NASCAR Cup Series Power Ranking after the Daytona 500

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 19: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the driver of the #47 Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The NASCAR Cup Series Power Ranking after the Daytona 500 is presented by Fan4Racing contributor Owen Stewart.

The NASCAR season is officially underway, and as usual, the Daytona 500 provided plenty of excitement to begin the 2023 campaign. After two overtime restarts, this year’s opener was the longest Daytona 500 in history, ending with an upset after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took his first checkered flag since 2017. It’s difficult to make too much of a read on the field after just one race, especially at a track that provides as much uncertainty as Daytona, but the power rankings still see a bit of a shakeup heading into race number two. The top sees some minor changes, while the bottom half of the top 20 sees a few new faces and a few drivers drop out following a topsy-turvy race. There should be some more clarity following the series’ second race, as NASCAR will head to Auto Club this coming Sunday. 

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Power Ranking the NASCAR Cup Series after Daytona

Power Ranking the NASCAR Cup Series after Daytona International Speedway as the teams prepare for Auto Club Speedway this weekend.

The Next Gen car has officially passed its first test. The 2022 edition of the Daytona 500 was an exciting one, complete with a rollover accident at the end of the first stage, a couple of ‘big ones,’ and a nail-biting finish that ended with rookie Austin Cindric taking the Harley J. Earl trophy for his first career win. Wrecks took out many of the top contenders for the race, including defending champion Kyle Larson, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, among others. Ahead of this week’s race at Auto Club Speedway, we have some shake-ups in the power rankings, though the top largely stays the same for fear of an overreaction.  

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2022 NASCAR Cup Series Power Ranking

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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 15: A general view of the grandstands as the sun sets during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

2022 NASCAR Cup Series power ranking comes before the first points-paying race of the year, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

The 2022 NASCAR season is just a few days away, which means the excitement and anticipation are building. With the Next-Gen car making its debut, drivers like Harrison Burton, Austin Cindric, and Justin Haley moving up to Cup full-time, and teams such as 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Kaulig Racing expanding their operations, there is plenty to look forward to heading into 2022. While there have been some shake-ups in terms of expectations coming into the season, some parts of NASCAR remain the same from last year, and the first edition of this season’s power rankings showcase that.  

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The Pre-Dover Power Ranking

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The Pre-Dover Power Ranking comes after their race at Darlington and before the Drydene 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

After the first 11 races of the season brought ten different winners, with plenty of unpredictable finishes, more of the same was expected at Darlington. Martin Truex Jr, however, decided to throw a wrench in the season’s plan. Truex put on an absolutely dominating performance, sweeping both stages and the race for his third victory of the season. His performance drew him closer to the top of the point standings for a new No. 1 in the power ranking for the first time in a long time.  

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Pre-Kansas NASCAR Cup Power Ranking

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Pre-Kansas NASCAR Cup Series Power Ranking looks at the results from Talladega Superspeedway to analyze how drivers rate going into the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Pre-Kansas NASCAR Cup Series Power Ranking looks at the results from Talladega Superspeedway to analyze how drivers rate going into the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

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