Racing at Kansas Speedway saw Tony Stewart regain his winning form once more, capturing the Price Chopper 400 for his fourth career trip to victory lane as driver/owner. But a victory does not necessarily mean a trip back to the top of the Power Rankings; in fact, with nine Chasers finishing in the top 10, it didn’t take long for the experts to make their lists this week. And when all the votes were tabulated, to no one’s surprise there was some of the least movement we’ve had in our Power Rankings at any time all year.
In fact, the 15 drivers in our poll last week remained in the poll this week. Where do they rank and who’s on top? Read on and find out who the movers and shakers are in this week’s edition of the Power Rankings.
How the Rankings Are Calculated: Frontstretch does our power rankings somewhat similar to how the Associated Press does them for basketball or football – writers on staff will vote for the top 20 on a 20-19-18-17-16-15… 3-2-1 basis, giving 20 points to their first-place driver, 19 for their second and so on. In the end, Mike Neff calculates the points, adds some funny one-liners and… voila! You have one batch of Power Rankings to serve to our fans.
FRONTSTRETCH TOP-15 POWER RANKINGS: OCTOBER 7, 2009 | |||
Rank | Driver (First-Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
1 | Jimmie Johnson (4) | 193 | 2 |
Ninth in a Chase race? That’s a near disaster for the No. 48. | |||
2 | Mark Martin (5) | 190 | 1 |
Charlie Brown’s trying so hard to kick the football, but we’re still anticipating that awful moment when Lucy just pulls it away. | |||
3 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 172 | 3 |
The only driver with three top fives in the Chase – which is more than he had in the entire regular season. Any questions on why the playoffs are now the major focus? | |||
4 | Jeff Gordon | 156 | 5 |
With seven runner-up finishes, he’s learned a cruel lesson the last few years on how he’s no longer number one at Hendrick Motorsports. | |||
5 | Tony Stewart (1) | 150 | 7 |
Winner, winner, Chicken Dinner. | |||
6 | Denny Hamlin | 149 | 4 |
If only Delaware got wiped off the map, Hamlin could still be considered a title contender. As of now, we’ll see. | |||
7 | Kurt Busch | 146 | 6 |
Yup, the “Pat Tryson leaving will eventually wear down this team” theory is right on schedule three weeks in. | |||
8 | Greg Biffle | 120 | 9 |
Held up four fingers to make a tire call that cost him the race. Crew chief Greg Erwin should have responded by holding up his middle one. | |||
9 | Ryan Newman | 119 | 8 |
His pit crew started the season like the Three Stooges, so it’s only appropriate that their mistakes are going to be what finishes him off in this Chase. | |||
10 | Kasey Kahne | 113 | 11 |
Charlotte can’t get here soon enough. | |||
11 | Carl Edwards | 92 | 12 |
Even the AFLAC duck can’t fly out of the hole he’s dug himself at this point. | |||
12 | Brian Vickers | 89 | 10 |
That was one uninspired performance for a team that was licking at the chops to head back to an intermediate track. | |||
13 | Kyle Busch | 72 | 13 |
Forgot that to “settle some scores,” you need to have a racecar capable of running with the people you want to beat. | |||
14 | Matt Kenseth | 67 | 14 |
She done blowed up. | |||
15 | Clint Bowyer | 58 | 15 |
Can this season possibly end any sooner for RCR? | |||
Dropped Out: None | |||
Also Receiving Votes: Marcos Ambrose (51), David Reutimann (33), Kevin Harvick (32), AJ Allmendinger (22), Jeff Burton (17), Casey Mears (16), Brad Keselowski (12), Joey Logano (10), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8), Martin Truex Jr. (6), Bill Elliott (2), Elliott Sadler (2), Jamie McMurray (2), Bobby Labonte (1) |
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? The writer, radio contributor and racetrack announcer coordinates the site’s local short track coverage, hitting up Saturday Night Specials across the country while tracking the sport’s future racing stars. The writer for our signature Cup post-race column, Thinkin’ Out Loud (Mondays) also sits down with Cup crew chiefs to talk shop every Friday with Tech Talk. Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.