NASCAR Power Index – Bristol
1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 1) – Aside from blowing an engine at Pocono, Harvick is still making a habit of finishing second or third, but still lacks a trip to Victory Lane since Phoenix (Mar 15).
2. Joey Logano (LW: 3) – Logano continues to be fast week in and week out, holding onto second in the standings, and keeping his average finish in the single digits. Only a fuel gamble at Pocono has held him up recently.
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 6) – Like Logano, if not for fuel issues late at Pocono, Kyle could make a case for the hottest driver in the Series. And as long as he doesn’t suffer a major setback in the next three races, he is going to make the Chase, and be a force to be reckoned with.
Sign up for email notifications and never miss a post
4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7) – It seems Kyle Busch has been getting all the attention lately, but teammate Matt Kenseth has been no slouch either, winning two of the last three races.
5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2) – A tire issue (and subsequent damage) ruined Johnson’s day at Michigan, and he’s only led 467 laps all year. But Jimmie will still take at least four wins into the Chase.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5) – On a day when passes did not come easy, Junior made up five spots on the final restart to finish tenth. He’s still staying away from horrible finishes, keeping him third in the standings.
7. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9) – Brad K. has not finished outside the Top 10 since the Coke Zero 400, and has fought his way up to fifth in the points standings. While he still isn’t quite on par with teammate Joey Logano, it’s been a solid month-and-a-half or so for the former Sprint Cup champion.
8. Kurt Busch (LW: 4) – While little brother Kyle is getting all the attention, it’s been a quiet few weeks for Kurt. He has not been bad by any means, but he’s only led 13 laps since June.
9. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10) – Recently, Denny has either had a top-5 car or a car that
struggles to run mid-pack. If there’s one JGR team that hasn’t totally kicked it up a notch lately, it’s the No. 11 team.
10. Carl Edwards (LW: 12) – Joe Gibbs Racing has been on a roll lately, and Carl has been no exception. He has bettered his previous finish in each of the last three races, and he’s beginning to race as well as he is qualifying, something he did not do earlier in the season.
11. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 11) – Truex has yet to re-gain the speed that his car possessed in the first half of the season, but we saw flashes of it at Indy and Michigan, where he posted finishes inside the Top 4.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 14) – It seems like only yesterday that I was writing on here about how consistent finishes, not victories, made Ryan Newman a contender in the new Grid format. That could be the case again in 2015.
13. Jeff Gordon (LW: 8) – The up-and-down final season continues for Jeff Gordon, who has posted an average finish of 25.8 over the last four races. He still has a good chance to make the Chase, but this team’s gonna need to step up their game if they want to think about contending for a championship.
14. Paul Menard (LW: NR) – Menard has not been fantastic by any means, but he’s staying out of trouble, and finishing in the mid-to-upper teens consistently. The Eau Claire, WI-native remains on pace to make the Chase for the first time in his Sprint Cup career.
15. Clint Bowyer (LW: NR) – Bowyer seemed poised for a great finish at Michigan, until he spun and made contact with the inside wall. Luckily, top-10 runs in the previous three races have helped keep him alive for a Wild Card spot.
Dropped from Rankings – Kasey Kahne (13), Jamie McMurray (15)
