Tyler Reddick left no doubt about who should be atop these rankings as he earned his fourth victory of the season Sunday at Darlington Raceway.
The rest of the rankings? Those are tough, as only three other drivers have four top-10 finishes in the first six races.
So it’s pretty subjective, and my social feeds would say they are pretty debatable.
Here are my rankings after Darlington and heading into this weekend’s race at Martinsville.
Dropped out: Chris Buescher (Last Week: 10)
On the verge: Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Ryan Preece, Daniel Suarez, Shane van Gisbergen
10. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 7)
Larson had something break late in the race, and he finished 32nd at Darlington. That was after he had led 20 laps earlier in the day. It was a disappointing finish for the defending Cup champion.
9. Brad Keselowski (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Keselowski led a race-high 142 laps and finished second at Darlington. The RFK Racing driver and co-owner was the best of the rest behind Reddick, who had to rally after lengthy pit stops to replace his battery because of a charging issue.
8. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 6)
Elliott finished 15th after running long before pitting in the second stage cost him some track position. The Hendrick driver still sits fifth in the standings.
7. Bubba Wallace (Last Week: 9)
Wallace got collected in a wreck but he qualified on the front row and that’s a sign that he has the speed. The 23XI Racing driver is third in the standings but still seeks his first top-five of the season.
6. William Byron (Last Week: 8)
Byron was the top Hendrick driver with an eighth-place finish at Darlington. It was Byron’s third consecutive top-10 finish after starting the year with three finishes outside the top 10.
5. Christopher Bell (Last Week: 3)
Bell started 22nd and finished 19th in what was pretty much a forgettable day for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. If he has a similar day at Martinsville (not likely), he should be a little worried.
4. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: 5)
Gibbs placed sixth after posting three consecutive top-five finishes. Knock on the door like that, and the JGR driver should earn his first career win relatively soon.
3. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 2)
Hamlin had damage after contact with Erik Jones and finished 11th at Darlington. But he entered Darlington coming off a win and now heads to one of his best tracks at Martinsville.
2. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 4)
Blaney finished third after rallying from the rear of the field because of a loose wheel that required him to pit in a Penske teammate’s pit box. He might have been third even if that didn’t happen, but he doesn’t need the frustration for sure.
1. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 1)
Four wins in a season would be considered a great season. The 23XI Racing driver has four wins in six races. It’s going to take a string of strong runs — or a string of bad runs by Reddick — for someone to topple him.
