Race Weekend Central

2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 1: Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

After capturing nine NASCAR Cup Series victories last year, Kevin Harvick looks to continue his winning ways in 2021. With guidance from longtime crew chief Rodney Childers, Harvick is destined to reclaim a spot in the Championship 4 after just missing out in 2020. But with new venues and seven road courses currently on the …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 2: Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott holds 2020 Bill France trophy Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The champ is here! The champ is here! The triumphant 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will strap behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet for his sixth full-time season at Hendrick Motorsports. With teammate Jimmie Johnson‘s departure from the team to go NTT IndyCar Series racing, it is looking like the 25-year-old …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 3: Denny Hamlin

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Joe Gibbs Racing staple Denny Hamlin returns to the No. 11 Toyota in 2021, following up a seven-win 2020 campaign with year 17 of NASCAR Cup Series competition. The veteran and longtime sponsor FedEx signed a multi-year extension with the team earlier this week, following his success in the new decade’s opening trip around the …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 4: Joey Logano

2020 Kansas II Cup Joey Logano celebrates NKP

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Joey Logano kicked down the NASCAR Cup Series door in the late 2000s, driving the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. He secured his first win that year, later moving to Team Penske, where his success skyrocketed. Now, with a Daytona 500 win, a Cup championship and a plethora of wins, Sliced Bread is …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 5: Kyle Busch

2020 Talladega II CUP Kyle Busch NKP

(photo: nkp)

“Rowdy,” “Wild Thing,” “Candyman.” Whatever name you choose to call him, there is no denying how unquestionably good of a racer Kyle Busch is. He’s accomplished so much in his NASCAR career that it’s hard to pick exactly where to start from. His 2015 and 2019 championship seasons are years that he’ll keep in his …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 6: Brad Keselowski

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Since moving to the No. 2 ride at Team Penske a decade ago, Brad Keselowski has been an absolute model of consistency. As we head into the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, Keselowski is once again expected to be a championship front-runner. The 2012 series champion has won a race every year since 2011, the second …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 7: Martin Truex Jr.

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Martin Truex Jr. started the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season hopeful after back-to-back runner-up finishes in the championship standings, preceded by winning the 2017 Cup championship. But with new crew chief James Small atop the No. 19 pit box, Truex didn’t perform as well in the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. He won at Martinsville Speedway but …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 8: Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Roger Penske decided to reinvent his NASCAR establishment, Team Penske, at the beginning of 2020 by swapping crew chiefs between his three drivers. 2012 champion Brad Keselowski was given Jeremy Bullins, who had been with Ryan Blaney for the past four seasons. Joey Logano was paired with Keselowski’s former crew chief Paul Wolfe. That meant …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 9: Alex Bowman

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

A Look Back Alex Bowman started the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season on the front row of the Daytona 500 for the third straight year and hoped for at least a top-10 finish. Unfortunately, Bowman was involved in the Big One and finished 24th. But it didn’t take long for him to  break through, scoring …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 10: Kyle Larson

2020 Las Vegas NCS Kyle Larson Face

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Kyle Larson directly placed himself in a tumultuous situation last year and is ready for the reset that comes with a new season. In a well-documented and inexcusable error, the six-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner used a racial slur in an iRacing event in April that subsequently cost him his job, expelling him from …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings, No. 11: Kurt Busch

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

You may not think so at first, but of the full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers, Kurt Busch has the earliest series debut out of them all, finishing 18th at Dover International Speedway in September 2000.  Twenty-one years later, the 2004 champion isn’t backing off the gas just yet. The 42-year-old driver from Las Vegas has …

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2021 NASCAR Preseason Power Rankings No. 12: Aric Almirola

NASCAR Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

In three seasons at Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, Aric Almirola has proven his ability to be a contender for the playoffs.  He has also shown an affinity for strong runs, including wins, at restrictor plate tracks. Almirola’s performances have earned him the loyalty of primary sponsor Smithfield.  But the 2021 season could …

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