Improbable? Ridiculous? Crazy? Any number of words could be used to accurately describe the finish to the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday.
Daniel Suárez, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch crossed the finish line three-wide, with not even the broadcasters knowing which driver got there first. But after video review, Suárez was crowned as the winner by 0.003 seconds over Blaney and 0.007 seconds over Busch.
It was the third-closest finish in NASCAR history, with the 32-year-old Suárez picking up his second career victory. Behind him, there was plenty of carnage – with 28 of the 37 drivers (including Suárez!) involved in an accident that caused a caution at some point in the race.
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So, how does the field stack up heading into next week’s race in Las Vegas? Here’s our latest NASCAR power rankings:
1. Ryan Blaney
Last week: 2
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Losing a 400-mile race by just a few inches has to be painful. The defending Cup champion has been on the other side of finishes like this plenty of times, though, as he pointed out. In the bigger picture, Blaney scored a race-high 17 stage points and led 31 laps to get his season rolling in the right direction after a Daytona 500 crash.
2. William Byron
Last week: 1
The Daytona 500 winner was one of the nine drivers who wasn’t involved in a crash that caused a caution, but his day wasn’t incident-free. He and Michael McDowell collided coming to pit road under green, which left Byron damaged and a lap down. He recovered to finish a respectable 17th and still sits second in the points standings and power rankings.
3. Kyle Busch
Last week: 9
From falling a lap down due to a speed penalty to a collision with Denny Hamlin and then ultimately falling inches short of victory, Busch had an eventful race. He led 28 laps and scored six stage points, once again showing his prowess on drafting tracks with Richard Childress Racing. Busch now leads the points standings for the first time since 2019.
4. Denny Hamlin
Last week: 4
Hamlin hit the trifecta in Atlanta, wrecking in Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3 before finishing 23rd. He continuously recovered from his accidents to regain track position and even lead 15 laps. But his third and final crash proved to be too damaging as he fell a lap down.
5. Ross Chastain
Last week: 7
Chastain overcame a mid-race speeding penalty, got back on the lead lap and finished seventh. While his teammate Suárez will rightfully get all the glory this week, it was a productive run for the No. 1 team considering the circumstances.
6. Bubba Wallace
Last week: 8
Like Chastain, Wallace had a speeding penalty that put him down a lap. And that was after he was involved in the massive wreck on lap two. Still, Wallace bounced back to finish fifth for the second straight week. This is the best start to a season in his seven-year career.
7. Joey Logano
Last week: 5
Logano was penalized pre-race for altering his gloves, but that actually worked out in his favor. There was a 16-car pileup while he served his penalty, keeping the No. 22 clean. Logano quickly worked his way to the front and led 27 laps before misjudging his corner exit and wrecking with Chris Buescher. Logano is now buried at 33rd in the standings despite leading the second-most laps through two weeks.
8. Kyle Larson
Last week: 6
Larson finished worse than he deserved to for a second straight week. The 2021 Cup champion led 17 laps and earned 16 stage points, but crashed in Stage 3 and finished 32nd. Larson will be thrilled to get away from superspeedway racing next week – he’s led 421 laps and finished first or second four times in his last six Las Vegas starts.
9. Daniel Suárez
Last week: Not ranked
This might have been a career-saving win for Suárez. The Mexico native missed the playoffs last season, while Trackhouse Racing signed development deals with Shane van Gisbergen and Zane Smith. That left many wondering if Suárez would be the odd man out in 2025 when his contract expired. Safe to say this victory and subsequent playoff ticket will help his cause.
10. Chase Elliott
Last week: 10
Elliott matched Hamlin with three accidents on Sunday. The hometown driver rallied to finish 15th despite the crashes on lap two, lap 200 and lap 250. Elliott is sixth in the points standings after consecutive top-15 finishes, which the No. 9 team should be satisfied with after how last season went.
First four out: Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs
