Power Rankings: It’s Joey Logano and then everyone else
Our Power Rankings are far from a scientific formula. In fact, it’s the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. And you think we dislike your favorite driver, so it makes sense, right? Direct all your complaints to us at [email protected].
1. Joey Logano (LW: 2): Logano would be leading the standings no matter the Chase format, he’s the most recent winner and he’s the only driver with multiple wins in the Chase. Pretty simple, don’t you think? Logano is going to be a factor at Charlotte, though he wasn’t exceptionally good there in the 600. When his car was back in traffic, he just didn’t have the handling to get near the front. Though you can say that about almost anyone and everyone at intermediate tracks.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 5): Do you blame Kevin Harvick for coming to pit road thinking he had a flat tire? While you can make the argument that Kansas was another self-inflicted wound for Harvick, playing it conservative with any possible tire issues was the way to go. Harvick ultimately didn’t have a flat, but if he did and didn’t come to pit road, he would have finished a whole lot lower than 12th.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 6): You could have gotten really, really good odds on Busch being in second place in the points standings after Kansas. And his happiness with breaking the hex the place has held on him was evident when he said he had won after the race. Oh, and we have to ask a question. What was more surprising on Saturday. This?
Or this?
4. Jeff Gordon (LW: 3): Gordon got tagged by Jamie McMurray and had a heck of a save to prevent his car from doing more than brushing the wall. However, he lost a ton of track position because of the incident and didn’t get it back. Congratulations, Jeff, you were the highest finishing Hendrick Motorsports car! We just won’t go around telling people that you were 14th.
5. Brad Keselowski (LW; 2): Keselowski referred to the tire issue he had as “Russian Roulette” and it was simply his turn. If there was an underlying cause unrelated to the setups that Keselowski and Earnhardt Jr. were running (and both drivers reported no issues before the sudden meetings with the wall), the new Chase format highlights just how ridiculously significant an issue like that can be. While both Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski would be in a deep points hole under the old format, they’d have six races to make it up. Now they have two races to win and advance. We’ll continue this thought with Junior’s paragraph.
6. Kyle Larson (LW: 7): Dude just keeps on cranking out good finishes, doesn’t he? Given how he’s performed at Chicago and Kansas, he’s going to be the trendy pick to win at Charlotte. And remember, last year’s fall race at Charlotte saw Keselowski, a non-Chaser, win the race. It’d certainly be an interesting scenario; Larson gets his first win while Keselowski, Johnson and Junior are all potentially in a scenario to have to win at Talladega to advance.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8): Kenseth had a cracked nose on his car and then an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel and finished 13th. Departing from Kenseth, television ratings for the race were down from last year, the second straight race with declining ratings from 2013. We’re not going to go as far as to say it’s time to be alarmed (talking about television ratings seems futile at times), though you certainly can’t say that the new Chase format is drawing additional viewers. Or if it is, it’s certainly at the expense of others.
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 4): It’s a four spot drop for Johnson after he qualified and crashed. Had he simply crashed after qualifying and running in the top 15, this is harsh, but Johnson spun in qualifying and started at the back. It was just a bad weekend for the No. 48 team. All hope isn’t lost by any means, but yes, Johnson not advancing past this round is a real possibility.
9. Carl Edwards (LW: 11): Edwards finished fifth on Sunday and looks like a great shot to get to the final eight. And based off his finishes from earlier in the year, don’t be surprised if he gets to the final four as well. He finished 8th at Phoenix, 13th at Martinsville and 14th at Texas. Those aren’t great runs, but consistent enough to keep Edwards hanging around.
10. Ryan Newman (LW: 10): Newman finished a spot behind Edwards and he’s following the same trendline. The ability to avoid bad finishes may be more imperative than being excellent, and Newman has shown a strong ability to succeed at the former. If he can sneak in another top five or two the rest of the way…
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 12): We’re going fifth, sixth and seventh for these three spots. Hamlin won at Talladega in the spring, so that has to be a boost of confidence heading into what’s probably the most random race of the Chase. If he can survive Charlotte with a good finish, there’s a good shot that JGR will have all three cars in the final eight.
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 9): How would interest decline in a Chase without Keselowski, Johnson and Junior? Obviously Junior is the biggest fan draw of the three, but the other two aren’t slouches. While the new Chase system isn’t designed to be fair and create drama and surprise, when it comes to attention being paid to it, three of the sport’s biggest stars missing the final eight isn’t good.
Lucky Dog: Two straight top-10 finishes from Martin Truex Jr. He did this once earlier in the year and his next finish was 37th. Let’s see if Truex makes it three in a row.
The DNF: Well, at least Kurt Busch knows that if he would have advanced to the next round of the Chase he wouldn’t be in a position of possible success.
Dropped out: No one.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
