Overtaking at Bristol on September 21st, 2024, was no easy feat, but the NASCAR Ford drivers in the Playoffs demonstrated impressive performance. In fact, The Blue Oval’s title-eligible drivers climbed in the weekly Power Rankings heading into this weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway.
Before delving into where the NASCAR Ford drivers slot in the latest Power Rankings from NASCAR.com, it’s important to note that only four drivers remain championship eligible. Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, and Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 21 Mustang, were both eliminated after the race at Bristol and are no longer able to compete for the 2024 Cup Series title.
That leaves Ryan Blaney as the driver with the highest ranking of The Blue Oval’s competitors, holding down third place. He led the NASCAR Ford teams at Bristol, finishing sixth in the No. 12 Mustang, and he still looks strong to pull off a second title in a row. NASCAR.com notes that “he’s flirted with a couple of Kansas wins, but lately it’s been a middling track for him,” and has only led three laps there since 2020.
The next-best Ford competitor is all the way in eighth place: Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Mustang. But he’s been very good at Kansas in the past, with three wins under his belt.
Meanwhile, Austin Cindric is ranked 10th. His No. 2 Mustang team is coming off a decent Round of 16 – he posted an average finish of 11th and averaged 34.33 points in each of the last three races. However, he doesn’t have a top 10 at Kansas to his name, and his last three race on the 1.5-mile oval have yielded finishes outside of the top 30.
Just behind Cindric is Chase Briscoe. His No. 14 NASCAR Ford team is the underdog in The Blue Oval’s stable. This weekend’s race at Kansas will be his 10th at the track, but he’s yet to finish inside the top 10.
The Cup Series race at Kansas is scheduled for Sunday, September 29th, 2024 at 3 p.m. EST.
No Comments yet