NASCAR Power Index – New Hampshire
1. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1) – Johnson endured a long pit stop during the third caution period of the night, as the team inspected a possible trackbar issue, to cross the finish line ninth.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2) – As usual, Harvick stuck around in the Top 10 all night long, but he did fail to lead a lap. He still holds a commanding lead in the points but remains tied with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Busch brothers with two wins apiece.
3. Kurt Busch (LW: 3) – When Kurt got into the wall on Lap 99, he slammed the changes that his team made to the car on a prior stop. He did find his way back into the Top 10 by race’s end, though.
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4. Joey Logano (LW: 5) – Despite surrendering the lead to Kyle Busch in the closing laps, Logano still went home as the runner-up. He’s finished five of six races at 1.5-mile ovals this season in the Top 10.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4) – Most think about the importance of brakes at the shorter tracks, but make no mistake, they’re important everywhere, and Dale Jr. experienced that first-hand on Saturday night. At one point he even questioned why they were still running. He was fortunate to come home 21st with cooked brakes.
6. Jeff Gordon (LW: 7) – Gordon got shuffled back in the field a few times because of varying pit strategies, but he found his way back up the leaderboard when it mattered, coming home seventh. And while Kentucky will go down as the only track Gordon never won at in Cup, he did finish in the Top 10 all five tries.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8) – An alternator issue could have ruined Kenseth’s day. But his team managed to fix the problem, and Matt went on to finish fifth.
8. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 6) – It was another frustrating race for the 78 team. And while Truex finished the race, something he didn’t do the last two weeks, 17th pales compared to how this team was running prior to Sonoma.
9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10) – Hamlin was forced to go two laps down after speeding on pit road during an impromptu green flag pit stop on Lap 71. Subsequent cautions helped him out though, and Hamlin rallied all the way to a second consecutive third-place finish.
10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 11) – Following a rough stretch for the No. 2 team, Keselowski overcame an early issue on pit road to lead twice for a total of 62 laps and finish in the Top 10 for just the second time in his last six races.
11. Kyle Busch (LW: 14) – Speed has not been an issue since Kyle’s return, and it definitely did not present an issue on Saturday night, as he led 163 of 267 laps to get the win at Kentucky. A max points day could go a long way In determining his Chase fate come September.
12. Kasey Kahne (LW: 9) – Kasey snuck into the Top 10 around the halfway point, but lost significant speed during the latter part of the race. How bad you ask? 27th. Make it back-to-back finishes outside the Top 25 for the No. 5 car.
13. Jamie McMurray (LW: 12) – A lugnut issue during the competition caution forced McMurray to pit twice, but he still brought the car home 14th. Jamie remains the points leader among non-winners, holding a 19-point edge over Jeff Gordon.
14. Carl Edwards (LW: NR) – The Quaker State 400 was probably Edwards’ most impressive race of the year, as he finished fourth. No, he didn’t win, but he stayed up front all night long, something he has failed to do consistently.
15. Ryan Newman (LW: 13) – For every race that Newman quietly finishes in the Top 10, there seem to be days where he just is not a factor. He ended up in 20th place, although he did gain three spots in the closing laps.
Dropped from Power Index – Clint Bowyer (15)
