March 31, 2009
New this Week
None Dropped Out
None |
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Gain of the Week |
Denny Hamlin
Up five spots |
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Drop of the Week |
Matt Kenseth
Down three spots |
| Rankings |
| Rank |
Name |
Comments |
| 1: | Jeff Gordon | At some point, top fives won't be enough for Gordon. He wants to and needs to get back to victory lane sooner than later, because wins will be important come Chase time. | | 2: | Jimmie Johnson | Rarely does Johnson use his bumper to win, but even when he does, he does it respectfully, proving yet again what a well-rounded racer he is. | | 3: | Clint Bowyer | While KyBusch has the flash, Bowyer has the consistency that can win a title. It's no secret anymore. No fluke. Bowyer is for real. Get used to it. | | 4: | Kyle Busch | Talk about checkers or wreckers. Busch's results this season: 41st, 3rd, 1st, 18th, 1st, 24th. Expect a top five out of him this Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. | | 5: | Denny Hamlin | He did this last year, when he posted a bunch of top 10s beginning at Bristol, but then went backwards starting at Lowe's. It'll be telling to see what happens this season. | | 6: | Tony Stewart | Okay, so now we know. Stewart is going to make the Chase. The question is how much better he'll be when he starts hitting tracks for a second time. | | 7: | Kurt Busch | The favorite heading into Sunday's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway has to be a Busch. The question is, which one? | | 8: | Kasey Kahne | Still not sure what to make of Kahne, who's run up front a little, led just one lap all season, yet sits ninth in the standings. Will he be there come September? Still not sold. | | 9: | Carl Edwards | Give Cousin Carl credit, he showed up to race at Martinsville, which historically hasn't been one of his better tracks. | | 10: | David Reutimann | The Franchise should be mad at David Stremme. The late bump cost Reutimann a certain top 10 and at least one, maybe two spots in the standings. | | 11: | Kevin Harvick | It has to make you wonder why Harvick and Jeff Burton are off to sluggish starts, while their teammate, Bowyer, runs near the front every week with a brand new team. | | 12: | Matt Kenseth | Kenseth seems to have caught the Daytona 500 bug, albeit a week later. After the back-to-back wins to start the season, he's yet to crack the top 10 even once. It's still early, but it's also troubling. | | Lucky Dog: | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Junior's not lighting the world on fire, but that might not be a bad thing considering last season he ran up front early and often only to fade as the season went on. Let's judge Junior in another month. | | DNF: | David Ragan | Not so much for his performance at Martinsville (27th), but because he's yet to crack the top 15 since a sixth-place finish at Daytona. Unarguably one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far. |
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.
Send a question or comment on the latest rankings.
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