Martin Truex Jr. posted the most dominant victory of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, leading 392 of 400 laps at Charlotte and taking the checkered flag for the first time this season. The impressive victory by Truex Jr. was enough to boost the #78 car to fourth place in the latest NASCAR Power Rankings at The Wife Hates Sports.
But Truex’s win was much more than the most dominating performance of the year, but also a record-breaking one for NASCAR.
The 392 laps led was the most ever for the Charlotte track and the 588 miles Truex spent ahead of the NASCAR field was the most ever for a single race.
Elsewhere at the Coca-Cola 600, Kevin Harvick was the runner-up for the second time in three weeks. Jimmie Johnson finished third and led the second most laps on the day (a whopping five). Denny Hamlin was fourth and Brad Keselowski finished fifth.
Kevin Harvick, meanwhile, maintains a large lead in the rankings, followed by Kurt Busch, who leapfrogged brother Kyle this week. Kyle Busch sits approximately five ratings points ahead of Truex Jr., while Jimmie Johnson rounds out the top five.
Jimmie Johnson is the biggest mover of the week, jumping three spots and into 5th place overall. Kyle Larson and Greg Biffle each also jumped three spots in the latest poll.
On the flip side, Carl Edwards is the biggest loser of the week, falling three spots to 7th place. Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney and Kasey Kahne also had rough weeks, dropping two slots in the rankings.
Next week, the NASCAR field heads to Pocono for the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400.
Martin Truex Jr. celebrates his record-breaking NASCAR performance at Charlotte (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Next Up: Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday June 5th at 1:00pm ET
2016 NASCAR Power Rankings: Week 13
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.
