NASCAR Power Rankings
By Adam Ruggiero
Love of Sports Correspondent
Well, for all you true-blue (actually, red state) NASCAR purists, who trace your loyalties to the South’s native sport back to the days of dirt track/beach sand racing and moonshine bootleggers, the last of the road courses is past and it’s all left turns from here on out.
With just four races left before the 10-race Chase for the Cup, the series heads to the very heart of Deep South racing history … Michigan!?!
OK, so it’s not the picturesque NACAR environment you typically think of, but it is an oval, so let’s just get to this week’s Power Rankings.
Power Rankings
1. Kyle Busch (1-tie)
Instead of me prattling on about why Kyle should be No. 1, let’s just go over why he should not; it’ll be a lot quicker: …. Uhh, OK, there isn’t any reason for that actually. He’s the best there is. The End.
2. Carl Edwards (1-tie)
Captain Backflip escaped Watkins Glen last week with a Top 10 and now sits second in points, his highest ranking all year. He’s within two races of catching Busch for the lead, although Busch would have to have consecutive abysmal races for that to happen, and historically he’s strong at Michigan. A solid No. 2 here.
3. Jimmie Johnson (3)
After finishing seventh at the road course, Johnson finds himself the new front man at Hendrick. Earnhardt’s now 25 points behind his teammate, and the two are moving in opposite directions. Johnson’s beginning to recover the spark that’s made him the two-time defending champion, and he’s sure to make the finale to this season one to remember.
4. Tony Stewart (9)
My man, Smoke! It’s too bad Stewart couldn’t cash in on the win last week, but it’s refreshing to see him running up front and giving the leaders all they can handle. It’s the real Stewart finally showing through. Not that he’s been un-Stewart-like most of the year, but he appears to have shaken that bad luck monkey off his back, thrown it out onto the track, and run it over at max speed three or four times. Like Edwards, he’s shooting up the standings and getting hot at just the right time, moving from 10th to seventh in three races. Look for Tony to win at Michigan.
5. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (5)
Junior’s absolutely flying by his competition right now. Problem is, he’s going the wrong direction. After four straight weeks, and almost the entire season prior sitting second in points, he’s slipped to fourth overall – a dangerous trend at the worst possible time. The only positive, if you can call it that, is that his 22nd-place finish at Watkins Glen was largely due to a boneheaded pit strategy (or lack thereof) by his crew chief and cousin, Tony Eury, Jr.
6. Denny Hamlin (Out)
It had been a rough go for Gibbs’ third option the last few races, what with dropping dangerously close to the Chase cutoff entering last weekend. But Hamlin and crew turned things around nicely with a Top-10 finish. With it, the No.11 FedEx team padded their points position a little and can focus more on driving aggressively rather than defensively this weekend at Michigan. He’ll need to be at the top of his game, though, as his best finish there is fifth, while in his last three races at the track he’s failed to crack 19th.
7. Kevin Harvick (11)
Don’t ever count this guy out - not ever. Harvick’s been turning laps in obscurity all season despite being just one of five drivers in the Top 20 to not post a DNF this year. His grinding battle with Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer for one of the final two Chase spots will rage on this weekend. He should be motivated enough for a Top 5; Top 10 for sure.
8. Kasey Kahne (4)
The kid form Enumclaw, Washington has as many Top 10s as Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart, and unlike Jeff Gordon, he’s got no DNFs. Each of those drivers is directly ahead of Kahne in the standings right now, but there’s one overarching reason to give him the nod as far as Power Ranking: combined, those drivers have one win among them; Kahne has two on his own.
9. Jeff Gordon (7)
The day when longtime NASCAR fans pass their passion on down to their children and reminisce about great drivers of the past like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., and yes, Jeff Gordon, is fast approaching. The original Rainbow Warrior is in his twilight run these days and his finishes prove it. He’s perilously close to finishing an entire season without a win, something he hasn’t done since his sophomore year in 1993. He used to be great … used to be.
10. Jeff Burton (8)
Burton’s been sliding ever since he led the points back in March. He’s now fallen to fifth and led fewer laps than anyone else in the Top 13. A few drivers have even led more laps in a single race than Burton’s 72 all year!
11. Matt Kenseth (Out)
Mattie Boy can be mighty impressive when he needs to be. His career has been defined as King of the Lackluster. The Chase format went into effect the year after he won his only championship, a la the slow-and-steady method. But since finding himself on the bubble of the Chase, Matt’s found a way to be in the thick of things every week. He’s still back there, but he’s not going down without a fight.
12. Greg Biffle (10)
In the last three races, the Biff’s fallen from seventh to 10th, and it looks like it could be terminal. Harvick and Kenseth are both behind him in points, but they’re moving up while he’s sinking fast. Now only 83 points separate him from Clint Bowyer in 13th, the first spot out of the Chase.
3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Pole Sitter – Kasey Kahne
Surprise Performance – Bobby Labonte
Disappointment – Clint Bowyer
Wrecked – Ryan Newman
Race Winner – Tony Stewart
(Read Ruggiero’s Power Rankings in this same spot each and every week.)
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