2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Power Rankings: Top Championship Contenders

2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Power Rankings: Top Championship Contenders: The Sprint Cup Series has the week off, but the Nationwide Series will be in action this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Since the Nationwide drivers will be on center stage, it is the perfect time to take a look at how the series championship battle is shaping, especially after the standings have become very tight in recent weeks. With that in mind, here is a closer look at how the top contenders for the 2013 Nationwide Series title stack up.

2013 Nationwide Series Power Rankings

1.      Regan Smith: His big cushion in the standings has almost evaporated thanks to a couple of bad outings, but Smith is still tied for the series lead with 13 top-10 finishes in 2013. Not to mention the fact that his two wins are the most of any series regular. Smith’s consistency is his biggest asset, and as long as the bad outings don’t become a habit, he is never going to be far from the top spot.

2.      Austin Dillon: Dillon has roared back into the title picture, climbing to within 12 points of the top spot. He leads the series with six poles, and his 11 top-10s are tied for the third most of any series regular. More importantly, Dillon has led laps in six of the eight races and has led the most laps twice during the stretch. Take away a terrible pit strategy that resulted in a 20th-place finish in a race at Michigan that he had been dominating, and Dillon might be the point leader already.

3.      Brian Vickers: Although he is still 46 points out of the point lead, Vickers has shown more upside than any other series regular. His seven top-five finishes are the most of any series regular and the most of any driver not named Kyle Busch. More importantly, Vickers has finished third or better five times this year. Engine and tire issues have slowed him down throughout the year, but at his best, no other series regular can keep pace.

4.      Sam Hornish Jr.: He is just five points out of the point lead, and while Hornish is tied for the series lead with 13 top-10s, he has seemed to lose a bit of the muscle he showed early in the season. After finishing in the top five in four of the first five races of the year, Hornish has just two in the last 12 races. Granted, his consistency alone should keep him in the title picture, but it is a bit concerning that other drivers seem to be hitting their stride while Hornish slows down a bit.

5.      Elliott Sadler: Prior to getting spun in the closing laps at New Hampshire last weekend, Sadler was arguably the hottest driver in the series. Even with the wreck, he has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts, and more importantly, he has three finishes of third or better during the stretch. After looking a bit shaky to open the year, Sadler is finding a rhythm with Joe Gibbs Racing and is looking a lot more like the driver that has been the runner-up for the series crown in each of the last two years.

6.      Kyle Larson: The rookie has put some early inconsistencies behind him, and Larson has fought his way back into the championship mix. He is still 48 points back, but he tied for third among series regulars with 11 top-10s with eight of those coming in the last nine races. Meanwhile, Larson has posted a 7.2 average finish in the last five races, and seems to keep getting better and better as he gets more comfortable in a Nationwide car.

7.      Justin Allgaier: The good news for Allgaier is that he is just 20 points out of the top spot in the standings, and he has only finished outside the top 15 once in 17 races this season. The bad news is that he has just three top-five finishes all year, and he has managed just one top-10 in the last five races. Consistency is nice, but it is going to make more than top-15 finishes to keep Allgaier in the title picture all year.

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