Bob Pockrass
Fox Nascar Insider
Winning the Daytona 500 doesn’t embody success for the remainder of the season.
But in 2024, William Byron used a Daytona 500 victory on the street for 3 preliminary wins to start out the yr. For this motive, it can skip first in my final energy rankings.
Like final yr, Byron enters Victory Lane in Daytona could possibly be a precursor of how sturdy it can run in 2025.
Here are the facility rankings this week after the five hundred:
1. William Byron (Last week: 8)
Byron will trip the utmost victory of the Daytona 500 to Atlanta this week. Certainly it was not the strongest automotive than Daytona, however Handrick’s driver emerged the winner. The winner of the biggest race will get the primary place in these rankings.
2. Ryan Blaney (LW: 1)
Blaney leads the rating of the Cup sequence, displaying her consistency from duels by means of the opening levels of Daytona 500 and till the top of the race. Now in Atlanta, the place the pilot Penske has misplaced his thumbs a yr in the past.
3. Tyler Reddick (LW: 7)
Reddick got here second within the Daytona 500, giving a powerful begin to the reigning champion of the common season. There is not any motive to doubt that the 23xi racing pilot will compete for a lot of victories this yr.
4. Denny Hamlin (LW: 6)
Hamlin had his finest Daytona 500 within the subsequent period of the era. Joe Gibbs Racing’s pilot exudes confidence, even when greater than 9 months have handed since his final victory.
5. Christopher Bell (LW: 4)
Bell was in entrance of the Daytona 500 with a handful of turns to go earlier than being reworked into a foul accident that included Ryan Preece that was in flight. He doesn’t just like the type of editorial workers of Superspeedway, however he has nonetheless proven that he can do it.
Daytona 500: William Byron, Denny Hamlin and different post-gara interviews
6. Chase Elliott (LW: 2)
Elliott arrived fifteenth in Daytona, however Handrick’s pilot remains to be a comparatively latest winner, after capturing the conflict of Preseason a few weeks in the past.
7. Kyle Larson (LW: 5)
Larson just isn’t a big superspeedway driver, however Hedrick’s pilot ought to do higher in Atlanta than Daytona, the place he completed the twentieth.
8. Joey Logano (LW: 3)
Logano didn’t excite his opponents with a few of his strikes to Daytona, together with one through which he ended up crashing and out of the race. It is nothing new. The Penske driver might be not too apprehensive.
9. Austin Condic (Lw: nr)
Condic had a strong Daytona whereas she began within the entrance row and at all times appeared to struggle close to the entrance. The late catastrophe relegated the pilot Penske to the eighth in Daytona.
10. Bubba Wallace (LW: 10)
Wallace received his qualifying race on Thursday and appears to have a safer angle for 2025.
Abandon: Brad Keselowski (LW: 9)
On the Verge: Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski
Bob Pockrass covers Nascar for Fox Sports. He spent a long time to cowl motor sports activities, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with Espn intervals, Sporting News, Nascar Scene Magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow it on Twitter @Bobpockrass.
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