Power Rankings: Jimmie Johnson to the top spot
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. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): What a recovery for the No. 48 team. After hitting the wall and sustaining some pretty heavy damage, Johnson was also in an accident after he got into Jeb Burton and was run into by David Ragan. The damage on the rear of the No. 48 wasn’t crippling, and after a two-tire pit stop late in the race, Johnson had enough track position to be in position to sneak in for the win had Matt Kenseth bobbled. However, Kenseth didn’t bobble.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): Harvick might have had the race’s best car. He led the most laps, 184, and even that number is deceiving. Those 184 laps came in the first 312. He didn’t lead again after he was in the accident that Johnson was in with Burton and Ragan. Harvick was behind the crash and when he went to lock the car down, he went into a heavy slide and slammed into Ragan. The damage was too significant to fix on pit road and Harvick ended up 38th, 32 laps down.
3. Matt Kenseth (LW: NR): From unranked to the top three? Well, who else is going to be in third? You’ll see that there really aren’t many other candidates, hence why we’re going with Sunday’s winner. Kenseth was emotional in victory lane, and we understand why the win serves as validation after a 51-race winless streak. However, it’s important to remember that the No. 20 team hadn’t suddenly become a non-factor. He tied for the second-most top-10 finishes in 2014.
4. Kurt Busch (LW: 10): Would Busch have won had he not pitted for tires? It’s not guaranteed. Would he have won without the two late caution flags? It’s not guaranteed either. But it’s easy to wonder “what if?” on both. Busch pitted from the lead on lap 477 and restarted sixth. He then had two decent restarts but was collected in an accident after Carl Edwards crashed. He finished 15th and is still outside the top 20 in points though it’s also easy to wonder just how soon he’s going to win.
5. Joey Logano (LW: 3): Logano was our first instance of collateral damage on Sunday as he had nowhere to go when teammate Brad Keselowski lost control of his car from third place early in the race. Instead of packing up and going home, his team waited out the rain delay to log laps. The net result? Three positions, as Logano finished 40th. While the points payoff might not have been that great, you have to applaud the perserverance given how easy it would have been for the virtually-Chase-qualfied team to simply move on to the next race.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 4): Goodbye top-10 finish streak, you were good to Truex. A loose wheel and, later, contact with the wall, meant unscheduled pit stops for the No. 78 bunch and Truex finished 29th, seven laps down. He’s still third in the points standings, and actually gained points on Kevin Harvick. It’s also his worst finish since Martinsville last year, where he finished 38th.
7. Jeff Gordon (LW: 9): Everyone from the Hendrick team had an eventful day. And like his double-number teammate, Gordon was able to make a decent-tasting salad out of it all and finished third. While he ultimately didn’t run out of gas, Gordon was not a fan of the long caution period NASCAR ran near the end of the race to try to keep the track dry in the hope of finishing the race under green. While it worked out for him, it didn’t for Austin Dillon, who was forced to pit from the top five because the race went so long and ended up 10th, though it was still his highest finish of the year.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Junior started the Hendrick chain of crazy events when he had an unscheduled pit stop early in the race for a flat right rear tire. At one point he was four laps down after another unscheduled stop. He got two of the laps back and finished 16th, the first car two laps down. Had Junior stayed on the lead lap, a top 10 would have been possible as his car was pretty damn fast. He just wasn’t able to make up the track position.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 11): Newman was another driver who had a nice recovery. He went a lap down early in the race and after getting the lap back, found himself in the top five. He had crew chief Luke Lambert atop the pit box too, as Richard Childress Racing is appealing the reduction of penalties to NASCAR’s final appeals officer. A decision on the final appeal is likely this week. Will the penalties be reduced even further?
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 5): Keselowski said after his accident that he wasn’t sure how has car snapped around on him. Was a slick track to blame? Something else? It’s possible it was the rain, but it’s worth pointing out that no one else had issues. Well, except for Logano. And like his teammate, Keselowski’s team fixed his car and he finished 22 laps down in 35th.
11. Kasey Kahne (LW: 7): Kahne stayed out of trouble and near the front of the field for most of the race on Sunday until he met Tony Stewart’s front bumper. From there, he went spinning and into AJ Allmendinger. While he said his team was “nothing exceptional,” before the crash, he was running in the top 15. Or, much better than 39th, which is where he ended up finishing.
12. Aric Almirola (LW: 12): Another close-to-a-top-10 keeps Almirola in the top 10 in the points standings. Come on Aric, we’re cheering for you to continue to consistency your way towards the Chase. And if you do make the Chase without a top 10, does it mean there will be a massive Martinsville hot dog celebration? There should be. Maybe put some bacon on top of them.
Lucky Dog: Justin Allgaier snagged the first top-10 finish of his career.
The DNF: Man, Landon Cassill was simply in the way and got run over.
Dropped out: Denny Hamlin, though we completely understand why Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing did what they did. With a win, erring on the side of caution was smart.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
