Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick is 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] and we’ll try to have some fun.
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: NR): How do you go from not ranked to the top in a week? Lead 355 laps and win the race. Harvick became the second win-and-in-when-there-was-no-alternative driver in the brief history of this Chase format. And you know that NASCAR officials are hoping this becomes an occurrence that happens every year now. What Harvick did on Sunday was freaking impressive. He’s going to be the favorite for the title as his team won’t keep putting itself in bad positions with fast cars.
2. Matt Kenseth (LW: 1): Kenseth had the best average finish of anyone in the first round of the Chase. He finished in the top 10 all three races. Keep this up and he’s going to be in the final four at Homestead. While Joe Gibbs Racing got all four cars into the second round of the Chase, the odds are against it in the second round. Which JGR car do you think has the smallest chance of moving on? If we’re ranking them 1-4, we’d have Kenseth at the top right now.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 9): Busch has been NASCAR’s second-best driver at Dover in recent years. His presence at the front of the field was no surprise. He also recognized the importance of attempting to prevent Harvick from advancing to the second round. “That was a guy that we wanted to knock out, you know, that’s a guy that can win all these races, and you don’t want to have to compete against a guy like that,” Busch said.
4. Carl Edwards (LW: 4): The most dramatic part of Edwards’ race came when Kurt Busch’s car slid in fluid coming on to pit road and rammed into the back of Edwards. The No. 19 had some slight bumper damage but that was about it. Edwards ended up finishing 15th and conceded the title of “most points in the third round among winless drivers” to Joey Logano.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 12): That was a heck of a drive by Junior over the final laps, don’t you think? He knew he had to get around McMurray to advance and he did just that, even completing somewhat of an improbable pass. Now, let’s play devil’s advocate for a second. What if Junior doesn’t make that pass? The Chase would be out Jimmie Johnson and Junior before the second round. A bit of an unfathomable scenario until
6. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2): Sunday’s race was a bit of a throwaway race for Hamlin. There’s no track like Dover in the next seven races and with a win to his credit, he didn’t need to worry about his finishing position on Sunday. Should NASCAR give winners bonus points in the next round? It’d be a nice perk. Not that Hamlin didn’t have an incentive to win; had he won, Kevin Harvick doesn’t advance. And we’re not accusing the No. 11 of sandbagging. But do you really need an in-depth paragraph about a meaningless 18th-place finish?
7. Joey Logano (LW: 5): Here’s the other driver who finished in the top 10 in every Chase race. Logano had finishes of sixth, third and 10th. Though he led a grand total of one lap in those three races. In his previous three races he led 230 laps. Can Logano find the winning form? He’s got a plate win to his name this year (though we know how random it can be) and he’s finished fifth and 13th at Kansas and Charlotte. Logano could get three more top 10s in the second round.
8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): Busch finished one spot ahead of Hamlin. He’s in the second round on points. Given how his Dover race weekend went in 2014 (on multiple levels), this has to be considered a big victory. He’s had cars that have been fast at intermediate tracks, so Busch could be a sneaky candidate to get a win over the next two weeks. He and the man just below him are the only two drivers with a chance this year to be the first to win in both Chase formats.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8): We noted in Keselowski’s paragraph last week that he wouldn’t be penalized for his comments that NASCAR was an “entertainment sport.” And Keselowski’s comments (and our paragraph about them) were validated with the barrage of tweets with derivatives of “entertain” from those associated with NASCAR. Given how boring Sunday’s race was, the e-word within the context of the elimination format was used as a carrot to keep people from tuning out.
10. Jeff Gordon (LW: 10): We’re not going to lie, it’d be funny if Gordon could advance to the final round at Homestead simply by avoiding disaster. He cut it close at Dover, so he’s going to have to pick up the pace in the second round. Gordon is not a fan of plate racing; it’d be a cruel way for him to be eliminated from the Chase if he has a poor finish at Talladega.
11. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 11): Truex had to start at the back of the field in Sunday’s race because his car didn’t fit templates before the race. He recovered nicely and finished 11th. Will he have the speed he’s shown at intermediate tracks earlier this season? If he doesn’t, making it to the third round could be a dicey proposition.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Hey Newman, we see what you’re doing here. Newman was the first car one lap down and finished 19th. After finishing fourth at Chicago, he finished 10th at New Hampshire. Two borderline top-10 finishes seem reasonable at Charlotte and Kansas. Then if he gets through Talladega without a wreck, Newman could be headed to the third round.
13. Jimmie Johnson: (LW: 3): This seems incredibly cruel, doesn’t it? Johnson doesn’t deserve this fate. But that’s what this Chase format gives us. One of the best drivers throughout the season is out because he had an ill-timed (cheap) part failure. Will Johnson outscore everyone else through the final seven races of the Chase? It wouldn’t surprise us.
Lucky Dog: Aric Almirola won best in class outside of the Chasers.
The DNF: Jeb Burton’s day was not exceptional.
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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!
