The first NASCAR Cup street race created a lot of change in this week’s rankings and a new No. 1.
Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen won at Chicago in his first series start, earning praise from several competitors. No Cup driver had won in their first series start since Johnny Rutherford won a Daytona qualifying race in 1963.
He was one of two newcomers to this week’s pole. Michael McDowell moves into the rankings after his top-10 finish on the streets of Chicago.
Every position in this week’s rankings changed from last week.
NBC SPORTS NASCAR POWER RANKINGS
1. Shane van Gisbergen (Not ranked last week) — First start and he wins. Yes, Chicago is his only Cup race scheduled this season and he won’t be back in these rankings after this, but when a driver becomes the first in 60 years to win in their first series start, they get the No. 1 spot for a week.
2. Kyle Busch (3) — He excels when his back is against the wall. He overcame a flat tire, speeding penalty and spin to finish ninth at Nashville and followed that by overcoming a shunt into the tire barrier that buried his car to his windshield to finish fifth. He’s scored six consecutive top 10s.
3. Kyle Larson (4) — His fourth-place finish is his fourth consecutive top 10, his best streak of the season.
4. William Byron (2) — He had to start toward the back because his team made repairs to his car after an incident on Saturday. He came back to finish 13th. It’s his ninth consecutive finish of 14th or better. He’s had seven top 10s in that stretch.
5. Martin Truex Jr. (1) — His streak of four consecutive top fives ended with a 32nd-place result that saw him spin and hit the wall multiple times.
6. Chase Elliott (8) — Third-place finish marks his third consecutive top five. He’s 55 points out of the final playoff transfer spot with eight races left in the regular season, but he keeps saying he feels he needs to win to make the playoffs.
7. Denny Hamlin (5) — Won the pole at Chicago and then gave up track position when he slid into the tire barrier on the second lap. It was uphill after that. He finished 11th.
8. Joey Logano (7) — His eighth-place finish is his third top 10 in the last four races.
9. Ross Chastain (6) — Nashville winner finished 22nd at Chicago. He’s placed 20th or worse in four of the last six races.
10. Michael McDowell (NR) — His seventh-place finish is his third top 10 in the last four races, his best streak of the season. He’s moved to 10 points from the final playoff transfer spot.
Dropped out: Ryan Blaney (9), Christopher Bell (10)