NASCAR Power Rankings: Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell Surge

Daniel Suarez wasn’t on this list after Watkins Glen, but he's on it now.

That’s what winning the Coke 600 will do for a driver.

Suarez won with a two-tire pit strategy and he's also now 10th in the standings, meaning he has had consistently good finishes this year. Maybe not many great finishes but consistently good ones. So he’s the first driver you’ll read on this top-10 list.

Here are my power rankings after the 600 and heading into this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

Daniel Suarez took a bow in honor of Kyle Busch after winning the Coke 600.

Dropped out: Chris Buescher (Last Week: 7), Austin Cindric (Last Week :10)

On the verge: Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, William Byron, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Ryan Preece

10. Daniel Suarez (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet

Suarez won at Charlotte but also has six top-13 finishes in his last eight starts. He isn’t rattling off top fives but when you continuously flirt with the top 10, you eventually will be flirting with the top five.

9. Carson Hocevar (Last Week: 9)
Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet

Hocevar has had back-to-back bad races with a 28th at Watkins Glen and 23rd at Charlotte. But he was on such a surge going into Watkins Glen. Let’s see how he does at Nashville.

8. Chase Briscoe (Last Week: 5)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 Toyota

Briscoe was caught up in an accident in the final stage but had started second, third and fourth in the opening three stages. He finished 34th but consistently shows his speed.

7. Christopher Bell (Last Week: Not Ranked)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota

Bell likely would have won the race (or at least challenged Denny Hamlin for it) if it wasn’t rain-shortened. But he at least made it to the finish and ended up with a solid points day in second. 

6. Chase Elliott (Last Week: 3)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet

Elliott spun and wrecked on Lap 90, a frustrating and disappointing result. He could easily bounce back at Nashville.

5. Ryan Blaney (Last Week: 6)
Team Penske No. 12 Ford

Blaney finished top 10 in all the stages and placed seventh in the race. He also was the top-finishing Ford. This team needs to find a little speed on the intermediates before the Chase.

4. Kyle Larson (Last Week: 8)
Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet

Larson won the opening stage and placed fifth in the second and third stages and finished fifth in the race. A solid day for a team still trying to learn the new Chevrolet body.

3. Ty Gibbs (Last Week: 4)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota

Gibbs was a threat throughout the race and wound up sixth. After a couple of finishes outside the top 30, Gibbs has finishes of third and sixth in his last two starts.

2. Denny Hamlin (Last Week: 2)
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota

Hamlin’s third-place finish was his sixth top-five in his last 10 starts. He just rarely has an awfully bad day and any other year would be first on this list. It’s tempting to make him No. 1 but the guy at No. 1 continues to produce consistently strong finishes.

1. Tyler Reddick (Last Week: 1)
23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota

Reddick’s fourth-place finish was his ninth top five of the season. Yes, he is on his longest losing streak of the season (four races!) but he is rattling off top fives with great regularity.