Power Rankings: Hottest Xfinity, Camping World Truck Series drivers

By Pat DeCola | Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

1 of 16

View Fullscreen

With the Cup Series taking a break from action this past weekend, NASCAR.com's Pat DeCola took a look at the other two national series for a joint, top-15 look at who's shown the most power in 2022 before this weekend's tripleheader at Nashville Superspeedway.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Buda Mendes | Getty Images

2 of 16

View Fullscreen

15. Sam Mayer (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 3rd (Richmond, Texas, Charlotte)
Average 2022 finish: 14.2
Current playoff ranking: 8th
Comment: Mayer has no wins and just eight top 10s on the year — but seven of those were top fives and all of them have come in the past nine races. He looks like a driver destined to win in 2022 and he could make a deeper playoff run than many think.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

3 of 16

View Fullscreen

14. Christian Eckes (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 2nd (Texas, Gateway)
Average 2022 finish: 11.3
Current playoff ranking: 7th
Comment: Similarly to Mayer, six of Eckes' seven top 10s are top fives as well. He's knocked on the door of a few wins lately at Texas and Gateway, and it shouldn't be long before last season's part-time winner lands in Victory Lane on his way to the playoffs.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

4 of 16

View Fullscreen

13. Austin Hill (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Daytona)
Average 2022 finish: 12.4
Current playoff ranking: 7th
Comment: Hill punched his ticket to the playoffs in the season opener and added a pair of runner-ups in back-to-back weeks at Atlanta and COTA, two extremely different tracks. He's cooled a bit since, but also led 67 laps at Talladega before getting caught up in a wreck and showed strength at Martinsville, Texas and Portland — again, three tracks with no similarities.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

James Gilbert | Getty Images

5 of 16

View Fullscreen

12. Ty Majeski (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 2nd (Kansas)
Average 2022 finish: 11.2
Current playoff ranking: 6th
Comment: Majeski hasn't been overly impressive any single week this year, but it's more the body of work — quite the consistent one with 30-plus points in all but two races this year — that has him in good playoff standing. Five top fives in the past seven races could point to his first win being imminent, as well.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

6 of 16

View Fullscreen

11. Brandon Jones (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Martinsville)
Average 2022 finish: 13.0
Current playoff ranking: 6th
Comment: Jones' talent is as good as anybody out there in the series, but luck often has not been in his favor in the past. He has just six top 10s in 14 races, yet he's led in seven total races and, at one point, for a streak of four straight weeks. He's clearly capable of winning more and could be one to watch down the stretch.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

James Gilbert | Getty Images

7 of 16

View Fullscreen

10. Justin Allgaier (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Darlington)
Average 2022 finish: 12.8
Current playoff ranking: 5th
Comment: In some ways, it feels like things are starting to trend toward Allgaier looking like a favorite to win his first career title, but we're not quite there yet. Still, a win and five straight top-seven finishes from Dover to Portland show how consistently strong he can be at times and everything might be finally clicking for the popular series veteran.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

8 of 16

View Fullscreen

9. Stewart Friesen (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Texas)
Average 2022 finish: 10.3
Current playoff ranking: 5th
Comment: Friesen was unable to capture a win on dirt — his specialty — this past weekend at Knoxville, but still collected his fourth top 10 in the past five races, with his Texas win also in that span. He's been a Championship 4 contender for the past few years and that's not going to change in 2022.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

9 of 16

View Fullscreen

8. Chandler Smith (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Las Vegas)
Average 2022 finish: 9.1
Current playoff ranking: 4th
Comment: Smith hasn't found his way back to Victory Lane since the second race of the season, but he's been no slouch since then. That win marked the start of a four-race top-six streak, which he followed later on with a five-race top-eight streak only snapped by a P13 at Knoxville. Given his talent and equipment, he's a championship threat.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

10 of 16

View Fullscreen

7. Josh Berry (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Dover, Charlotte)
Average 2022 finish: 11.1
Current playoff ranking: 4th
Comment: Berry has had some rough weeks this year (Atlanta, COTA, mostly), but he caught fire in the late spring with two wins and four top sevens in the last five races. We know all about his talent level in other series and it's all starting to really click for him here, too.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

11 of 16

View Fullscreen

6. Ben Rhodes (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Bristol)
Average 2022 finish: 11.8
Current playoff ranking: 3rd
Comment: With a win and two runner-ups in the first six races, Rhodes appeared set to cruise to a strong title defense this year. He's not looked as dominant since, but still has a strong nine top 10s in 13 races overall. He'll be there at the end when it counts.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

12 of 16

View Fullscreen

5. Noah Gragson (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Phoenix, Talladega)
Average 2022 finish: 9.6
Current playoff ranking: 3rd
Comment: You might as well pencil Gragson in for the Championship 4 this year. He's made it the past two seasons, narrowly missed it the year before and certainly looks like a lock for it this year. The two-time 2022 winner is leading the charge for the best overall NXS team and leading a ton of laps (384) along the way.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

James Gilbert | Getty Images

13 of 16

View Fullscreen

4. John Hunter Nemechek (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Darlington)
Average 2022 finish: 11.0
Current playoff ranking: 2nd
Comment: Don't be fooled by that 11.0 average finish — it's a good number, but Nemechek's been even better than that in reality. He finished 24th or 25th in the first three races of the season — three races in which he led double digit laps. He has a win and nine top eights in the 10 races since and an argument could be made that he's the title favorite.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Logan Riely | Getty Images

14 of 16

View Fullscreen

3. Zane Smith (CWTS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Daytona, COTA, Kansas)
Average 2022 finish: 9.4
Current playoff ranking: 1st
Comment: The stronger argument for title favorite, however, is last season's runner-up and this season's best Truck Series driver to date. Smith is well on track for a third-straight Championship 4 appearance, leading the series in wins and putting together his best all-around full-time season in his young career so far.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

15 of 16

View Fullscreen

2. Ty Gibbs (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (Las Vegas, Atlanta, Richmond)
Average 2022 finish: 9.4
Current playoff ranking: 1st
Comment: Gibbs continues to make his presence known in the Xfinity Series, not being afraid to bristle some feathers on his way to three wins and a series-best 391 laps led. A Championship 4 without one of the sport's most electrifying, polarizing figures is unfathomable.

Saved to `My Liked Photos`

Logan Riely | Getty Images

16 of 16

View Fullscreen

1. AJ Allmendinger (NXS)

Best 2022 finish: 1st (COTA, Portland)
Average 2022 finish: 5.9
Current playoff ranking: 2nd
Comment: Of course, any championship run will likely go through Allmendinger — the tremendously talented veteran literally twice Gibbs' age. 'Dinger is putting together his best NASCAR season ever in any series, sporting a completely ridiculous 5.9 average finish. It's his trophy to lose.

Presented By: