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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Ricky Stenhouse Jr Wins the Longest Daytona 500 in Two Overtimes

Ricky Stenhouse Jr wins the longest Daytona 500 in two overtimes for the NASCAR Cup Series in the season opener on Sunday afternoon.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the longest DAYTONA 500 in NASCAR history, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got help from an unexpected source and won the sport’s most prestigious race when a wild wreck froze the field in the second overtime.

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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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Austin Cindric Claims his First Cup Series Victory, the Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 20: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2022, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Austin Cindric claims his first Cup Series victory, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway late Sunday afternoon.

The time has come to kick off the 2022 campaign with the most anticipated race of every season. The Daytona 500 is a fan favorite for obvious reasons. Daytona International Speedway is home to some of the most chaotic, unpredictable, and action-packed racing on the schedule. Any of the NASCAR Cup Series’ drivers can win this race, and it happens by making it to the end in one piece. 

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Austin Cindric Wins a Thrilling Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 20: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 20, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Austin Cindric wins a thrilling Daytona 500 in the NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the 85th birthday of his car owner, Roger Penske, 23-year-old NASCAR Cup Series rookie Austin Cindric beat Bubba Wallace to the finish line by 0.036 seconds in overtime to win Sunday’s 64th running of the Daytona 500.

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