NASCAR Power Index – Richmond
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1) – It was a typical race for Harvick, who led 184 laps. Until he got caught up in a multi-car incident on Lap 311 that led to a 38th-place finish.
2. Joey Logano (LW: 2) – Logano was just an innocent bystander when Penske teammate Brad Keselowski spun on Lap 19, leaving the No. 22 with nowhere to go. A 40th-place finish was the end result.
3. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 6) – Despite dealing with multiple issues throughout the race, Johnson crept his way back to the front, all the way to a runner-up finish.
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4. Brad Keselowski (LW: 3) – Just an ugly day all-around for Team Penske, who appeared to have a duo of cars that could have competed for a win at Bristol.
5. Jeff Gordon (LW: 8) – Make it five straight top-10s for Gordon, who didn’t let a loose wheel on Lap 209 ruin his day.
6. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5) – Just less than a third of the way into the race, Truex reported a vibration that wasn’t getting any better. Turned out to be a loose tire, that put Truex many laps down. A later incident on Lap 292 ended any chance of getting back on the lead lap.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 10) – Although he only led 47 laps, Kenseth was up front pretty much all day, ultimately leading the final 37 laps en route to a victory.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4) – A disappointing race for Junior, who had to make a couple unscheduled stops with tire issues. But he also could have done much worse than 16th, as many big names did.
9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 7) – Hamlin was forced out of the car following the early red flag because of neck spasms. Youngster Erik Jones completed the race in the #11, coming home 26th.
10. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9) – Kahne’s car was strong all day long. But he appeared to get punted down the track by Tony Stewart with 18 laps remaining, and into the machine of AJ Allmendinger, effectively ending his night (37th).
11. Ryan Newman (LW: 12) – Fuel strategy almost allowed Newman to challenge for the victory in the closing laps, but he’ll gladly take a fifth-place finish.
12. Kurt Busch (LW: 11) – The elder Busch had a much better car than his 15th-place finish suggests, as he led 98 laps. But when Carl Edwards got into the wall on Lap 494, Busch had nowhere to go. A late pit stop by the 41 team also came under some scrutiny.
13. Carl Edwards (LW: 14) – Edwards seemed poised for a top-5 finish before his car got loose late in the race, sending him into the wall. Edwards ended up 24th.
14. David Ragan (LW: 13) – After starting 11th, Ragan was never really a factor on Sunday night. The multi-car incident on Lap 311 only made matters worse. Ragan finished 41st.
15. Jamie McMurray (LW: 15) – A blown tire most likely prevented McMurray from recording his fourth top-10 in five races, but he still finished 14th.
