Denny Hamlin is back on top in this week’s Power Rankings.
1. Denny Hamlin:
Hamlin was strong all day at Dover and held on through a double overtime finish to win the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, his series-best fourth win of the year.
“My car was sponsored jointly by Progressive and Sports Clips,” Hamlin said. “I wouldn’t know what a ‘Progressive Sports Clip’ is, because I’ve had the same haircut my whole life.”
2. Chase Elliott:
Elliott started on the pole at Dover, won Stage 1, and finished sixth in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
“We had a setback midway through the race when my car fell off the jack,” Elliott said. “Ironically, that’s how your day gets ‘jacked up.'”
3. Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe couldn’t track down Denny Hamlin in overtime and had to settle for the runner-up finish at Dover.
“NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge is down to two drivers after Dover,” Briscoe said. “The winner gets $1,000,000. For contenders for the Cup championship, $1,000,000 equates to four million quarters, each of which could be used to call someone who cares.”
4. Alex Bowman:
Bowman finished third in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400.
“It was a pretty good day for Hendrick Motorsports,” Bowman said. “Chase Elliott finished sixth, I finished third, William Byron was strong until he got wrecked, and Kyle Larson drove like he wasn’t at Indianapolis.”
5. William Byron:
Byron ran in the top 10 for the majority of the day at Dover, but was collected in a late crash and finished 31st.
“Oddly enough,” Byron said, “Carson Hocevar did not wreck me. In fact, you didn’t hear Carson Hocevar’s name mentioned much at all during the race. It’s cool not to hear ‘Carson Hocevar;’ it would be great not to see Carson Hocevar.”
6. Ryan Blaney:
Blaney finished eighth at Dover.
“Shane van Gisbergen had to make an early pit stop,” Blaney said, “and went down four laps. So his hopes were flushed down the toilet early. And I’m told when you flush a toilet in New Zealand, the water goes down, much like laps at Dover, counterclockwise.”
7. Joey Logano:
Logano finished 14th at Dover.
“That was my 600th NASCAR start,” Logano said. “I’m the youngest driver in history to accomplish that feat. That kind of means I was just a child when I started the streak. Many of my rivals say I’m still a child.”
8. Kyle Larson:
Larson finished fourth at Dover, his first top-5 result since a fifth at Michigan in early June.
“I had no choice but to drive my way out of my slump,” Larson said. “I’m so talented, I can easily drive myself right back into one.”
9. Tyler Reddick:
Reddick finished 12th at Dover and was eliminated from the In-Season Challenge.
“Fellow Toyota driver John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 car was sponsored by Hertz,” Reddick said. “Let’s hope an association with Hertz is the only thing JHN ever has in common with O.J. Simpson.”
10. Christopher Bell:
Bell led 67 laps at Dover, but spins while battling for the lead on two different occasions cost him, and he finished 18th.
“I had three wins in the first four races this season,” Bell said. “And none since. And I guess I proved why twice in this race.”
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
