Some may argue that Mother Nature won the Coke Zero 400 over the weekend, but it was Aric Almirola that eventually made his way to Victory Lane at the Daytona International Speedway.  But the victory did nothing for Almirola’s standing, as he remains in 21st place in the latest NASCAR Power Rankings at The Wife Hates Sports.

The 30 year-old Almirola, driver of the #43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, celebrated the rain-shortened win, his first ever Sprint Cup Series victory.

Almirola later took to his Twitter account and admitted to partying hard with his team.

Elsewhere, the top ten drivers from last week’s rankings didn’t fare all that well at Daytona, and it was Jeff Gordon’s 12th place finish that was the best of the bunch.

As a result, Gordon holds onto a large lead in the latest rankings, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. (14th at Daytona) moves up one spot to second place.  Jimmie Johnson (42nd) drops one spot to third, as Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano round out this week’s top five.

Next up is the Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway…

Aric Almirola answers questions following his first ever Sprint Cup victory at rain-soaked Daytona International Speedway

2014 NASCAR Power Rankings: Week 18

The Wife Hates Sports | Write-up by Kevin Paul | Rankings by Bill Schneider

Bill Schneider has pieced together a unique ratings system that differs from all the mainstream rankings.  Along with the data he uses, Bill includes and incorporates recent finishes.  He also ties in the big picture for the entire NASCAR season.