Power Rankings: Harvick takes the top spot back
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. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): You know you’re having a good season when you ascend to the top spot in Power Rankings after your worst finish of the season that doesn’t involve an accident or mechanical issue. Here are Harvick’s finishes to-date, outside of his 38th-place run at Bristol: 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 8, 2, (38), 2, 8, 2, 9. Yes, the 9 is his Coca-Cola 600 result. Hopefully Harvick can bounce back at Dover.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): If you were watching Fox’s broadcast Sunday night, you might have had a headscratching moment when Darrell Waltrip mentioned how Jimmie Johnson’s first spin was just like his early-race moment at Kansas. Because, you know, it wasn’t. Johnson’s bobble at Kansas was a great save, but he kept his car on the track, didn’t lose a bunch of spots, and the race stayed green. His slide at Charlotte was almost a full-blown crash and it necessitated a yellow flag. They were not the same. And, speaking of differences, Johnson went on to win at Kansas. He went on to spin again (and hit the wall) at Charlotte.
3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 3): After the race, Truex said “Right now, we can’t get anything to go our way.” His comment was made in the context of fuel-mileage racing, as he would have finished in the top two had Carl Edwards and others not been able to stretch their fuel tanks to the end. However, fuel context or not, we’re going to disagree with Truex. Yeah, we do understand his frustration. He’s been incredibly close to a win, and his redemptive year isn’t complete without a trip to victory lane. But he’s second in the standings. He was 26th at this point in 2014.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Junior was one of the others who pitted with 62 laps to go and made it to the end on gas. He finished third and kept his streak alive. If Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are still the drivers to beat on 1.5-mile tracks (one race doesn’t change a trend), Junior is right behind them in the No. 3 spot. His lowest finish at a 1.5-mile track this year is fourth.
5. Kurt Busch (LW; 5): Busch finished 10th, though he once again had a bunch of speed as he led 118 laps. However, his last lap led was on lap 260. Once he was passed by Martin Truex Jr., he never got back towards the front. But if you want to see how much of an improvement Busch’s 2015 has been over his 2014, just look at his laps led. Busch has led 659 laps in nine races this season. He led 220 in all of 2014.
6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7): Kenseth’s run was temporarily derailed with a tire issue that necessitated a green flag pit stop late in the race. However, the pit stops edned up cycling through under green and Kenseth was able to get back to the front of the field. He finished fourth, the second of the Joe Gibbs Racing cars. And all of the JGR cars finished in the top 11.
7. Carl Edwards (LW: NR): Here’s the first JGR car, and the first driver not-named Harvick or Johnson to win at a 1.5-mile track since Joey Logano at Kansas in October of 2014. We are quick to point out that a win doesn’t make a season, especially for a driver who was expecting to do what Matt Kenseth did in 2013. And the win doesn’t mean Edwards will automatically be faster over the next 14 races either. But if JGR has made strides on its 1.5-mile program, the summer can be a very important testing program for Edwards and crew chief Darian Grubb.
8. Joey Logano (LW: 6): Logano led 17 laps on Sunday after he started on the front row but he really wasn’t a factor for the win. All of those laps led came in the first 100 and as the race transitioned into the evening hours, Logano was at the back end of the top 10. After the race, Logano said his team was “awful” at Charlotte. Yeah, he struggled with the handling of his car and he wasn’t a factor for the win in the All-Star Race. But if awful is 13th, you’re doing pretty well.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 8): The lack of Luke Lambert hasn’t been an issue so far for the No. 31 bunch. In the two points races without his crew chief, Newman has finished 10th and sixth. He’s got four races to go until Lambert is back, but the early returns without him are quite promising. Newman is currently 11th in the standings. Without the 50-point penalty he’d be tied for fifth.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 11): Did Keselowski pass the most cars of anyone? After starting near the front, he was penalized after the fuel can bounced into another pit stall after his stop. The penalty put him at the back of the pack and he started working his way towards the front. He caught a caution to stay near the front after green flag pit stops and ended up seventh.
11. Kasey Kahne (LW: 10): If Keselowski didn’t, Kahne did. He started 33rd thanks to a cut tire in qualifying. He started moving towards the front and then lost a lap after he sped on pit road under green. He got the lap back past the halfway point and moved back towards the top 10. Kahne was not one of the cars that tried to stretch his fuel to the end, so he ended up finishing 12th.
12. Jamie McMurray (LW: 9): It wasn’t a stellar night for McMurray. He was mired in the back of the pack for most of the night and his 19th-place finish looks surprising if you were used to seeing McMurray stuck around 25th on the ticker. He finished six spots ahead of teammate Kyle Larson, who seemed abnormally slow at Charlotte. While McMurray ended the race a lap down, Larson finished two back.
Lucky Dog: Greg Biffle. Is his second-place finish a sign of things to come for Roush Fenway Racing?
The DNF: Ryan Blaney. Is Blaney’s season so far the literal NASCAR equivalent of boom or bust?
Dropped Out: Aric Almirola
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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!
