S
stridsberry
Guest
This week in the Power Ratings, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart used solid finishes to retain the top two spots. Those making the biggest gains were Ricky Craven (of course), Dave Blaney, and Elliot Sadler; taking big falls were Jeff Burton and Sterling Marlin
1. (1) MATT KENSETH 158.8
Kept after it after suffering heavy left-side damage early, and came home with an 8th-place finish. Last year, he likely wouldn’t have done that well.
2. (2) TONY STEWART 146.4
He hasn’t finished higher than 5th, but no lower than 20th either. And he sure had a better result than last year at this joint.
T3. (4) MICHAEL WALTRIP 131.3
He’s been racking up the top-5s, but needs to not counter them with a poor run the following week if he wants to be considered championship-caliber.
T3. (8) DALE EARNHARDT JR. 131.3
Three straight strong races have him back up to 4th in points.
5. (5) KURT BUSCH 125.9
Three 2nd-places, two DNFs. And he’s gotten away with it – for now. But Darrell’s right in that he could win nearly every race if the breaks go his way.
6. (6) RYAN NEWMAN 122.1
They’ve gotten the Dodge so that it qualifies just great. Now, about staying out of trouble on race day…
7. (18) RICKY CRAVEN 119.7
“Have you ever?” “No, I’ve never!” An appropriate way to describe one of the best finishes ever. Congratulations to the entire PPI team; they earned this one.
8. (3) JIMMIE JOHNSON 115.8
Marlin vs. Johnson, Round II. This time, Johnson got the better of the deal – but he still didn’t finish all that well.
9. (7) BOBBY LABONTE 112.6
An early wreck effectively neutralized his Atlanta win. He was strong at Bristol last year, so look for him to get back on track this Sunday.
10. (12) MARK MARTIN 112.3
The engine finally held up, and another top-5 finish was the result. But he really can’t afford any more engine problems if he’s to contend again for the title.
11. (19) DAVE BLANEY 111.9
This entire team continues to impress, and now that they have a top-5, they’re that much more likely to win.
12. (10) DALE JARRETT 111
He’s been pretty much invisible since Rockingham, while his teammate shines.
13. (9) JEFF GORDON 109.8
Burning up the tires is something you expect from a driver in his first few years – not from a four-time champion.
14. (22) ELLIOTT SADLER 105.3
He’s converting more critics (myself included – remember the preseason ratings?) with every top-10 finish. Of course, a couple top-5s wouldn’t hurt either.
15. (14) JOHNNY BENSON 103.3
Consistency took a slight downturn at Darlington, and we’re nearing the point where Johnny has to finish races in the top-10 to make the top-10 in points.
16. (15) RUSTY WALLACE 102.9
Bristol was Rusty’s stomping ground in the 1990s, and it would be a good place to jump-start what has been a mediocre season.
17. (21) JOE NEMECHEK 101.2
Joe’s been one of the most consistent drivers (worst finish: 23rd) to date, and 9th place in points is the result.
18. (17) RICKY RUDD 99.7
Overlooked in the single-car resurgence is Ricky Rudd; Darlington marked his 4th top-18 finish in five races.
19. (11) JEFF BURTON 97.2
Engine woes for the 2nd straight week dropped 13 spots in points, but as Steven Wright once said: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up.
20. (13) STERLING MARLIN 93.1
I personally wouldn’t have been as calm as Sterling after that wreck. It may have been a racing accident, but Jimmie pulling that kind of slide job is pointless 20 laps into a 293-lap race.
21. (16) KEVIN HARVICK 90.7
As is often the case at Darlington, he got caught in somebody else’s mess. And it cost him a lot of points.
22. (23) STEVE PARK 87.5
Notice that we’ve gone a few weeks now without seeing any articles that are question Steve’s job security. It’s amazing what a few solid finishes can do.
23. (20) ROBBY GORDON 87
He did a lot better than I thought he would with all that tape on the front. It still wasn’t much, but it’s the principle of the thing.
24. (24) JIMMY SPENCER 86.4
A major Darlington stripe caused another strong day to go sour. He could be good dark horse at Bristol.
25. (26) BILL ELLIOTT 85.7
Bill’s always been a favorite son of the Lady in Black, and on Sunday she helped him take a step toward getting the season out of 1st gear.
26. (30) GREG BIFFLE 83.1
Greg’s been very consistent, but he’s still trying to work his way back from that DNQ.
27. (27) TERRY LABONTE 78.5
Hi Terry. So tell us, what does it feel like to be 25th in points?
28. (31) JAMIE McMURRAY 77.6
When you’re three laps down and still finish 22nd, you know that there’s a good chance you’re at Darlington.
29. (29) WARD BURTON 75.7
I didn’t see the Newman/Burton ordeal, so I can’t comment on who was at fault. But it sure didn’t help Ward’s day.
30. (25) JEREMY MAYFIELD 73.2
I didn’t hear much about this team in the off-season, so being an optimistic, I figured it meant that they had gelled and could make a statement at the start of the year. How silly of me.
31. (33) JEFF GREEN 72.9
He finally broke the top-20 in a race, and was the highest of the RCR cars, but 78.4 points per race is still a pretty ugly stat to have.
32. (28) CASEY MEARS 72.7
The finish wasn’t there on Sunday, but the potential was, as he spent a long time running in the top-15.
33. (40) MIKE SKINNER 67.5
He ran in the top-10 for a long time before being trapped a lap down on pit stops. But for this team, 11th is nothing to be ashamed about.
34. (32) KYLE PETTY 67.1
He extended the DNF-less streak to 40, but that’s about the only good thing that has happened for the organization for this year.
35. (35) KENNY WALLACE 66.2
Yet another middle-of-the pack day. At least by running into Jeff, he got some TV time.
36. (41) KEN SCHRADER 60.2
Looky here at who’s broken into the top-20! It’s the BAM car! Do it again, and maybe other teams will take you a little more seriously.
37. (38) JERRY NADEAU 59.9
If nothing else, Sunday affirmed Jerry’s reputation of having some of the worst luck in Winston Cup.
38. (34) JACK SPRAGUE 59.1
Some teams would have given up and parked the car if they had nothing to gain. But this bunch apparently does not like making use of the DNF column.
39. (37) TONY RAINES 57.8
Just when I thought Tony was ready to step it up…he gets caught in a typical Darlington fracas. Another could be waiting next week.
40. (36) TODD BODINE 57.3
Never before have I seen a driver at the extreme end of both sides of the stick in two days. Busch Series is good to Todd; Winston Cup, not so good.
41. (39) JOHN ANDRETTI 56.6
What would usually be a typical love tap ended up shredding the tire and spoiling a decent day.
42. (42) LARRY FOYT 46.1
This was his best finish of his young Winston Cup career. Suffice to say that they have not been part of the single car resurgence.
43. (NR) BRETT BODINE 25
The best part of Brett’s day? Four of the drivers he beat have double-digits in the career win column.
1. (1) MATT KENSETH 158.8
Kept after it after suffering heavy left-side damage early, and came home with an 8th-place finish. Last year, he likely wouldn’t have done that well.
2. (2) TONY STEWART 146.4
He hasn’t finished higher than 5th, but no lower than 20th either. And he sure had a better result than last year at this joint.
T3. (4) MICHAEL WALTRIP 131.3
He’s been racking up the top-5s, but needs to not counter them with a poor run the following week if he wants to be considered championship-caliber.
T3. (8) DALE EARNHARDT JR. 131.3
Three straight strong races have him back up to 4th in points.
5. (5) KURT BUSCH 125.9
Three 2nd-places, two DNFs. And he’s gotten away with it – for now. But Darrell’s right in that he could win nearly every race if the breaks go his way.
6. (6) RYAN NEWMAN 122.1
They’ve gotten the Dodge so that it qualifies just great. Now, about staying out of trouble on race day…
7. (18) RICKY CRAVEN 119.7
“Have you ever?” “No, I’ve never!” An appropriate way to describe one of the best finishes ever. Congratulations to the entire PPI team; they earned this one.
8. (3) JIMMIE JOHNSON 115.8
Marlin vs. Johnson, Round II. This time, Johnson got the better of the deal – but he still didn’t finish all that well.
9. (7) BOBBY LABONTE 112.6
An early wreck effectively neutralized his Atlanta win. He was strong at Bristol last year, so look for him to get back on track this Sunday.
10. (12) MARK MARTIN 112.3
The engine finally held up, and another top-5 finish was the result. But he really can’t afford any more engine problems if he’s to contend again for the title.
11. (19) DAVE BLANEY 111.9
This entire team continues to impress, and now that they have a top-5, they’re that much more likely to win.
12. (10) DALE JARRETT 111
He’s been pretty much invisible since Rockingham, while his teammate shines.
13. (9) JEFF GORDON 109.8
Burning up the tires is something you expect from a driver in his first few years – not from a four-time champion.
14. (22) ELLIOTT SADLER 105.3
He’s converting more critics (myself included – remember the preseason ratings?) with every top-10 finish. Of course, a couple top-5s wouldn’t hurt either.
15. (14) JOHNNY BENSON 103.3
Consistency took a slight downturn at Darlington, and we’re nearing the point where Johnny has to finish races in the top-10 to make the top-10 in points.
16. (15) RUSTY WALLACE 102.9
Bristol was Rusty’s stomping ground in the 1990s, and it would be a good place to jump-start what has been a mediocre season.
17. (21) JOE NEMECHEK 101.2
Joe’s been one of the most consistent drivers (worst finish: 23rd) to date, and 9th place in points is the result.
18. (17) RICKY RUDD 99.7
Overlooked in the single-car resurgence is Ricky Rudd; Darlington marked his 4th top-18 finish in five races.
19. (11) JEFF BURTON 97.2
Engine woes for the 2nd straight week dropped 13 spots in points, but as Steven Wright once said: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up.
20. (13) STERLING MARLIN 93.1
I personally wouldn’t have been as calm as Sterling after that wreck. It may have been a racing accident, but Jimmie pulling that kind of slide job is pointless 20 laps into a 293-lap race.
21. (16) KEVIN HARVICK 90.7
As is often the case at Darlington, he got caught in somebody else’s mess. And it cost him a lot of points.
22. (23) STEVE PARK 87.5
Notice that we’ve gone a few weeks now without seeing any articles that are question Steve’s job security. It’s amazing what a few solid finishes can do.
23. (20) ROBBY GORDON 87
He did a lot better than I thought he would with all that tape on the front. It still wasn’t much, but it’s the principle of the thing.
24. (24) JIMMY SPENCER 86.4
A major Darlington stripe caused another strong day to go sour. He could be good dark horse at Bristol.
25. (26) BILL ELLIOTT 85.7
Bill’s always been a favorite son of the Lady in Black, and on Sunday she helped him take a step toward getting the season out of 1st gear.
26. (30) GREG BIFFLE 83.1
Greg’s been very consistent, but he’s still trying to work his way back from that DNQ.
27. (27) TERRY LABONTE 78.5
Hi Terry. So tell us, what does it feel like to be 25th in points?
28. (31) JAMIE McMURRAY 77.6
When you’re three laps down and still finish 22nd, you know that there’s a good chance you’re at Darlington.
29. (29) WARD BURTON 75.7
I didn’t see the Newman/Burton ordeal, so I can’t comment on who was at fault. But it sure didn’t help Ward’s day.
30. (25) JEREMY MAYFIELD 73.2
I didn’t hear much about this team in the off-season, so being an optimistic, I figured it meant that they had gelled and could make a statement at the start of the year. How silly of me.
31. (33) JEFF GREEN 72.9
He finally broke the top-20 in a race, and was the highest of the RCR cars, but 78.4 points per race is still a pretty ugly stat to have.
32. (28) CASEY MEARS 72.7
The finish wasn’t there on Sunday, but the potential was, as he spent a long time running in the top-15.
33. (40) MIKE SKINNER 67.5
He ran in the top-10 for a long time before being trapped a lap down on pit stops. But for this team, 11th is nothing to be ashamed about.
34. (32) KYLE PETTY 67.1
He extended the DNF-less streak to 40, but that’s about the only good thing that has happened for the organization for this year.
35. (35) KENNY WALLACE 66.2
Yet another middle-of-the pack day. At least by running into Jeff, he got some TV time.
36. (41) KEN SCHRADER 60.2
Looky here at who’s broken into the top-20! It’s the BAM car! Do it again, and maybe other teams will take you a little more seriously.
37. (38) JERRY NADEAU 59.9
If nothing else, Sunday affirmed Jerry’s reputation of having some of the worst luck in Winston Cup.
38. (34) JACK SPRAGUE 59.1
Some teams would have given up and parked the car if they had nothing to gain. But this bunch apparently does not like making use of the DNF column.
39. (37) TONY RAINES 57.8
Just when I thought Tony was ready to step it up…he gets caught in a typical Darlington fracas. Another could be waiting next week.
40. (36) TODD BODINE 57.3
Never before have I seen a driver at the extreme end of both sides of the stick in two days. Busch Series is good to Todd; Winston Cup, not so good.
41. (39) JOHN ANDRETTI 56.6
What would usually be a typical love tap ended up shredding the tire and spoiling a decent day.
42. (42) LARRY FOYT 46.1
This was his best finish of his young Winston Cup career. Suffice to say that they have not been part of the single car resurgence.
43. (NR) BRETT BODINE 25
The best part of Brett’s day? Four of the drivers he beat have double-digits in the career win column.
i cant help it