NASCAR Power Index – Richmond
1. Joey Logano (LW: 1) – If you go by the numbers, Darlington has been Logano’s second-worst track. But he ran very well Sunday night, starting and finishing fourth. He’s led at least one lap in all but one race since Kentucky, leading 29 at Darlington.
2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2) – Harvick was once again a contender for the victory throughout the 2015 Southern 500, but he was forced to settle for a fifth-place finish. Harvick has been a Top 5 machine. And while winning matters in the new Chase format, running like this will also keep him in the hunt. The only question, can he finish ahead of his competition when it matters the most?
3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3) – Kyle’s car was not blazing fast on this night, especially after taking no tires on a late restart, where he fell almost outside the Top 20. Fortunately, a caution flag soon afterwards allowed him to get some fresh tires, and he got back up to seventh at the checkered flag, locking himself into the Chase in the process.
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4. Brad Keselowski (LW: 7) – As fast as the No. 2 was at Darlington, the final pit stop proved that tenths of a second do matter. Keselowski entered the pits in the lead and left in third. Unable to reel in Carl Edwards at the end, he finished second. In the last six races, only teammate Joey Logano has led more laps and posted a better average finish.
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5) – Junior gradually moved his way up the leaderboard after starting 26th, ending up 8th. And for the third straight week, he one-upped his previous finish by one spot (11th, 10th, 9th, 8th).
6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 4) – Johnson went for a spin on Lap 133, but fought his way back to the front. However, during a late caution period, the team opted to take scuffed tires instead of stickers, and it cost Johnson tons of track position. He finished 19th. Things have been a bit spotty for this team lately, but they still head into the Chase with at least four victories.
7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8) – Hamlin led another 57 laps en route to back-to-back 3rd place finishes. The result marks the first time he has recorded three straight top-10 finishes all season.
8. Carl Edwards (LW: 10) – At the halfway point of the race, Carl found himself in 32nd place and off the lead lap. But some luck and an impresively-executed pit stop by his crew gave him the lead on the final restart at Lap 360, and he never gave it up, scoring the victory. Momentum like this could make this team dangerous come Chase time.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 6) – Kenseth showed speed early, gaining 7 spots in the first 19 laps, before getting into the wall a lap later. And while he did finish the race on the lead lap, the end result was a disappointing 21st-place finish. He will most likely open the Chase as the No. 4 seed unless he wins at Richmond Saturday night.
10. Kurt Busch (LW: 9) – After a month or so of lacking significant speed, Busch had a Top 5 car until the No. 78 machine of Martin Truex sent him for a spin on Lap 307. He recovered quickly, however, finishing sixth despite the incident.
11. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 12) – Truex snagged a top-10 finish at the “Lady in Black”, his second in the last three races. At this point, any positive momentum has to be a welcome sight for this team as it prepares to contend for a Championship beginning at Chicagoland.
12. Ryan Newman (LW: 11) – Despite spinning and bringing out a caution at Lap 46, Newman did what he does best, sneaking into the Top 10 as the laps winded down. He didn’t finish in the Top 10, but 13th isn’t all that terrible.
13. Clint Bowyer (LW: 13) – Bowyer was reportedly advised to play it safe with just two races left until the Chase, and that’s exactly what he did, coming home 17th. His spot in the Chase is still not a given, however. If someone outside the Top 16 were to snag a victory at Richmond, Bowyer could be in trouble.
14. Jamie McMurray (LW: NR) – Jamie Mac finished 14th at Darlington. And while he has not finished inside the Top 10 since the June race at Michigan, his consistent runs have kept him atop the points list amongst winless drivers. Simply starting the race at Richmond locks him into the Chase, regardless of where he finishes.
15. Jeff Gordon (LW: 14) – Jeff actually ran inside the Top 10 for most of the race, but he faded all the way back to 16th by the race’s end. Since New Hampshire, Gordon has only finished in the Top 15 once. He’s probably a safe bet to make the Chase, but anything past that would probably be a stretch at this point.
Dropped from Rankings – Paul Menard (15)
