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Daytona 500 wins don't mean much in our NASCAR driver power rankings. Here's Nos. 31-26

ryan pritt and ken willis, daytona beach news-journal
·6 min read
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Editor's note: This is the first in a six-part series unveiling the News-Journal's NASCAR power rankings among full-time Cup Series drivers. Rookies Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith and Josh Berry were not included.

Imagine that Ray Evernham resurrects the IROC Series.

Now imagine that you own one of the teams. If cars were completely even and the series competed at an even number of races across superspeedways, intermediate tracks, road courses and short tracks, who would you want to drive your racecar?

That's the question Daytona Beach News-Journal sports editor Ryan Pritt and columnist Ken Willis asked themselves when voting on the NASCAR Cup Series power rankings for 2024. A total of 31 full-time drivers were considered and passes were given to rookies Zane Smith, Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry, none of whom have a significant sample size of work in NASCAR's premier series.

Votes were compiled, an average was calculated and a list was created. Ties were broken by a panel of neutral race fans.

So, without further ado, here's the first batch of drivers currently ranked at the bottom of our list:

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31. Harrison Burton

Harrison Burton shoots a TikTok video, Wednesday February 16, 2022 during NASCAR Media day in the Daytona 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway.
Harrison Burton shoots a TikTok video, Wednesday February 16, 2022 during NASCAR Media day in the Daytona 500 Club at Daytona International Speedway.

  • Car: No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 2

  • Career Cup Series wins: 0

  • Final 2023 points standing: 31st

  • Ken’s ranking: 31

  • Ryan’s ranking: 30

  • Average: 30.5

Ken’s case: He’s won at lower levels of NASCAR racing, and upper-tier equipment would obviously help a lot. Matt DiBenedetto overachieved at times in the Wood Brothers Ford, and Burton needs to do the same if his Cup career is going to advance.

Ryan’s reasoning: Three top 10s and zero top fives in 73 career starts. He's still young, but there may not be any driver in NASCAR with more to prove in 2023. He's not in the best ride in the sport, but he's not in the worst either, not by a long shot.

30. Daniel Hemric

  • Car: No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 1 (2019)

  • Career Cup Series wins: 0

  • Final 2023 points standing: N/A

  • Ken’s ranking: 30

  • Ryan’s ranking: 29

  • Average: 29.5

Ken’s case: Hemric replaces Justin Haley at Kaulig Racing, with Haley moving to Rick Ware’s team. He won an Xfinity Series championship three seasons ago, though winning just once (his only win across NASCAR’s top three divisions). One full-time Cup season, in 2019 with Childress Racing, produced little, and he’s 33 now, so it’s time to get going.

Ryan’s reasoning: On paper, losing Justin Haley and AJ Allmendinger as full-time drivers and replacing them with Hemric seems a lateral move at best, a step backwards at worst. But maybe the folks at Kaulig see something that none of the rest of us do. He'll have to be better than he was in 2019, a season with two top 10s and one top five, a fifth at Talladega.

29. Austin Dillon

Austin Dillon and crew watch the action on the giant TV screne towering over pit road, Wednesday February 15, 2023 during Daytona 500 qualifying.
Austin Dillon and crew watch the action on the giant TV screne towering over pit road, Wednesday February 15, 2023 during Daytona 500 qualifying.

  • Car: No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 10

  • Career Cup Series wins: 4

  • Final 2023 points standing: 29th

  • Ken’s ranking: 27

  • Ryan’s ranking: 31

  • Average: 29

Ken’s case: Had an average finish of 20th last season, which is his career-worst. Tyler Reddick two years ago and Kyle Busch last year proved Childress equipment can compete and win. Just throwing that out there. Dillon has been competitive at various times in his career, but a long run of it would be nice.

Ryan’s reasoning: In the last two years, RCR's No. 8 car got three wins apiece from Reddick and Busch. Dillon has just a single victory in that time, and that came in a wreck-fest at Daytona. In 10 full-time seasons, he's never finished in the top 10 in the points standings and his four wins include two superspeedway races, a fuel-mileage win at Charlotte and a fortuitous pit strategy at Texas.

28. Austin Cindric

Austin Cindric lifts the Daytona 500 Trophy high in Victory Lane, Sunday night February 20, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway.
Austin Cindric lifts the Daytona 500 Trophy high in Victory Lane, Sunday night February 20, 2022 at Daytona International Speedway.

  • Car: No. 2 Team Penske Ford

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 2

  • Career Cup Series wins: 1

  • Final 2023 points standing: 24th

  • Ken’s ranking: 25

  • Ryan’s ranking: 27

  • Total average: 26

Ken’s case: If they were all road courses and plate races, he’d be a perennial playoff driver and maybe a championship contender someday. But they’re not and he’s not. Just three of his 15 career top 10s have come without right-hand turns or restrictor plates.

Ryan’s reasoning: Agreed. At some point, Cindric has to show something at the intermediate ovals and short tracks that make up the bulk of the Cup Series schedule. Just two seasons in, I'm not ready to give up on him yet, but with his two teammates claiming the last two Cup Series titles, it's hard to argue that speed is any kind of issue.

27. Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece replaced Cole Custer at the start of last season but good runs were few and far between for most of the Stewart-Haas Racing camp in 2023.
Ryan Preece replaced Cole Custer at the start of last season but good runs were few and far between for most of the Stewart-Haas Racing camp in 2023.

  • Car: No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 4

  • Career Cup Series wins: 0

  • Final 2023 points standing: 23rd

  • Ken’s ranking: 29

  • Ryan’s ranking: 23

  • Average: 26

Ken’s case: 2023 was a tough year to join Stewart-Haas Racing, so let’s withhold judgment and see how that team performs this season. However, Preece hasn’t outkicked his coverage anywhere he’s been, and he’s 33 now, so the clock is ticking. Here’s assuming he knows this.

Ryan’s reasoning: I'm a little higher on Preece than most. He was really fast at plate tracks and his short-track pedigree tells me that given decent speed, he'll be a threat there as well. Like Ken said, you almost just have to throw out last year amongst the Stewart-Haas contingent.

26. Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson during NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023
Noah Gragson during NASCAR Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023

  • Car: No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

  • Career full-time Cup Series seasons: 1

  • Career Cup Series wins: 0

  • Final 2023 points standing: 33rd

  • Ken’s ranking: 23

  • Ryan’s ranking: 28

  • Average: 25.5

Ken’s case: We have to completely write off 2023, Noah’s abbreviated season with a team severely off the rails. He’s replacing Aric Almirola at Stewart-Haas, and unless that team steps on a rake again this year, let’s assume Noah will get a chance to show off the promise and potential he was lugging around with him a year ago.

Ryan’s reasoning: I still believe Gragson is a potential star in a sport that drastically needs personalities. But it couldn't have gotten off to a more dubious start. I'm all for second chances and applaud the decision from Stewart-Haas to extend one to Gragson, but he's got some redeeming to do, both on the track and off it.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR power rankings 31-26: Two Daytona 500 champs near the bottom