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Power Rankings: Could Christopher Bell win his way into Round of 8?
By Pat DeCola | Tuesday, October 5, 2021
NASCAR Digital Media
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NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola ranks the 2021 NASCAR Playoffs drivers after the Round of 12 middle race at Talladega Superspeedway and before the Round of 12 elimination race at Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval.
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12. Alex Bowman (-1)
Season-high: 5th
Season-low: 17th
Comment: Bowman's back is firmly up against the wall, with a truly dreadful start to the Round of 12, results-wise — he was battling for the lead while he got wrecked at Talladega — leaving him in must-win territory at the Roval. Luckily for him, the Roval has been one of his best tracks with a 4.7 average finish across the three races. Just two laps led, however.
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11. William Byron (-1)
Season-high: 3rd
Season-low: 18th
Comment: Byron had a strong opportunity at Talladega go awry and all of a sudden half of Hendrick Motorsports is in serious danger of being eliminated before reaching the Round of 8. He's enjoyed a pair of really strong races at the Roval the past two years with plenty of time out front, so a win is absolutely on the table for one of the season's best stories.
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10. Christopher Bell (+2)
Season-high: 8th
Season-low: 16th
Comment: The sophomore driver still has plenty of work to do but he's now turned in two top fives in the last four races to hang around and still have a shot. His best path to the Round of 8 is still probably a win, and he did win the season's first road course at Daytona earlier this year. It could happen.
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9. Kyle Busch (-4)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 14th
Comment: As quickly as a third-place Vegas finish had Busch in good standing, a typical Talladega race for him sinks him back down just as fast. It's a concerning position for the 2019 champ to be in, as his past history at the Roval is just about as bad as you can imagine (33.0 average finish). He's not a driver you can ever count out, but the 18 team needs some serious dominoes to fall right on Sunday.
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8. Kevin Harvick (-1)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 12th
Comment: For those counting at home, Harvick just strung together his longest top-10 streak of the season. Unfortunately for him, he's still in a very precarious points position entering the weekend. He's been quite good at the Roval, however, and should have a path to potentially point his way into the Round of 8 if he avoids trouble.
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7. Ryan Blaney (-1)
Season-high: 4th
Season-low: 15th
Comment: Blaney is looking like a safe bet for the Round of 8, but probably not as secure as a driver who has two wins and four top fives in the last seven races ought to feel. Perhaps some added comfort will come with the fact that he has a win and three top eights in the trio of Roval races run to date.
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6. Chase Elliott (-2)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 10th
Comment: Surely after a runner-up at Vegas, Elliott would be a safe bet to make the Round of 12. Talladega thought otherwise, and Elliott can't afford to falter at the Roval as a result. The thought of that happening there, however, seems far-fetched, as the defending champ is the undisputed king of road courses — and this one, in particular — for the foreseeable future.
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5. Martin Truex Jr. (-2)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 10th
Comment: All things considered, Truex finishing 12th at Talladega in a race he was involved in an incident in is a pretty decent weekend for him. Lest we forget that he's been among the top road racers in the sport the past several years and a Round of 8 spot is lining up nicely for him.
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4. Brad Keselowski (+5)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 15th
Comment: Keselowski is proving why he's a championship threat year in and year out, continuing to elevate his performance come playoff time. He's led multiple laps in every Roval race thus far, despite his finishes being a little on the sub-optimal side (18.0 average finish, one top five).
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3. Joey Logano (+5)
Season-high: 2nd
Season-low: 11th
Comment: The same can be said for Keselowski's Team Penske cohort in Logano, who has averaged a 7.6 finish in the playoff's first five races. He's notched a top 10 in each Roval race thus far, and was last year's runner-up. Pencil him in for the Round of 8.
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2. Kyle Larson (--)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 14th
Comment: It pays to have a good regular season, folks. Larson's Round of 12 hasn't gotten off to a great start (10th at Vegas, 37th at Talladega) but he's still the safest driver not already locked into the Round of 8. With a pair of road wins under his belt this year already, expect him to cruise through unless he finds his way into another incident.
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1. Denny Hamlin (--)
Season-high: 1st
Season-low: 6th
Comment: Nothing seems to be stopping Hamlin at the moment, who picked up a fifth straight top 10 and won the race as an owner. He'll get a heat check this weekend in a no-pressure race at the Roval, where he has yet to land a top 10 in three tries.
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