What a start to the season. Back to back great races, which really makes it easy to see who is who and where they should rank here.
1. Lawson Peel - No Change
Do I even have to type anything here? No change for the guy who keeps pulling one out of his ass. That horseshoe doesn't seem to be loosing its magic anytime soon.
2. Eric Schaffer - Last Week: 4
Eric begged for the Xfinity car, and we're starting to see why. Eric has yet to finish outside the top 5, and if it wasn't for his teammate, he would easily be the top dog. I had concerns about his ability to keep the car clean, and he is making me eat my words on that one.
3. Brandon Banks - Last Week: 8
Listen, I am sorry for missing you in the preseason power rankings. Other than a slight mistake during the duels, Banks hasn't been seen too far away from the top 10. A strong run at Nashville and poor races from competitors moves the Reese's Chevy up the board.
4. Jayden Porter - Last Week: Unranked
Sounded the alarm a little early on Porter after Auto Club. In my defense, it was concerning how fast I passed the 28 last week. But he proved me wrong, and again here I am eating my words. Porter managed to snag the pole at the track where broke through and got his first win, and managed to hang out inside the top 5 all night. He has earned his way back up on the list.
5. AJ Green - Last Week: 3
Speaking of lists, here is AJ Green. The driver of the Hebrew National Supra had a great run at Auto Club, and was looking strong at Nashville until late contact with teammate Lance Hill sent him backwards. Other than that, expect Green to stay towards the top end of this list if he keeps driving the way he is.
6. Luke Knupp - Last Week: Unranked
Rookie driver Knupp managed to qualify 9th for the race at Auto Club with his results from the Duels. Unfortunately, his debut on the Power Rankings had to be delayed a week since he missed the start at Auto Club, but he made sure to make his name known, winning his first official 4 Wide Race this week. I am curious to see if he can keep this up, or if it was just some magic that Bacallao-Bueno Racing drivers seem to have at Nashville.
7. Kyle Benson - Last Week: Unranked
Benson managed to get caught up in the first caution of the season last week at Auto Club, and it hurt his result. He came back with a vengeance this week, qualifying P2 and not dropping out of the top 5 the entire race. Kyle has managed to be a championship contender every year so far, and I fully expect him to keep it up.
8. Tyler Murray - Last Week: Unranked
I want to start off by saying I really didn't want to put myself on this list. But every person I was talking to about the Power Rankings was adamant that I do. And the results don't lie. I personally have been impressed with myself, hiding right around the 10th position every race this season. I don't have high expectations, and may not be on the list for very long if a handful of other drivers can start avoiding incidents.
9. Daniel Michel - Last Week: 6
Michel had a few extremely strong runs at Auto Club, and looked prepared to follow that up this week. Unfortunately, he was caught up in an early yellow and dealt with damage all race. Even with a broken race car, Daniel still managed a top 20 run. I expect this result to be a fluke, and we'll see where he sits after Phoenix.
10. Michael Newbraugh - Last Week: Unranked
Newbraugh has always quietly run at the top end of the midfield ever since his first race in 4 Wide. He avoids incidents, and runs his own race. That has paid off so far for him this season, with a couple of solid runs to open up. Tied with myself in points, Mike has himself in good position early on.
FIRST 5 OUT:
#4 Trevor Haley
#94 TJ Burske
#55 Joe Sanchez
DRIVERS WHO DROPPED OUT:
#94 TJ Burske - P33 finish
#43 Ethan Fonseca Moreno - P34 finish
#8 Mikey Neal - P37 finish
#91 Adam Aleshire - P30 finish