The 10: NASCAR Cup Series Power Rankings After Kentucky

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ventured back into the land of bluegrass, basketball and fast horses. However, it was a different kind of horsepower on display Saturday night and it appeared as though most of it belonged to Martin Truex Jr.

Truex was dominant yet again, trouncing the field en route to his third win of 2017. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry was nearly untouchable and it appears Truex has exorcised the late race demons that repeatedly kept him from reaching Victory Lane in the past. Aiding his post season plans were the pair of stage wins he picked up in addition to the final checkered flag of the evening.

The question now is, did he dominate the rankings of our contributors as well? We dusted off our fancy derby hats, threw on a few banjo strumming tunes and got to work. Now you get to see what we came up with. Did we hit all the right notes? Or did our rankings get washed out by the cold Kentucky rain?

How the Rankings Are Calculated: Frontstretch does our power rankings similar to how the Associated Press does them for basketball or football. Our expert stable of NASCAR writers, both on staff and from other major publications will vote for the Top 10 on a 10-9-8-7… 3-2-1 basis, giving 10 points to their first-place driver, 9 for second, and so on. In the end, Frank Velat calculates the points, adds some funny one-liners, and… here you go!

Rank	Change	Name	Total Votes
1	+1	Martin Truex Jr Airlines are debating getting rid of their planes and buying No. 78 Toyotas as a faster means of transportation.. – Michael Massie, Frontstretch First Place Votes: 7	79
2	-1	Kyle Larson Bridesmaid at Kentucky, but still holds the points lead by one over Truex. – Brent Jones, Tha Sports Junkies 101 First Place Votes: 1	71
3		Chase Elliott The last time the sport was collectively expecting a driver to get his first win this much, it was some kid they called Handsome Harry. – Frank Velat, Frontstretch	55
4		Kevin Harvick Those late speeding penalties are a killer.  Good thing for Harvick that he was only one of nine on the lead lap at the end. – Bryan Gable, Frontstretch	53
5		Kyle Busch I wonder if Rowdy is petitioning for Joe Gibbs to lease him to Furniture Row Racing for a year as well. – Michael Massie	48
6	-3	Brad Keselowski Keselowski needs to check and see if someone hid a giant magnet on his car because he keeps getting pulled into one calamity after another. Saturday was his fourth DNF in seven races. – Pete McCole, Auto Racing 1	41
7	-1	Jimmie Johnson We’ve seen this story before. It doesn’t end well for people not on the No. 48 team. – Mike Neff, Frontstretch	39
8	-1	Jamie McMurray As crazy as this sounds, we’re likely looking at Jamie McMurray’s best year in the Cup Series.  He’s doing it like a church mouse. – Phil Allaway, Frontstretch	37
9	+1	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.  Some people say we need more short tracks. Some say more road courses. Ricky says “How about 14 more restrictor plate tracks?”  – Frank Velat	20
10		Ryan Blaney The evolution of Ryan Blaney continued at Kentucky where he went from a rookie who wrecked far too early in 2016 to a smooth sophomore scoring a top 10 this past weekend. – Rob Tiongson, The Podium Finish	16

Others Receiving Votes: Ryan Blaney (10); Chase Elliott (10); Matt Kenseth (2); Erik Jones (2); Michael McDowell (1)

Who Voted: Bryan Gable, Frontstretch; Mike Neff, Frontstretch; Brent Jones, Tha Sports Junkies 101; Michael Massie, Frontstretch; Pete McCole, Auto Racing 1; Phil Allaway, Frontstretch; Frank Velat, Frontstretch; Rob Tiongson, The Podium Finish.Denny Hamlin (13); Erik Jones (7); Clint Bowyer (5); Dale Earnhardt Jr (1)

Frank Velat

Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 20 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future. Follow along with @FrankVelat on Twitter.