Power Rankings: Harvick continues to be at the summit
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] and we’ll try to have some fun while keeping in mind the somber news of Monday night.
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1): After finishing second at Bristol Saturday night, Harvick has 17 top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes in 24 races. In 2014, when he won the title, of course, he had 14 top-five finishes and 20 top 10s. Yeah, he’s on pace for fewer wins this year, but does it really matter at this point? At the pace Harvick is establishing, he’s going to make it to the final round of the Chase barring something crazy. And we’re not willing to bet against him right now.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 4): Here’s another guy we think has a great shot of making the final round. He’s been an example of consistency too. Not only does he have two wins in the last three races, but he’s on pace to break the career highs in top fives and top 10s that he set in 2014. Again, if we’re betting on who we think is going to make the Chase’s final round, we’re liking the odds of this guy to make it to Homestead with a shot.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): What a porous day for Busch, who came home eighth after he led 192 laps. Yes, we just used the word porous to describe an eighth-place finish. The usage is littered with sarcasm but given Busch’s recent run and his history at Bristol, maybe there’s a bit of relative truth to it. In three races over the weekend at Bristol, Busch finished second, first and eighth. It’s a short list of drivers who would consider that a disappointing weekend. Heck, maybe Busch is the only name on it.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 2): The spring race winner didn’t have much time to see if he could go back-to-back. A busted engine ruined his night and left him in the garage long before the race was over. But given Kenseth is simply in the win-or-else portion of his season because of his Chase situation, a 42nd-place finish could be a 10th-place one and nothing changes. So it seems a bit hard to punish him too much.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7): Johnson finished fourth and gets a two-spot jump. And it was kind of a non-descript fourth-place finish too. Johnson was in and around the top 10 all night, but never really challenged for the lead either. Saturday night was his third-straight top-four finish at Bristol after three finishes of 19th or worse. Fun fact: Six-Time only has one career Bristol win.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6): Here’s a guy who had a much more eventful night than Johnson did. He fell a lap down early because he had to pit twice under caution and then lost a lap again later in the race. After getting the Lucky Dog, Junior was able to salvage a top-10 finish, but he might have had a faster car than the ninth he scored. He just didn’t have the track position.
7. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): Truex had a fast car but his race went south with a tire issue late. Pitting under green meant he finished 28th and five laps off the pace. You can’t blame Truex for being frustrated with another issue ruining a fast car. And it’s something that can be crippling in the Chase. But as we’ve said before, this team is fast. And that can go a long way for Chase survival.
8. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): Keselowski finished sixth, which was where he started. Yeah, that doesn’t tell the story. His car was struggling in traffic, so he and crew chief Paul Wolfe elected to stay out on the last caution of the night. The strategy didn’t pay off for the win as Keselowski quickly fell back, but you can’t fault it when it gets a finish just outside the top five, can you?
9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9): Hamlin finished third and made it the full race. Given that he had to step out of the car in the spring because of a neck spasm, that’s an accomplishment. He also led for 54 laps, but all of those came within the first 154 laps. He had a solid top-10 car for the duration, however. The Joe Gibbs Racing cars certainly had the race speed that they showed in qualifying.
10. Carl Edwards (LW: 10): Edwards can attest to that. He led 74 laps and finished seventh. In two Bristol races this year he’s led 160 laps. He’s led 161 laps in the 22 other Sprint Cup Series races. It’s safe to say that he’s become one of the best at Bristol and Bristol has become one of his favorite tracks. We’d like his Chase chances a lot more if the half-mile was in the final 10 races.
11. Kurt Busch (LW: 11): Busch finished 14th Saturday night. He’s got five wins at the track but his last came in 2006 and in his 11th start. Since then, he hasn’t been as successful. While he has seven top-10 finishes since that last win he also has finished outside the top 25 five times. What does this all mean? We have no idea, other than Busch is probably a bigger fan of the old version of Bristol.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12): Mr. Consistency finished 10th. He’s getting ready to strike in the Chase, drawing up plans in his lair on how he can top-10 the Chase field to the breaking point again and get to Homestead. Wonder if the 2015 version of the plans includes knocking another driver out of the way to make the final round? Or since Newman did it last year, would another driver do it this year if it meant advancing to the next round?
Lucky Dog: Clint Bowyer went from a spin to a top-five. Not bad.
The DNF: Michael Annett didn’t even complete a lap. That’s bordering on DNS.
Dropped Out: No one.
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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!
