Well, that was different.
NASCAR’s first short track race of the season last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway was a shock for drivers and fans alike. Despite using the same tire compound as last year, there were constant failures by essentially every driver.
In the end, the three oldest drivers in the field – Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski – managed their tires best and finished in the top-three spots.
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Now that Bristol is in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead.
How does the field stack up heading into Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. Kyle Larson
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Last week: 3
Larson finished fifth in Bristol after leading 19 laps and scoring 12 stage points. He’s now tied atop the points standings. Despite having four career road course wins, he has just one top-five finish in three starts at COTA.
2. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 1
After leading the field in practice and qualifying, the consensus was that Blaney would be the man to beat in Bristol. Instead, he struggled to manage his tires and finished 16th – snapping a three-race streak of top-fives.
3. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 5
Make it back-to-back Bristol wins for Hamlin. The future Hall of Famer continues to pad his resume, now with 52 career victories as he sits 13th on the all-time list. Road courses haven’t been a strength for Hamlin in recent years, though, and he’s never finished better than 14th at COTA.
4. Christopher Bell
Last week: 4
Bell followed up his Phoenix win with a solid 10th-place result in Bristol. He led 29 laps and scored nine stage points while moving up from 12th to eighth in the points standings. With two of his seven career wins coming at road courses, expect Bell to stay hot at COTA.
5. Ty Gibbs
Last week: 7
For most of Sunday’s race, it looked like Gibbs’ first career win was inevitable. He led 137 laps and swept both stages before his inexperience showed. The 21-year-old driver suffered significant tire wear in the final stage and held on to finish ninth. A disappointing result given the circumstances, but Gibbs is due for a win at any moment.
6. William Byron
Last week: 2
An early incident put Byron several laps down and he had no chance to recover. The Daytona 500 winner finished eight laps down in 35th. Byron has finished outside the top-15 in three of the last four races, but he has had recent success at COTA (28 laps led last year).
7. Martin Truex Jr.
Last week: 9
Truex’s years of experience guided him on Sunday. He started 11th, moved up to seventh in Stage 1, sixth in Stage 2 and then second at the finish. The 2017 Cup champion led 54 laps and is quietly tied with Larson for the overall points lead.
8. Chris Buescher
Last week: 10
Aside from an early crash in Las Vegas, it’s been a strong start to 2024 for Buescher. He finished seventh in Bristol – his third top-10 in the last four races. Don’t sleep on Buescher at COTA, either. He’s finished in the top-11 in each of the last 11 road course races dating back to 2022.
9. Ross Chastain
Last week: 6
The 2022 COTA winner was 15th in Bristol last weekend, which snapped a streak of three straight top-10s. Chastain is always a threat at road courses – and especially in Austin. In three career starts, he’s finished fourth, first and fourth with 35 laps led.
10. Tyler Reddick
Last week: 8
Before anyone knew how bad the tires would be, Reddick opted against putting on fresh stickers. That obviously backfired, with the No. 45 getting steamrolled and eventually caught up in an accident before limping home in 30th. On the bright side, Reddick is the defending COTA winner and has three career road course victories.
First four out: Daniel Suárez, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman
