NASCAR Power Index – Daytona
1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1) – Johnson led a race-high 45 laps. But a decision to stay out prior to the final restart led to crossing the finish line sixth. Johnson’s fourth in the points, but his four victories pace the field.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3) – Harvick never really contended for the victory on Sunday, but he did rally late for a fourth-place finish. That’s a nice way to put the disappointment of Michigan behind him.
3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 2) – Truex incurred his worst finish of the season, finishing 42nd at Sonoma after getting clipped by David Ragan and sent into the tire barrier just off-course. But he’s still second in the points, and his victory at Pocono locks him into the Chase.
Pedal To The Metal At DraftKings to win cash in the $250,000 guaranteed prize pool
4. Joey Logano (LW: 4) – That’s three straight top-5 finishes for Joey Logano, despite qualifying outside the Top 10 for that trio of races. Logano has finished inside the Top 13 all but twice this entire season.
5. Kurt Busch (LW: 7) – Following his victory in the rain-shortened race at Michigan, Kurt almost notched back-to-back victories. He settled for second, as the Busch brothers finished 1-2 for the first time in their Sprint Cup careers.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5) – It did not take long for Junior to find his way to the front, as he put together a solid race (7th). His 6.67 average finish since his win at Talladega in May leads the series.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 6) – After starting third, Kenseth had trouble staying near the front, no thanks to handling issues and possibly a brake problem. A cut tire on Lap 44 only made things worse, part of the reason Matt finished 21st. 2008 marks the last time he finished in the Top 10 at Sonoma.
8. Kasey Kahne (LW: 10) – Only Dale Jr. made more green flag passes (32) than Kahne did (31), a big reason Kasey found his way into the Top 10 by the day’s end, eighth to be exact. He trails only Jamie McMurray in the points among winless drivers.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9) – Running just outside the Top 10 on Lap 43, Keselowski got loose and lost a ton of ground. By Lap 50 he found himself in 40th place and that was just too much to overcome. After snagging a career-high 17 top-5 finishes last season, Keselowski has only recorded three such finishes this year.
10. Jeff Gordon (LW: 8) – A late-race penalty and tire gamble sealed Gordon’s fate in his final race at Sonoma, leading to a 16th-place effort. He’s only cracked the Top 10 once since May’s All-Star Race.
11. Jamie McMurray (LW: 12) – Snapping a three-race streak of seventh-place finishes, McMurray came home 11th at Sonoma. Jamie has only posted one season where he averaged better than a 15th-place finish. His average finish through the first 16 races of 2015? 13.13.
12. Kyle Busch (LW: 14) – In just his fifth race back from that horrifying crash at Daytona, Kyle used fresh tires to take the victory at Sonoma on Sunday. The victory alone will not lock him into the Chase (he still needs to finish in the Top 30 in points), but it’s a big step in the right direction.
13. Denny Hamlin (LW: 11) – Hamlin failed to crack the Top 10 for the third time in his last four races, finishing 18th. Only teammate Kyle Busch (20.0) has a worse average finish than Denny (18.17) over the last six races among drivers featured in this week’s rankings.
14. Ryan Newman (LW: 13) – Newman will take a ninth-place finish after falling as far back as 36th at the race’s halfway point, especially after posting an average finish of just 25.0 over his previous three races.
15. Carl Edwards (LW: 15) – It’s been a struggle of late for the Columbia, MO native, whose day came to an early end after getting mixed up with David Ragan. You have to figure there would be a slight transition period for Edwards, but 17th in the points is underwhelming.
