Newly feuding drivers make for odd bedfellows at the top of the Power Rankings
• 7 min read
A recurring theme in racing is that when two drivers have a prominent run-in or some sort of dispute one week, they can’t seem to get away from each other from that point onward.
Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, William Byron took exception to getting run into the wall while racing Denny Hamlin for second, and he proceeded to retaliate by spinning Hamlin out under caution. Then, Hamlin started to spar with Byron under caution, setting the tone for a driver feud that will likely color the rest of their respective seasons.
And interestingly enough, both have found the top of the CBS Sports NASCAR Power Rankings independent of their incident together.
Byron moves up to the top spot while Hamlin takes second after a disastrous outing for Christopher Bell caused him to drop from first to fifth in the Power Rankings. Bell was one of the biggest losers of the weekend, as his five spots lost were matched only by Bubba Wallace (-5) and exceeded only by Alex Bowman (-6). Meanwhile, Tyler Reddick was the biggest gainer (+5) after rebounding from playoff elimination to earn his third win of the season.
Here’s a look at our updated rankings in their entirety:
