William Byron returns to the No. 1 spot in this week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings after he won Sunday’s rain-shortened race at Atlanta.
Byron and Michael McDowell are the biggest movers in this week’s rankings. Each climbed three spots. This week’s top 10 also has two new drivers in it.
NBC SPORTS NASCAR POWER RANKINGS
1. William Byron (4) — Reclaims the top spot with his series-best fourth win of the year Sunday at Atlanta. He has two wins, five top fives and eight top 10s in the last 10 races.
2. Kyle Busch (2) — His fifth-place finish gives him seven consecutive top 10s. It’s a remarkable result considering some of the struggles he’s had recently. He overcame a flat tire, speeding penalty and spin to finish ninth at Nashville. He finished fifth at Chicago after a crash into the tire barrier. Sunday, a slow pit stop put him at the back of the field and he later hit the wall in an incident with Noah Gragson and still got a top five.
3. Kyle Larson (3) — Wreck ended his day in 36th, snapping his streak of four consecutive top 10s. He’s failed to finish all four speedway-style races this season and three of the four races at the reconfigured Atlanta.
4. Chase Elliott (6) — Placed 13th, only the second time in his last seven starts he’s finished worse than seventh as he continues to move up the point standings.
5. Martin Truex Jr. (5) — His 29th-place result marked his second consecutive result of 29th or worse. He had four consecutive top-five finishes before the last two races.
6. Denny Hamlin (7) — Was 14th at Atlanta. He’s finished 14th or better in seven of the last nine races.
7. Michael McDowell (10) — Fuel gamble led to a season-best fourth-place finish at Atlanta. He’s had a top 10 in four of the last five races, helping him climb into a provisional playoff spot with seven races left in the regular season.
8. Joey Logano (8) — Was 17th when the Atlanta race was stopped. Logano has three top 10s in the last five races.
9. Ryan Blaney (NR) — His results have been feast or famine lately. His ninth-place run at Atlanta is his fourth top 10 in the last seven races. The other three races? He finished 31st or worse.
10. AJ Allmendinger (NR) — His third-place finish is his sixth consecutive top-20 result and third top 10 in that stretch. He sits 13 points out of a provisional playoff spot.
Dropped out: Shane van Gisbergen (1), Ross Chastain (9)
