1. Kyle Larson: Larson tops the Power Rankings after finishing fifth at Martinsville.
“My No. 5 Hendrick Chevy will have the Terry Labonte throwback paint scheme from the early 2000’s at Darlington,” Larson said. “It was basically the Frosted Flakes paint scheme minus Tony the Tiger. Which kind of defeats the purpose of having the paint scheme. So, while it could have been great, it was merely okay.'”
2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin dominated at Martinsville, winning Stage 2 and leading 274 laps to win the Cook Out 400, his first triumph of the year.
“I can’t think of a better place to end a losing streak,” Hamlin said. “Other than Phoenix in November.”
3. Christopher Bell: Bell started on the pole at Martinsville and finished second, unable to challenge the power of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.
“I’ve always wanted to add another Martinsville grandfather clock trophy to my collection,” Bell said. “But Hamlin’s car was unbeatable. Any other day, I would have won that race. So, it was just a case of bad ‘timing.'”
4. Chase Elliott: Elliott took fourth in the Cook Out 400.
“Casey Mears was actually racing at Martinsville,” Elliott said. “‘So what?,’ you might ask. And that would be a valid question. But I guess Casey Mears is worth mentioning, and that is probably all he’s worth.”
5. William Byron: Byron struggled at Martinsville and finished 22nd.
“Once again,” Byron said, “my No. 24 car featured Liberty University sponsorship. That’s good for business, and Liberty knows people will see their logo. Liberty’s motto could very well be “Liberty University: We Like It When You’re Watching.'”
6. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 11th in the Cook Out 400.
“‘I’m just happy I completed a full race without an engine failure,'” Blaney said, “is a phrase I’m going to say for the rest of the year when I complete a race. For no other reason than to drive a point home to my engine department.”
7. Alex Bowman: Bowman came home 28th at Martinsville, posting his worst finish of the season.
“Sure I’m disappointed,” Bowman said, “but not too disappointed to talk about Martinsville’s famous hot dogs. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten one of those. Ironically, you’ve almost died if you’ve eaten a Martinsville hot dog.”
8. Bubba Wallace: Wallace was strong all day at Martinsville and finished third, posting his second straight third-place finish.
“How about the finish to that Xfinity Series race?” Wallace said. “Sammy Smith just blatantly plowed right through Taylor Gray and wrecked Gray and himself. If we learned one thing from it, it’s that Gray is ready to be a Cup series driver, because like them, he had plenty of reasons to punch somebody, but like them, chose not to.”
9. Tyler Reddick: Reddick finished 14th at Martinsville.
“Kyle Busch recently raced head-to-head against his son Brexton for the first time in competition,” Reddick said. “That was at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina. I’m sure Kyle didn’t have to imagine what Brexton was feeling. He would know, because Kyle was a young punk once.”
10. Joey Logano: Logano won Stage 1 and finished eighth at Martinsville, recording his first top 10 of the season.
“Sure,” Logano said, “I’m off to a slow start this season. But in NASCAR’s playoff format, it really matters if you get hot at the right time. Actually, it really only matters if you get hot one time, preferably at the last race of the season.”
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
