there in the Next Gen era but has two top-five finishes.
Joey Logano: Logano’s recent win narrowed his gap from 51 points behind to just 16 points. None of his victories have come on intermediate tracks, however, which define the upcoming races. His recent runs at Kansas have been mediocre, with finishes of 20th and 21st.
Christopher Bell: Bell finished fourth at Bristol but lost eight points to leader Kyle Larson. Consistent top-five finishes and stage points could land him in a close fight with Hamlin and Larson. Bell has an excellent history at Kansas, holding four poles and leading laps in every recent race there with multiple top-fives.
Denny Hamlin: A modest eighth-place finish at Bristol raises questions about Hamlin’s form since he has yet to crack the top five in the Chase. His 25-point lead evaporated, and he now trails Larson by a point. The good news: He dominated laps at Kansas in recent races with multiple strong finishes and wins.
Kyle Larson: The defending champion took the points lead with a second-place Bristol finish and strong stage points. He’s the favorite with solid momentum, boasting three top-five finishes in the Chase so far. Kansas is one of his best tracks, where he has two wins, three seconds, and has consistently led many laps.
Fan Take:
This evolving Chase landscape adds thrilling uncertainty for NASCAR fans, as unexpected contenders like Logano challenge traditional favorites. How drivers perform on these upcoming intermediate tracks could dramatically reshape the championship battle, keeping the sport exciting and unpredictable.
Source: www.foxsports.com
