Talladega was a challenging race on October 6th, 2024, not for the entire field but the Playoff drivers in particular. The latest Power Rankings are out, and some of the NASCAR Ford drivers stayed put from prior weeks, while others are headed in the wrong direction.
As per the latest Power Rankings report from NASCAR.com, Chase Briscoe still holds his position – which is dead last of the 12 Playoff-eligible drivers. His No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse looked strong heading into Talladega, but it ended with his second-worst finish at the track in his entire career when he was swept up in a late-race wreck. At this point, barring serious misfortune among the other Playoffs drivers, he’ll have to win the forthcoming race on the Charlotte Roval if he wants to advance to the Round of 8.
Despite wrecking from the lead and finishing 32nd on Sunday, Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Mustang, slots in 11th, up one spot in the rankings from last week. He has a 29-point deficit to overcome to make the Round of 8, and in his two starts on the Charlotte Roval, he has yet to finish better than 20th. However, he’s good on road courses, and that just might save his bacon in the Playoffs.
Joey Logano dropped two spots, slotting in 10th this week. He hasn’t earned a finish inside the top 10 since winning at Atlanta at the start of the Playoffs. However, he has led multiple laps in six of the last nine races, and he has an average finish of 8.7 on the Roval. That said, he could find success this weekend and rocket himself back into the upper echelons of the rankings.
Finally, Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Mustang, is still the highest-rated driver in the NASCAR Ford stable. However, he lost five spots in the Power Rankings from last week. He led 17 laps at Talladega, but a wreck took him out before he could prove that he could win. He has a 25-point advantage above the elimination line, and he has an average finish of 10.2 at the Roval, which bodes well for the defending champ.
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