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Reigning Daytona 500 champ, rookie of the year dot Nos. 20-16 in our NASCAR power rankings

ryan pritt and ken willis, daytona beach news-journal
·5 min read

Editor's note: This is the third in a six-part series unveiling the News-Journal's NASCAR power rankings among full-time Cup Series drivers.

Yet three more Daytona winners, including the reigning Daytona 500 champion, and all just as we reach halfway in the countdown.

Hey, it was always going to be tough.

That's right, as we march forward in the News-Journal's 2024 NASCAR Cup Series driver power rankings, we begin to see bigger and bigger names. This batch of five includes last year's rookie of the year, who could be just starting his ascension, as well as an international racing star looking to match his Trackhouse Racing teammate.

A reminder, these rankings were voted on by Daytona Beach News-Journal sports columnist Ken Willis as well as sports editor Ryan Pritt with the average determining the order. Ties were broken by a panel of neutral fans.

The premise? If every driver in NASCAR had a dead even ride and drove an even number of races across superspeedways, short tracks, road courses and intermediate tracks, who would you want to drive your car? Rookies Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith and Josh Berry were excluded, leaving 31 drivers to rank.

So, let's take a look at Nos. 20-16:

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20. Justin Haley

Justin Haley (10) hits the track for a final practice before the Daytona 500.
Justin Haley (10) hits the track for a final practice before the Daytona 500.

  • Car: No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 3

  • Career Cup Series wins: 1

  • Final 2023 points standing: 26th

  • Ken’s ranking: 15

  • Ryan’s ranking: 24

  • Average: 19.5

Ken’s case: Call it a hunch, but this Hoosier hot-rodder is going to do well enough to eventually land in a front-pack car. He saves his overachieving for road courses and plate races, which, by the way, make up nearly a third of the Cup schedule.

Ryan’s reasoning: Ken's just a bit higher on Haley than me but it's not completely without merit. The move to Rick Ware Racing and that organization's commitment to improving is one of the storylines of the year for me. But Haley's just not shown me enough on intermediate and short tracks to motivate me to move him any higher. Yet.

19. Daniel Suarez

After 14 stage points on Sunday, Daniel Suarez moved to within five points of the playoff cutline. But can he pass Michael McDowell and Ty Gibbs over the season's final three races?
After 14 stage points on Sunday, Daniel Suarez moved to within five points of the playoff cutline. But can he pass Michael McDowell and Ty Gibbs over the season's final three races?

  • Car: No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 7

  • Career Cup Series wins: 1

  • Final 2023 points standing: 19th

  • Ken’s ranking: 19

  • Ryan’s ranking: 20

  • Average: 19.5

Ken’s case: Incidentally, 19th is where he landed in the standings last season. He was 10th the year before, with a win and a career-high 13 top-10s. Right or wrong, it’s easy to compare drivers to teammates in presumably similar equipment. In this instance, the teammate is Ross Chastain and his numbers are better.

Ryan’s reasoning: Had some bad luck this year and I think he's one of the 5-10 best road-course drivers we have. He's flashed speed plenty of other places too, but critical mistakes at inopportune times were the story of the season last year. He's got to clean those up.

18. Ty Gibbs

Ty Gibbs is pulling double duty at Nashville this weekend and we think all those Xfinity Series laps are only going to help come Sunday.
Ty Gibbs is pulling double duty at Nashville this weekend and we think all those Xfinity Series laps are only going to help come Sunday.

  • Car: No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 1

  • Career Cup Series wins: 0

  • Final 2023 points standing: 18th

  • Ken’s ranking: 21

  • Ryan’s ranking: 16

  • Average: 18.5

Ken’s case: I spent much of last season awaiting Ty’s jumpstart to his Cup career. He got better as the year went along, showed continued prowess on road courses, and is obviously with a capable organization. Stay tuned, because it’s coming, and maybe soon.

Ryan’s reasoning: Based on pure driving talent, I think we may be underrating Gibbs a bit. I was so impressed with the steady progress and the speed at the end of the year, all while keeping his nose mostly clean. I believe he finds the winner's circle and a playoff berth and don't be surprised if he's knocking on the door of the top 10 on this list next year.

17. Erik Jones

Erik Jones celebrates in the Winner's Circle after the NASCAR Southern 500 auto race Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, in Darlington, S.C. Jones held on to the victory after taking the lead from Kyle Busch, who blew a motor with 30 laps remaining. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Erik Jones celebrates in the Winner's Circle after the NASCAR Southern 500 auto race Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, in Darlington, S.C. Jones held on to the victory after taking the lead from Kyle Busch, who blew a motor with 30 laps remaining. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

  • Car: No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 7

  • Career Cup Series wins: 3

  • Final 2023 points standing: 27th

  • Ken’s ranking: 14

  • Ryan’s ranking: 21

  • Average: 17.5

Ken’s case: Yet another case of a capable racer whose potential success hinges on the ability of his team to give him something with which to work. This year, it’ll be Toyota wearing the No. 43, and hopefully that change will be what this guy needs. Lord knows it can’t get any worse than 2023.

Ryan’s reasoning: I'm a big fan of Jones, always have been, but did you know he's never recorded a top five at a short track, where he's 31st in average finish since the 2021 Daytona 500. It's not much better on road courses either where he's 26th. I believe Jones is better than how he was treated at Joe Gibbs Racing, but there are holes on the resume' that can't be ignored.

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. unveils his plaque on the DAYTONA 500 Champions Walk of Fame at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. unveils his plaque on the DAYTONA 500 Champions Walk of Fame at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.

  • Car: No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 11

  • Career Cup Series wins: 3

  • Final 2023 points standing: 16th

  • Ken’s ranking: 16

  • Ryan’s ranking: 18

  • Average: 17

Ken’s case: You always have the feeling Ricky could’ve had a better career if he’d made his way into a bluechip outfit. Unfortunately, when he broke in with Roush Racing, Jack’s team was trending downward from its glory days.

Ryan’s reasoning: Tied his career high in top 10s last year and turned in his second best season-long average finish at 17.8. But is there more in the tank? He'll have to prove it. His struggles are the same as Jones' as he's 26th in career average finish at both short tracks and road courses.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR power rankings: Daniel Suarez, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at 20-16