The Round of 6 began this past weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Six drivers had a shot to punch their ticket in the Championship 4. Familiar faces ran up front all afternoon as expected, but one playoff driver has already clinched his spot in the championship race at Homestead Miami in Southern Florida.
Here’s a look at this weeks power rankings.
1. Johnny Sauter – Sauter dominated the race by leading 148 laps of the scheduled 200 laps. He won both stages after starting in the eighth position. It was a huge win for the No. 21 GMS Racing team as it was Sauter’s sixth win of the year and 23rd of his career. It will also mark his third consecutive appearance in the Championship 4. Sauter will be tough to beat in the next two races, especially the championship race.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
2. Justin Haley – Haley followed up Talladega with another top 10 earning a sixth-place finish. He started 13th and finished 10th, and eighth, respectively, in both stages. Haley is two points below the cut line, however, good tracks are coming up for him such as Texas and Phoenix. Haley hopes to be the second GMS driver in the Championship 4 by either pointing his way in it or collecting a win at the next two races.
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
3. Brett Moffitt – Earlier this year, Moffitt was the Cinderella story with the little team that could, but as the season wore on, he won four races that got him a spot in the playoffs. He’s been quietly consistent throughout the playoffs and is now in the Round of 6. Moffitt currently is 15 points to the good and sits third in the standings. If the No. 16 team continues to do the things that got them here, then they will be in the Championship 4. But a win guarantees that and everyone will step it up in the next two races. So Moffitt will have to continue to bring his A game for Texas and Phoenix, and get stage points to secure his spot.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
4. Noah Gragson – After being wrecked on the final lap at Talladega when racing for the win, Gragson earned a solid top 10 finish at Martinsville. He started third and finished second in both stages. Gragson fell back a bit due to late race cautions and strategy, ultimately finishing seventh. However, he is 24 points to the good and if he continues to run the way he has, Gragson will be in the Championship 4 as well. Although, stranger things have happened in the world of NASCAR and nothing is guaranteed.
Previous Week Ranking: Not Ranked
5. Myatt Snider – Snider continues his strong runs late in the season by earning a top five at Martinsville and taking the lead momentarily after a restart. He finished second after the wildcard of Talladega. Snider started 16th and did not finish at all in either stage, but wound up in the third position with his Louisiana Hot Sauce Ford.
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
