Couch Racer reached out to a handful of industry experts to gauge who had the momentum going into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The panel consisted of several team members, journalists, a former driver and a race director. We tallied the points of each individual ranking to compile the Couch Racer Power Ranking.
The Up And Down After Darlington:
Kyle Busch leapt from #10 in the rankings to #5 after putting himself in position to win the Southern 500 before expiring a motor before the final restart.
Ryan Blaney's position inside the top 5 was the center of most criticism from the Couch Racer community when the initial power rankings were dropped. He lands 4 spots lower going into Kansas, where Ryan has an average finish of 21st since 2019.
Taking over the top spot by a commanding lead is Denny Hamlin, accumulating 110 out of 112 possible points from the power ranking panel.
Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Kevin Harvick were the only drivers joining Ryan Blaney in falling multiple positions.
The four drivers who sit on the chopping block for round 1 all remained the same despite Briscoe swapping seats with Austin Cindric.
