NASCAR Power Index – Indianapolis
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2) – It’s been 16 races since Harvick last won a race, but he still finished third on Sunday. He’s on pace for career-highs in average finish, Top 5 and Top 10 finishes, and total earnings.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1) – At a 1-mile track, a pit road penalty under green can be devastating to a team. While Johnson did manage to finish just outside the Top 20, he was lucky enough just to achieve that after falling two laps off the pace after serving his penalty.
3. Joey Logano (LW: 4) – Make it five top-five finishes in six weeks for Logano, who came home fourth at Loudon. He had not finished in the Top 10 at New Hampshire since 2012.
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4. Kurt Busch (LW: 3) – Kurt’s car seemed faster during the early portion of the race, but he still fought his way back into the Top 10. Only Kevin Harvick is averaging a better finish this season (6.8) than Kurt (9.1).
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5) – Junior’s brakes did not present an issue at the Magic Mile, and he came home fifth as a result. In the process, he clinched his 10th top-5 finish of the season.
6. Kyle Busch (LW: 11) – If anyone had any questions about how hungry Kyle Busch would be when he returned to racing just eight weeks ago at Charlotte, back-to-back wins should put those to rest. Barring a major setback, he’s getting into the Chase, and he could very well win a Championship at this rate.
7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7) – Unlike Johnson, Kenseth was able to overcome a speeding penalty (Lap 81) to rebound all the way to a sixth-place finish on Sunday.
8. Jeff Gordon (LW: 6) – Gordon put Saturday’s practice collision with Clint Bowyer behind him to finish ninth. More importantly, he only trails Jamie McMurray by one point for the top spot in Chase grid among non-winners.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW: 10) – Brad started 10th and charged his way to the front pretty quickly. He led the most laps (100) en route to just his third Top 10 since the All-Star Race. If he had a weakness on Sunday, it was restarts, as Kyle Busch proved to be the class of the field in that department.
10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9) – Although he qualified fifth, Denny had trouble with speed from the start of the race. The end result was a 14th-place finish. Not terrible, but disappointing, especially considering how much success Denny has had at the track over the course of his career.
11. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 8) – While Truex seemed to make gains from the struggles he’s endured over the last three weeks, he still didn’t seem like himself out there. The team may be experimenting until the Chase, but it’s hard to get excited about their recent regression.
12. Carl Edwards (LW: 14) – With his seventh-place finish, Edwards notched back-to-back Top 10 finishes for the first time this season. In the two last weeks, JGR cars have posted an average finish of 5.1.
13. Kasey Kahne (LW: 12) – Kasey spent a minimal number of laps inside the Top 10 on Sunday, driving home to another disappointing finish (19th). Kahne’s only finished in the Top 10 once in his last six.
14. Ryan Newman (LW: 15) – Newman gained 13 spots thanks to a pair of caution flags at Laps 189 and 199, helping him finish just outside the Top 10. He’s currently 14th in the Chase standings, but if we’re to assume Kyle Busch makes it in, Newman holds just a two-point lead over teammate Paul Menard for the final spot.
15. Jamie McMurray (LW: 13) – Running 13th with 30 laps remaining in the race, McMurray reported that he thought he was blowing up. He made it to the end, but not until falling all the way back to 26th.
