November 24, 2009
New this Week
Kevin Harvick Dropped Out
David Reutimann |
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Gain of the Week |
Kyle Busch
Up two spots |
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Drop of the Week |
Tony Stewart
Down two spots |
| Rankings |
| Rank |
Name |
Comments |
| 1: | Jimmie Johnson | He was the best driver of the best team in the best organization in NASCAR in 2009. We'll copy and paste that and keep it handy for 2010. | | 2: | Denny Hamlin | He's not just a flat-track master anymore. In the final five weeks of the season, Hamlin showed why he will be Johnson's greatest challenger in 2010. | | 3: | Mark Martin | Called 2009 the best year of his life, and why not? He won five races and seven poles and finished second in the standings to one of the greatest of all time. That's nothing about which to be disappointed. | | 4: | Jeff Gordon | When your career is measured in titles, a third-place finish in the standings is tough to swallow. Gordon is still one of the very best, but it doesn't look like his Drive for Five will ever reach its destination. | | 5: | Kurt Busch | Stand up and applaud the effort Kurt and his team gave in the Chase. With a lame-duck crew chief, they could have rolled over. Instead, they went out and nearly prevented Hendrick Motorsports from a 1-2-3 sweep in the standings. | | 6: | Kyle Busch | Has Kyle finally figured out that finishing 10th is OK? In a season where he had only four finishes between sixth and 10th, two of them came in the final six races. | | 7: | Jeff Burton | If this is the new RCR car we'll be seeing in 2010, then that bodes well for Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. Yes, it was an extremely frustrating season, but the future looks bright. | | 8: | Tony Stewart | Though he faded in the Chase, Smoke deserves an A in his first season as an owner/driver. He far exceeded everyone's expectations. That's the part we should remember. | | 9: | Juan Pablo Montoya | Do we have a budding feud between JPM and Smoke, two hard-nosed, talented racers? Let's hope so. As for JPM's season: very good, but he still has to win on an oval to be a true contender. | | 10: | Clint Bowyer | Quietly he showed signs of life over the final half of the season. If not for a disastrous start, Bowyer might have made the Chase and, once in it, finished in the top 10. | | 11: | Kevin Harvick | Maybe, just maybe Richard Childress is on to something that will keep Harvick happy and around beyond his contract that runs out after next season. | | 12: | Greg Biffle | Roush placed only one car in the top 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track they've dominated. That sort of sums up the season for Biffle and the rest. | | Lucky Dog: | AJ Allmendinger | Did you notice how the Dinger finished the season – 10th, 13th, 10th? When (note, not if) Kahne leaves, AJ could become the face of RPM. | | DNF: | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | A disappointing end to a disappointing season. Having packed enough misfortune into one 10-month span, things have to be better in 2010, right? |
Disclaimer: The NASCAR Power Rankings are based on the opinions of the
Yahoo! Sports editorial staff and do not necessarily reflect actual driver standings or race results.
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