NASCAR Power Rankings

By Adam Ruggiero
Love of Sports Correspondent

After a controversial weekend at Richmond, the Cup Series cruises into Darlington – a.k.a. The Lady in Black.

A.k.a., the Track Too Tough to Tame.

These Rankings are starting to take shape with certain drivers consistently impressing. Some will like it and some won’t, but the performances speak for themselves. Ten weeks in, here’s what we know:

WEEK 10 POWER RANKINGS

1. Kyle Busch (1)

Boo and throw beer cans all you want – actually, all you Junior fans can throw AMP Energy cans – but Busch is the most dominant figure in his sport today. Think LaDainian Tomlinson, Alex Rodriguez, Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. In NASCAR, it’s Kyle Busch and everyone else. Yeah, he wrecked Junior, cost him the win and didn’t really own up to it after the race. But personality aside, his success and racing style are reminiscent of one man – a legend in this sport – and he’s the reason “Little E” is “little e.” Dale Earnhardt, Sr. beat and banged on his opponents far more than Busch has in his young career, but Busch is on track to surpass the iconic Intimidator in reputation, if not legacy.

2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (3)

All right, now we’ve got a real dogfight in the making (save it, Vick haters; I’m speaking metaphorically). Earnhardt took the high road last weekend by clearing the younger Busch brother of any wrongdoing, but anyone who saw the race – or the ensuing weeklong debates among NASCAR pundits – knows the accident was avoidable and mostly of Busch’s creation. Like I said last week, it’s Busch’s championship to lose, but it’s Earnhardt’s to win. At this rate, we can expect to see more trading of paint, both on the track and in these Rankings, as these two battle for top honors.

3. Jeff Burton (2)

Burton finds himself in the unfamiliar position of not being the Sprint Cup points leader. He’s also beginning to drop off in the Power Rankings. Still, he just missed his seventh Top 10 of the season at Richmond, finishing 11th, and I have to think that had his and Earnhardt’s situations been reversed, Burton wouldn’t have wrecked. He’s got no DNFs this year, and he wouldn’t have pushed the envelope as Junior admitted to doing before he wound up backwards in the wall. The fact remains that the situations weren’t reversed, largely because Burton isn’t as formidable or hungry as his younger counterparts. He’s savvy and talented, but I have doubts about his tenacity.

4. Denny Hamlin (4)

The kid damn near went wire to wire at Richmond, leading 381 of the race’s 410 laps. Apparently, he’s got power to rival teammate Kyle Busch, but his luck’s been significantly worse than Rowdy. It’s been proven with a 41st-place finish in the rain at Fontana, a fuel uptake problem in the closing laps at Bristol and a blown tire last week at Richmond. Being the #2 guy at Gibbs is saying a lot – and it’s only by a little bit – so look for Hamlin to cash in soon.

5. Jimmie Johnson (5)

His stats are comparable to that of Clint Bowyer, who sits three spots ahead of him in the points. They both have a win to their credit, but Johnson has a pole and one more Top 5, though Bowyer’s got the edge in Top 10s. However, I think Johnson’s on the way up and we haven’t seen the true extent of his (and Chad Knaus’) ability.

6. Carl Edwards (7)

Even though Edwards is 10th in points, hovering near the Chase bubble, he leads the Series in wins. What’s more, those weren’t run-of-the-mill wins, they were Dominant (with a capital “D”) performances. He also has more total Top 5s and 10s than Harvick, Johnson or Biffle – all of whom are ahead of him in points.

7. Clint Bowyer (8)

As I said last week (pardon the horn-tooting): “The odds are better that he’ll grab a win this season than not.” Lo and behold, he did! However, anyone who saw the race knows he backed into that win, and there were at lease three other cars and drivers more deserving. Still, he got his win – I don’t expect another – and he’ll probably cement himself as a legitimate contender with more Top 5 performances.

8. Tony Stewart (6)

Stewart’s like the Detroit Tigers of NASCAR – all the talent and intimidating stats, but performances that continually disappoint. He’s led the fifth-most laps of any driver this year (both of his teammates best him there), but his two DNFs and four should-have-wons have really hurt his Power Ranking. Talk of his impending departure from Gibbs at the end of the year is an easy excuse, but I don’t think it’s had any real effect. If Smoke doesn’t start winning, he’ll continue to fall farther down the list.

9. Kevin Harvick (9)

Harvick, despite sitting fifth in points, has half as many Top 5s as Stewart, who’s 53 points behind him. The man ain’t wrecking – that’s something – but he sure as hell ain’t winning, either. That’s NASCAR-speak for wimpy performance. In the various fantasy leagues that reward safe, consistent driving, Harvick’s awesome. Here in the real world, though, he’s just not making the cut.

10. Greg Biffle (10)

Harvick-Biffle, Biffle-Harvick. You can pretty much cut-and-paste my take on Harvick right here. Biffle, just like Harvick, has the formidable power of a top team, and he’s not blowing it, but he’s also not wielding it like he could. Gotta do better to be better.

11. Martin Truex, Jr. (16)

A Top 5 last week, and a recent contract extension with DEI, should boost the young man’s confidence going into the heart of the NASCAR season. He’s not a perennial threat just yet, but it’s no surprise to see him up front now and again. Only one DNF so far, but if that trend continues and he pushes the gas a little harder, look for him to be a contender.

12. Jeff Gordon (Out)

I don’t even want to talk about it.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

13. Mark Martin - He’s running again this week and I love the old fart. My dark horse pick at Darlington.
13a. Ryan Newman
14. David Ragan
15. Juan Pablo Montoya
16. Kasey Kahne
17. Brian Vickers
18. Bobby Labonte
19. Matt Kenseth
20. Travis Kvapil

(Ruggiero’s Power Rankings can be found in this spot each and every weekend.)