Benevolent One
Team Owner
NASCAR Power Rankings
Rank Last Week Driver
1 1 Jeff Gordon
At last, some adversity! Gordon received a stiff penalty from NASCAR for failing a CoT inspection last week. But he took some of the sting out of things by finishing seventh at Infineon, his 14th top-10 finish in 16 races. While his points lead shrank by 100, he's still 171 points up on second-place Denny Hamlin. Gordon finished 15th and third at New Hampshire last year, but hasn't won there since 1998.
2 3 Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is on the rise after his 10th-place finish at Infineon last Sunday, because the result sets him up perfectly for a New Hampshire track that is right in his wheelhouse. He was sixth and fourth there a year ago. Earlier this season, I spoke with Mike Ford, Hamlin's crew chief, about his driver's lack of wins during the first third of the season. Ford gave two reasons not to worry. First: if Hamlin kept driving well, the wins were going to come. Second: the races in the Chase suit Hamlin perfectly. And where's the first race in the Chase? Why it's at New Hampshire, of course. Do I hear the theme music from Jaws?
3 2 Jimmie Johnson
Hmm. Now I'm starting to get a little worried. JJ's still got those four wins, which will serve him well during the Chase, but I'm not encouraged by his recent performances. His 17th-place run at Infineon was his fourth straight finish outside of the top 10. He won twice at New Hampshire in 2003, but is oh-for-six since then. What to expect this weekend? I'm not sure, but JJ better hope it's not a replay of his 39th-place finish there last fall.
4 5 Tony Stewart
The Gibbs team is on the rise. All they need is a victory. Sunday was Stewart's sixth top-10 finish in the last seven races. He has to like his chances at New Hampshire, where he's been pretty dominant lately, with four top fives in his last five starts.
5 4 Matt Kenseth
Sunday makes two ugly finishes in a row (42nd and 34th) for Mr. Consistency, who hadn't finished worse than 14th since the Daytona 500. What gives, just bad racing luck, I think, though he's never been particularly sharp at Infineon. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is another story. He's been pretty terrific there, even though he hasn't yet won. Nine top 10s and an average finish of 10.9 have Kenseth's stock on the rise this week.
6 7 Jeff Burton
What do you know, a top-five finish! Burton's third-place run at Infineon was his first such result since he won at Texas way back in April. Despite his struggles, he's managed to hold on to fifth place in the power rankings that shall not be named, and I think he might actually be ready to make a bit of a move. New Hampshire is one of his favorite tracks. He's won four races there, and hasn't finished out of the top 10 since the first race in 2005.
7 6 Carl Edwards
Yes, he was 18th at Infineon, but he ran up front for much of the race, and even led a few laps. He also continued his odd good-race/bad-race streak. His last seven finishes, in order, are 12th, fifth, 15th, third, 14th, first, 18th. I guess that pattern means we should look for good things this weekend. He's certainly capable at New Hampshire, where he finished second a year ago. On the other hand, his best finish besides that one was a 12th-place run in 2005. Your guess is as good as mine.
8 10 Kevin Harvick
I have a feeling Harvick regrets letting Juan Pablo Montoy pass him, don't you? Harvick was sure that Montoya didn't have the fuel to finish the race, and it cost him a victory. As it is, he finished second to the rookie, his second top-10 finish in a row. And that should give him some momentum heading to New Hampshire, where he has run pretty well of late. He won there last fall, and has seven top 10s in his career.
9 9 Martin Truex Jr.
After three straight top-10 finishes, Truex came back to earth last weekend with a 24th-place run. That's okay, he's still 11th in the power rankings that shall not be named. He struggled a bit at New Hampshire last year, finishing 18th and 22nd, but '07 has been a year of firsts for the man. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
10 8 Clint Bowyer
Sunday was his fifth top-10 finish in the last seven races, continuing what has to be the least-noticed good season of the year. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Bowyer get his first career win before the '07 campaign is over. Will it be at New Hampshire? He was 24th and 27th there last year, but he's much more competitive this time around.
10(a) NR Kyle Busch
Don't look now, but the Shrub has run off three straight top 10s, and New Hampshire looks to be right up his alley. He's got two top-five finishes there, including a victory last June. This free-agent is getting hot at just the right time.
Rank Last Week Driver
1 1 Jeff Gordon
At last, some adversity! Gordon received a stiff penalty from NASCAR for failing a CoT inspection last week. But he took some of the sting out of things by finishing seventh at Infineon, his 14th top-10 finish in 16 races. While his points lead shrank by 100, he's still 171 points up on second-place Denny Hamlin. Gordon finished 15th and third at New Hampshire last year, but hasn't won there since 1998.
2 3 Denny Hamlin
Hamlin is on the rise after his 10th-place finish at Infineon last Sunday, because the result sets him up perfectly for a New Hampshire track that is right in his wheelhouse. He was sixth and fourth there a year ago. Earlier this season, I spoke with Mike Ford, Hamlin's crew chief, about his driver's lack of wins during the first third of the season. Ford gave two reasons not to worry. First: if Hamlin kept driving well, the wins were going to come. Second: the races in the Chase suit Hamlin perfectly. And where's the first race in the Chase? Why it's at New Hampshire, of course. Do I hear the theme music from Jaws?
3 2 Jimmie Johnson
Hmm. Now I'm starting to get a little worried. JJ's still got those four wins, which will serve him well during the Chase, but I'm not encouraged by his recent performances. His 17th-place run at Infineon was his fourth straight finish outside of the top 10. He won twice at New Hampshire in 2003, but is oh-for-six since then. What to expect this weekend? I'm not sure, but JJ better hope it's not a replay of his 39th-place finish there last fall.
4 5 Tony Stewart
The Gibbs team is on the rise. All they need is a victory. Sunday was Stewart's sixth top-10 finish in the last seven races. He has to like his chances at New Hampshire, where he's been pretty dominant lately, with four top fives in his last five starts.
5 4 Matt Kenseth
Sunday makes two ugly finishes in a row (42nd and 34th) for Mr. Consistency, who hadn't finished worse than 14th since the Daytona 500. What gives, just bad racing luck, I think, though he's never been particularly sharp at Infineon. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is another story. He's been pretty terrific there, even though he hasn't yet won. Nine top 10s and an average finish of 10.9 have Kenseth's stock on the rise this week.
6 7 Jeff Burton
What do you know, a top-five finish! Burton's third-place run at Infineon was his first such result since he won at Texas way back in April. Despite his struggles, he's managed to hold on to fifth place in the power rankings that shall not be named, and I think he might actually be ready to make a bit of a move. New Hampshire is one of his favorite tracks. He's won four races there, and hasn't finished out of the top 10 since the first race in 2005.
7 6 Carl Edwards
Yes, he was 18th at Infineon, but he ran up front for much of the race, and even led a few laps. He also continued his odd good-race/bad-race streak. His last seven finishes, in order, are 12th, fifth, 15th, third, 14th, first, 18th. I guess that pattern means we should look for good things this weekend. He's certainly capable at New Hampshire, where he finished second a year ago. On the other hand, his best finish besides that one was a 12th-place run in 2005. Your guess is as good as mine.
8 10 Kevin Harvick
I have a feeling Harvick regrets letting Juan Pablo Montoy pass him, don't you? Harvick was sure that Montoya didn't have the fuel to finish the race, and it cost him a victory. As it is, he finished second to the rookie, his second top-10 finish in a row. And that should give him some momentum heading to New Hampshire, where he has run pretty well of late. He won there last fall, and has seven top 10s in his career.
9 9 Martin Truex Jr.
After three straight top-10 finishes, Truex came back to earth last weekend with a 24th-place run. That's okay, he's still 11th in the power rankings that shall not be named. He struggled a bit at New Hampshire last year, finishing 18th and 22nd, but '07 has been a year of firsts for the man. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
10 8 Clint Bowyer
Sunday was his fifth top-10 finish in the last seven races, continuing what has to be the least-noticed good season of the year. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Bowyer get his first career win before the '07 campaign is over. Will it be at New Hampshire? He was 24th and 27th there last year, but he's much more competitive this time around.
10(a) NR Kyle Busch
Don't look now, but the Shrub has run off three straight top 10s, and New Hampshire looks to be right up his alley. He's got two top-five finishes there, including a victory last June. This free-agent is getting hot at just the right time.