Biggest Gain this week: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Casey Mears, up five spots
Biggest Drop this week: Bobby Labonte, down five spots
New this week: Ricky Rudd (25).
Dropped out: Joe Nemechek (24).
Week 23 of 36, GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
1 3 Tony Stewart He became the first driver in history to win a NASCAR race after eating 23 hot dogs. But he paid the price.
2 1 Jeff Gordon How come they can fix a transmission in Days of Thunder without losing a lap, and Gordon's team can't fix it at a road course? Haven't they seen the movie and learned from it?
3 2 Kasey Kahne He says he hopes he can go ahead and nail down the Rookie of the Year award, which is like Greg Maddux saying he hopes he has a shot at the Hall of Fame when he retires.
4 8 Mark Martin Man, he's driving good. Y'all sure you didn't put Matt Martin in the car yet?
5 9 Jeremy Mayfield If he finished seventh at a road course, where he doesn't do too well, then don't count on him slipping out of the top 10.
6 4 Jimmie Johnson You back from vacation yet?
7 5 Dale Jarrett Lost another one to Ditech.com.
8 7 Kurt Busch It’s tough when you get a top ten finish and still drop a spot in the Power Rankings. Although we're just going by Jimmy Spencer's advice.
9 11 Matt Kenseth Three DNFs this season and has still completed 96.6 percent of all laps. Plus, the last we saw, there were still a bunch of Matt Kenseths in the back of his team’s hauler.
10 6 Elliott Sadler He is starting to like road courses. So much so that he's asked his team members to start calling him Boris.
11 16 Dale Earnhardt Jr. He must be racin' better, because People magazine ain't got no stories on him this week.
12 10 Jamie McMurray Can you believe it's already been two years since he got hired by Ganassi?
13 15 Kevin Harvick His lead on 10th place is thickening. Unlike the hair.
14 12 Ryan Newman He's so mad at Morgan Shephard that he threw an Ensure bottle at him after the race.
15 20 Casey Mears In the last three weeks, he's got two Bud Poles and his first top-five finish. Which means Mears is the only man to get a boost from the Democratic National Convention.
16 13 Michael Waltrip He leads the Nextel Cup Series in 20th-place finishes (3).
17 18 Robby Gordon So he's thinking about going back and owning his own team. We hope he doesn't plan on pulling into the garage after the fourth lap every week.
18 14 Terry Labonte He is having a season as exciting as Dubya’s speaking style, albeit a lot quicker than Dubya’s speaking style.
19 14 Bobby Labonte With Fatback, an average finish of 14th. Without Fatback, 18th. Which means the team doesn't necessarily go faster if it's lighter.
20 17 Greg Biffle Even the best of us get a little bug-eyed after hauling a 3,400 lb. stocker down from top speed to about 50 mph, down a steep hill, while down shifting from fourth-to-third-to-second, and sliding side-by-side through a ninety degree right hander.
21 22 Jeff Burton As part of his buyout to Roush, Burton was forced to take the 1,256 AOL disks the team had in its mailbox.
22 21 Brian Vickers Don’t look now, but there’s a big, brown truck pulling right up against your left-rear bumper.
23 23 Rusty Wallace When Scott Wimmer takes no less than three off-course sightseeing excursions through the upstate New York countryside -- and still finishes six places ahead of you -- you stay at No. 23.
24 25 Sterling Marlin We'll move you up one spot merely for the fact that you're the best quote in NASCAR.
25 NR Ricky Rudd First top 10 of the season. Only 590 points out of 10th place. And not mathematically eliminated.
Biggest Drop this week: Bobby Labonte, down five spots
New this week: Ricky Rudd (25).
Dropped out: Joe Nemechek (24).
Week 23 of 36, GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
1 3 Tony Stewart He became the first driver in history to win a NASCAR race after eating 23 hot dogs. But he paid the price.
2 1 Jeff Gordon How come they can fix a transmission in Days of Thunder without losing a lap, and Gordon's team can't fix it at a road course? Haven't they seen the movie and learned from it?
3 2 Kasey Kahne He says he hopes he can go ahead and nail down the Rookie of the Year award, which is like Greg Maddux saying he hopes he has a shot at the Hall of Fame when he retires.
4 8 Mark Martin Man, he's driving good. Y'all sure you didn't put Matt Martin in the car yet?
5 9 Jeremy Mayfield If he finished seventh at a road course, where he doesn't do too well, then don't count on him slipping out of the top 10.
6 4 Jimmie Johnson You back from vacation yet?
7 5 Dale Jarrett Lost another one to Ditech.com.
8 7 Kurt Busch It’s tough when you get a top ten finish and still drop a spot in the Power Rankings. Although we're just going by Jimmy Spencer's advice.
9 11 Matt Kenseth Three DNFs this season and has still completed 96.6 percent of all laps. Plus, the last we saw, there were still a bunch of Matt Kenseths in the back of his team’s hauler.
10 6 Elliott Sadler He is starting to like road courses. So much so that he's asked his team members to start calling him Boris.
11 16 Dale Earnhardt Jr. He must be racin' better, because People magazine ain't got no stories on him this week.
12 10 Jamie McMurray Can you believe it's already been two years since he got hired by Ganassi?
13 15 Kevin Harvick His lead on 10th place is thickening. Unlike the hair.
14 12 Ryan Newman He's so mad at Morgan Shephard that he threw an Ensure bottle at him after the race.
15 20 Casey Mears In the last three weeks, he's got two Bud Poles and his first top-five finish. Which means Mears is the only man to get a boost from the Democratic National Convention.
16 13 Michael Waltrip He leads the Nextel Cup Series in 20th-place finishes (3).
17 18 Robby Gordon So he's thinking about going back and owning his own team. We hope he doesn't plan on pulling into the garage after the fourth lap every week.
18 14 Terry Labonte He is having a season as exciting as Dubya’s speaking style, albeit a lot quicker than Dubya’s speaking style.
19 14 Bobby Labonte With Fatback, an average finish of 14th. Without Fatback, 18th. Which means the team doesn't necessarily go faster if it's lighter.
20 17 Greg Biffle Even the best of us get a little bug-eyed after hauling a 3,400 lb. stocker down from top speed to about 50 mph, down a steep hill, while down shifting from fourth-to-third-to-second, and sliding side-by-side through a ninety degree right hander.
21 22 Jeff Burton As part of his buyout to Roush, Burton was forced to take the 1,256 AOL disks the team had in its mailbox.
22 21 Brian Vickers Don’t look now, but there’s a big, brown truck pulling right up against your left-rear bumper.
23 23 Rusty Wallace When Scott Wimmer takes no less than three off-course sightseeing excursions through the upstate New York countryside -- and still finishes six places ahead of you -- you stay at No. 23.
24 25 Sterling Marlin We'll move you up one spot merely for the fact that you're the best quote in NASCAR.
25 NR Ricky Rudd First top 10 of the season. Only 590 points out of 10th place. And not mathematically eliminated.
