NASCAR Power Rankings: Post-Daytona 500

No.’s 4 – 1

No. 4 – Kevin Harvick

It’s really hard to keep Kevin Harvick down. When it looks like he is going to have a bad day on the track, he uses his veteran ability to find his way at the top near the end of the race and it’s like clockwork for him. On Sunday, there was nothing spectacular about the day that Harvick had, but he did what he need to do to finish in the No. 4 spot and with a top-5 finish.

No. 3 – Kyle Busch

The defending Sprint Cup Champion had a strong showing to start the season. Although he didn’t win the Daytona 500, it was another great day for Kyle Busch, as he hung tough in the third spot. It seemed as if he never really left that spot, but he didn’t get greedy and was content with the great result.

No. 2 – Martin Truex Jr.

Martin Truex Jr. can proudly claim he was the closest second-place finisher in Daytona 500 history. He was the one driver that never gave in and gave the cars of Joe Gibbs Racing a run all day. At the end, it looked like he might have his shot, but he lost by one-one-hundredth of a second.

No. 1 – Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin took the big risk and it paid off mightily on Sunday. With one turn left and Hamlin in fourth place, he decided to go for it all and he split the cars ahead of him. This resulted in a drag race between Hamlin and Truex Jr. for the win. What resulted was the greatest finish in Daytona 500 history and Hamlin moving onto the Chase.