NASCAR Power Index – Bristol
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1) – Harvick finished second for the fourth time this season on Saturday night, but continues to have a car that can legitimately compete for a win every race.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 2) – Logano got shuffled back to eighth on a late restart, but battled his way back to fourth by race’s end.
3. Brad Keselowski (LW: 3) – Not even a penalty for running over the commitment cone on Lap 268 could stop the No. 2 from snagging a top-5 finish.
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4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 7) – Second solid rebound race in three weeks for Junior and his fourth top-3 result in 2015.
5. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 4) – A two-tire gamble with 24 laps to go paid off for Truex, who gained 11 spots as a result. And although he did lose ground on the restart, he still brought the car home ninth.
6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 11) – The six-time Sprint Cup winner grabbed his second victory at a 1.5-mile oval this season, leading a race-high 128 laps.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 5) – Denny followed up his Martinsville win with an 11th-place finish at Texas, overcoming an early pit-road violation.
8. Jeff Gordon (LW: 8) – Gordon, along with Truex, took just two tires during a late-race caution. As a result, he has posted four consecutive top-10 finishes.
9. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9) – It’s a good day when Team Hendrick’s worst finisher is eighth, especially after all the problems they encountered at Martinsville.
10. Matt Kenseth (LW: 6) – Another late-race pit road violation caused a driver a potential top-10. In this case, Kenseth overshot his pit stall, costing him dearly.
11. Kurt Busch (LW: 10) – Busch appeared to have a winning car early on but struggled to stay up front as the race progressed.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 12) – After starting from the rear following an engine change, Newman ran mid-pack most of the day, ending up 12th.
13. David Ragan (LW: 15) – Kyle Busch’s replacement flirted with another top-10 finish, but 13th isn’t that far off.
14. Carl Edwards (LW: NR) – Although it took seven races, Edwards finally notched a top-10 in his new ride, running as high as third at one point.
15. Jamie McMurray (LW: NR) – McMurray has finished four of the last five races in the top 11, including a sixth-place run at Texas.
Dropped from Power Index – Aric Almirola (13), Paul Menard (14)
