The chaotic Nashville Superspeedway race made it difficult to adjust the power rankings — should drivers be ranked by finish or by how they ran?
Ultimately, Denny Hamlin ran the best race as far as strategy and to win for what would be expected at most, three overtimes.
So with that, he gets the boost atop this list. Also, with Kyle Larson losing control of his car and washing up to Ross Chastain on the first overtime restart, it seemed hard to leave him at the top spot.
With the Chicago street course coming up this week, we'll take a look at how these drivers in the rankings (based primarily on recent 2024 races) did there last year, albeit in a race run in mostly wet conditions (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook).
1. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 4)
Cup Series title odds: +450
Hamlin won the pole but finished 11th last year at Chicago. He lost his track position early when he slid into the Turn 2 barrier. He appeared in good shape, though, to rally until the change after the second stage to 75 laps ended up ruining their strategy (drivers who pitted before the announcement the race would be shortened from 100 to 75 laps ended up not having to pit again). Expect him to be a favorite this year.
2. Kyle Larson (LW: 1)
Cup Series title odds: +450
Larson started fifth, was seventh after the first stage and second after the second stage at Chicago on his way to a fourth-place finish. He was involved in the big stackup in Turn 11 that blocked the track, and Larson felt he should have been given a better position on the ensuing restart than where NASCAR had put him in the lineup. He will be a favorite.
3. Chase Elliott (LW: 3)
Cup Series title odds: +1000
Elliott finished third at Chicago after being outside the top 10 in the first two stages. He slid into a tire barrier after switching to slick tires early in the second stage, which hurt his track position and then was able to use pit strategy to gain it back near the end. He will be among the favorites on Sunday.
4. Christopher Bell (LW: 2)
Cup Series title odds: +450
Bell led a race-high 37 laps and swept both stages before finishing 18th, another driver whose strategy was thrown into a tailspin when NASCAR shortened the race from 100 laps to 75 laps. He restarted the final stage in 12th and then got caught up in the big stackup. Like all of the top-5 drivers on this list, he will be among the favorites Sunday.
5. Tyler Reddick (LW: 5)
Cup Series title odds: +1400
Reddick was second in the first stage and third in the second stage but finished 28th after skidding into the tire barrier in Turn 6 with about 17 laps to go. After not being a good road-course racer early in his career, Reddick has improved to the point that he is a favorite as he has now three road-course wins (Road America, Indianapolis, COTA).
6. Ryan Blaney (LW: 6)
Cup Series title odds: +1000
Blaney finished a lap down in 33rd after hitting the wall in the opening stage. The defending Cup champion probably wouldn't be considered a favorite, but if he can find himself up front, he'd be hard to pass.
7. Chris Buescher (LW: 9)
Cup Series title odds: +2500
Buescher finished 10th on the street course last year. He was 16th with 17 laps to go and kept it clean enough to earn a respectable finish. He won't be a driver who would dominate this race, but he won't put himself in bad positions and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him up near the front at the end.
8. Martin Truex Jr . (LW: 7)
Cup Series title odds: +1400
Truex went from starting 11th to fourth by the end of the first stage and then was eighth in the second stage. But he was among those mired in the field after pitting following the second stage (and originally thinking everyone would have to pit) and spun in Turn 5 to lose even more track position and end his race-winning hopes.
9. William Byron (LW: 8)
Cup Series title odds: +550
Byron started 22nd and finished 13th at Chicago last year. He was fifth but was involved in the big stackup in Turn 11 late in the race. With three wins this year, Byron has nothing to lose but knowing when to be aggressive and when to be patient will be the key for every driver on Sunday.
10. Joey Logano (LW: NR)
Cup Series title odds: +1400
Logano started ninth, didn't finish in the top 10 in either of the stages and wound up eighth. So he pretty much made the most of what looked like wouldn't be a great day. Coming off a win at Nashville, he'll at least have some momentum.
Dropped out: Josh Berry (LW: 10)
On the verge: Josh Berry, Alex Bowman , Ross Chastain, Noah Gragson , Brad Keselowski , Bubba Wallace
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @ bobpockrass .
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