GTP NASCAR Power Rankings:
1. Droptop2001gt - Ryan opened up the Chase with a bang, leading 66 out of 100 laps and driving to victory lane at Daytona to grab the early points lead. This was his third race win of the season, tops in the league. This week, the series heads to Suzuka East, where he will no doubt just be trying to secure a finish in the top 10, so he can get back to the ovals still in close proximity to the points lead.
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2. JoeOfTheFire - Joe is Mr. Consistency, notching his fourth consecutive podium finish, and fifth straight top-5 finish. Joe has 6 podium finishes this season, tied with Droptop2001gt for the most in the league. Joe is certainly looking forward to this weekend's race, where he is the defending race winner, and the favorite to emerge as the points leader.
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3. TRYNOR88 - TRYNOR went to Indy for the Nationwide season finale three weeks ago with a lot of confidence, having dominated the previous two races. At Indy, he ran into a little trouble early on. But, he persevered, and clawed his way back to a hard-earned podium finish, winning the very first Nationwide Series Championship by three points. Trynor will definitely have a Sprint Cup seat waiting for him next season if he wants it.
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4. RFLX_Niop - Niop had the worst weekend ever in his Sprint Cup career, disconnecting due to a power outage with about 20 seconds left on the race start countdown timer. He was credited with a career-worst 11th place finish at the worst possible time. On the brighter side, Niop notched a bonus point by outpacing the field in qualifying. And, he is heading to a road course this weekend, where a podium finish and a big rebound in points is a highly likely scenario. Don't count out the two-time defending Sprint Cup champion, and reigning All-Star race winner, just yet.
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5. Carbonox - Carb went to Indy three weeks ago for the Nationwide finale with his sights set on winning the championship. He led the most laps, finished ahead of Trynor but behind Nate, and wound up 3 points shy of the championship trophy at the end of the day. Since the end of the Nationwide season, Carb has been handed control of Hendrick Motorsports, where he's hoping to gain valuable experience for his potential move to the Sprint Cup for next season. Carb was running well in the pack at Daytona before being involved in an incident that put him a lap behind the rest of the field, essentially ruining his day.
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6. Knelly - Officially, I'm going to list Knelly in sixth place, but I consider this ranking every bit as good as a 5th place ranking. 👍
On the bright side, he didn't hit a jet dryer!
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7. MULE_9242 - Mule had a rough day at Daytona, both as a driver and as a team owner. However, as a road-course ace, I'm sure he's very excited to get to Suzuka East this weekend, no matter how much more he loves Laguna Seca.
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8. Furinkazen - Furi showed up at Daytona, unsure of whether he would even finish the race or not, due to the long scheduled distance. At the end of the day, he was glad he didn't park it, as he registered his career best Sprint Cup finish with a runner-up effort. Furi and his FedEx team delivered in a big way, capping a 1-2 finish for JGR. Furi is heading to Suzuka East, where rumor has it Joe Gibbs is fitting the car with a GPS device, to help Furi identify the legal sections of the track for this season.
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9. Nater_Racing21 - Nate won his first race in his final start in season 1 of the Nationwide Series, edging out Carbonox for the win at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Nate put together a solid season, securing third place overall in the final Nationwide point standings. In the meantime, Nate has also been pulling duty as the interim car owner for Joe Gibbs Racing, following M-Stall's leave of absence at the beginning of the season. In the Sprint Cup, Nate's put up a third and fifth place finish in the last two races at Indy. Here's a driver that you might want to watch out for next season in the Sprint Cup, especially when the schedule brings the series back to the Brickyard.
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10. GTP_Litchi - Litchi had a great season in Nationwide, despite the late start. Even though he missed the first five races, and could only drop two of those 5 results, Litchi finished 5th in the final Nationwide standings. He might have finished 4th overall, if not for being late to the start, and missing the final race. He received credit for last place in that race, but he definitely felt like he had a great chance to compete for a top spot in the race, which could have secured 4th overall. In his two Sprint Cup starts this season, Litchi has shown good pace. He finished 3rd at HSR, and 4th at Daytona. Litchi is still a little new to oval racing, but I think he could be a real threat for next season, especially with his already established road-racing prowess.
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Also considered: TomMcD, MattyMc1996, Chqr, D4LVY_, ACDCROCKS123
Please note, this is the last week that Nationwide Series drivers will be listed based on their Nationwide accomplishments. The final few Power Rankings for this season will be the top ten drivers based only on their recent or projected Sprint Cup performances only.