Power Rankings: Jimmie Johnson holds serve
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: 1): It was like Talladega all over again. And likely because people’s attendtion was divided at the finish, there aren’t the same ridiculous cries that Johnson allowed Earnhardt Jr. to win the race. Did Johnson have one of the two best cars like his crew chief, Chad Knaus, said at the end of the race? Probably. But let’s be real here, Johnson was No. 2 in that group and Knaus likely knew it.
was the right call to stay out. He was simply damned no matter what happened.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): The craziness of that finish-line crash means a lot of its participants finished in the top 10. Including Harvick, who finished fourth despite a very crumpled up front end of his car. And it also meant that Outback Steakhouse once again gave away free Bloomin’ Onions because of Harvick’s top 10. With five more top-10 finishes, Harvick ties his number of them from last year. And we’re not even halfway through the season.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): That car was a beast. An absolute beast. And you’ve got to think it’s coming back for the Chase race at Talladega, the site where Junior’s Chase chances disappeared in 2014. While nothing is guaranteed at plate tracks, it’s a massive confidence boost to not only go to a track where you’ve won earlier in the year but to have a car that can pull away from the pack by a couple car lengths on each restart. And in case you wanted to hear it, here’s Junior’s in-car audio after Austin Dillon’s crash. You can see why he said it was terrifying.
4. Kurt Busch (LW: 4): Passing in the pack is not exactly easy with this restrictor plate package. It’s why you see so many drivers fall to the back when they attempt to jump out of line to make a pass. Preventing yourself from getting passed has much more upside than going for a pass does. What is that leading us into? The run that Kurt Busch had during the final two laps of the race. After restarting 12th, Busch was a bull and had a massive run through the middle lane. He got himself all the way up to fifth. If you watch the final two laps again, pay attention to Busch’s car.
5. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 3): What, Truex’s run of top-10 finishes was unustainable? We are stunned. Stunned. After 14 finishes inside the top 10 in the first 15 races, Truex has been involved in two crashes. Yes, this is a slight course correction, and we’re not inclined to think it’s much more than that. Road course and restrictor plate racing can be random and we’re fully expecting Truex to be near the front at Kentucky.
6. Kyle Busch (LW: 7): After hitting the wall early in the race it was easy to think Busch’s Chase hopes disappeared too. The car was pretty torn up and Busch can ill-afford to finish outside the top 20 for the rest of the summer. He didn’t at Daytona. His team worked like crazy to fix the car and with some helpful cautions he fought back for a 17th-place finish. Daytona could be the point where Busch was thrown a helpful Chase life preserver.
7. Joey Logano (LW: 5): Logano finished 22nd, which is a much higher finish than you’d think he’d get after being involved in the lap three crash. The front end of his car was a mangled mess. Hell, he finished on the lead lap too, which may be even more impressive. He got back on the lead lap because of David Ragan’s spin with 12 laps to go and is still in fourth in the standings.
8. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Newman was quick to show his disdain with restrictor plate racing once again after Monday morning’s crash. And he finished inside the top-10 too, so they weren’t words after a 35th-place finish. While we can’t endorse what Newman said, we can understand his frustration after seeing a teammate’s car fly into the air and get torn to smithereens.
9. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9): Kahne was part of the four-car Hendrick brigade that ran up front for the early stages of the race. He just was the only member of the Hendrick brigade that didn’t finish in the top 10. He was involved in a crash after he and Matt Kenseth made contact and Kahne ended up finishing 32nd. And were we the only ones who had a hard time remembering the orange and blue paint scheme was Kahne’s?
10. Jeff Gordon (LW: NR): After finishing sixth, Gordon is 10th in the points standings, a point behind Matt Kenseth for ninth. Barring a massive slide there is little doubt Gordon will miss the Chase. However, it’s hard to think that simply “making the Chase” is the goal for Gordon. We think the team is good enough to claw to the third round of the Chase at the moment but it’s going to need some improvement to get to the final four.
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: NR): After a crappy week at Sonoma, Hamlin’s race ended in a crash. But he crossed the finish line in third. Hamlin was the first driver to go spinning in the massive crash at the finish. He was battling Johnson for second and appeared to drift towards Johnson in an attempt to side-draft the 48. And as he did that, he was getting a push from Kevin Harvick. The off-center push sent Hamlin’s car towards the infield and the wreck was on.
12. Jamie McMurray (LW: 10): McMurray salvaged a top-15 finish out of the race and stayed in sixth-place in the standings. Seriously, he’s having the quietest good season in NASCAR. That’s what happens when you’re the only driver in the top nine without a win, apparently. Maybe McDonald’s should start giving away free fries for every McMurray top 10. Someone could do a NASCAR version of SuperSize Me and eat at McDonald’s and Outback every week and see how much weight they gain. Any takers?
Lucky Dog: Austin Dillon, for obvious reasons.
The DNF: Man, David Gilliland qualified in the top 10 and the race just disappeared on lap 3.
Dropped Out: Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski
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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!
