NASCAR Power Rankings: Post-Daytona 500

No.’s 8 – 5

No. 8 – Matt Kenseth

With just one quarter of a lap remaining on Sunday, it looked like Matt Kenseth was going to win the Daytona 500 and earn himself a spot in the Chase. Instead, that didn’t happen and Kenseth finished in the No. 14 spot to end the day. His great run was ended by his teammate, Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin split Kenseth and the field, which caused Kenseth to get loose and drop back into the pack at the finish line. Even though he couldn’t hold the lead, it was a strong day for Kenseth at the track.

No. 7 – Kyle Larson

Another one of NASCAR’s great young talents is Kyle Larson. Larson really gained a lot of experience last season and he got off to a good start to this season at the Daytona 500. There’s nothing exactly memorable from his day, but he stayed up front all day and finished No. 7, which is a strong showing for a young driver at the big race.

No. 6 – Joey Logano

The defending Daytona 500 winner pressed all day with car issues. He just couldn’t get enough to get to that top spot, but it was a really impressive showing. A great test of how good a driver is by how they handle adversity with their car and Logano did that by finishing in the No. 6 spot.

No. 5 – Carl Edwards

Like Logano, Carl Edwards had issues all day and was involved in an early wreck with Brian Vickers and Trevor Bayne. With part of a new front end attached, Edwards’ car looked like it had been in a war. Still, he kept on pushing hard and worked his way back up to the front. Edwards would end up with a top-5 finish. That’s great for anyone that has been involved in a wreck during a race.

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