Denny Hamlin (the team owner) won the previous week at Talladega, and Denny Hamlin (the driver) followed that up with a win this past Sunday at Dover.
Meanwhile, William Byron (“Billy the Kid”) fell to the middle of the pack, got caught up in a crash and was credited (credited?) with 33rd place. Just his second complete clunker of the year. But it came after a great five-week run when he won twice and never finished below seventh.
That explains the following pecking order in our NASCAR Cup Series power rankings …
1. William Byron
Barely holding off Denny for the top spot here
2. Denny Hamlin
Joins Lee Petty with 54 career wins, but trails Petty in championships by three!
3. Kyle Larson
His big Month of May has arrived and he has to be two places at once, or close to it
THRU THE GEARS Denny Hamlin climbing the NASCAR wins list, how far can he go? Busch, Larson talk Gen-7 blocks, cameras
4. Tyler Reddick
Led 2 laps at Kansas last fall, and one of them was the most important
5. Chase Elliott
Once again receiving mail in the lead pack
6. Martin Truex Jr.
Almost always good at Kansas; has won there twice
7. Alex Bowman
Sneaking back into Sunday contention, and fired up about it
Team tells Alex Bowman to drive like an “asshole” the rest of the day. Bowman tells team to let him drive “the f***ing race car.”
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) April 28, 2024
8. Ryan Blaney
Lord, Mr. Ford, he’s gaining on it … promise!
9. Ty Gibbs
Returned to Top 10 Land at Dover
10. Kyle Busch
Hey, look who’s back in our weekly top 10
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR Power Rankings: Denny Hamlin back on top? Kyle Busch back in mix?
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