The duel in the desert Saturday night (April 10) came packaged with a sudden late-night plot twist that led to a green-white-checkered finish for the ages. When the smoke cleared, it was a shocking winner (Ryan Newman) whose 77-race losing streak came to an end while allowing the frustration from other victory droughts (Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon) to grow exponentially.
The final results launched Newman right up our Power Rankings ladder… but there was a roadblock right at the top. As the checkered flag fell Saturday night, there was Jimmie Johnson sitting third, holding rock steady to a top-five finish that solidified his grip atop our rankings. How close was Newman to knocking him off? How much did the “pity factor” give both Gordon and Busch an extra boost?
And did Denny Hamlin gutting it out with a gimpy leg help or hurt his cause? Read this week’s Power Rankings to find out where these drivers wound up along with your favorite.
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: APRIL 14, 2010 | |||
| Rank | Driver (First-Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson (10) | 217 | 1 |
| Amazed Knaus didn’t have him stay out and steal one on old tires. Could Super Chad be slipping? | |||
| 2 | Matt Kenseth | 195 | 2 |
| Tabbed as Johnson’s biggest rival for the championship. In other words, he’s been jinxed (See: Edwards, Carl; Hamlin, Denny; Busch, Kurt). | |||
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 190 | 5 |
| With seven runner-up finishes but no wins the past year, it’s to the point Gordon should be a rent-a-bridesmaid for somebody’s wedding. | |||
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 176 | 3 |
| Remember when he was the points leader? Yeah, neither do we. | |||
| 5 | Greg Biffle | 162 | 4 |
| Don’t worry, Greg. Even Jeff Burton can’t score a top 10 every week. | |||
| 6 | Clint Bowyer | 146 | 8 |
| Not sure what was more impressive: a top 10 on Saturday night or keeping the Zaxby’s chicken car intact in the Nationwide race. | |||
| 7 | Carl Edwards | 116 | 11 |
| 3-for-3 on top-10 finishes since flipping Brad Keselowski into the wall. Could this be the start of a new trend? | |||
| 8 | Jeff Burton | 115 | 7 |
| Flat tire, pitting outside the box… doesn’t he realize those are things that only happen to Dale Earnhardt Jr.? | |||
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 110 | NR |
| Sent Dave Rogers some oil in water this week to show how their partnership is currently working. | |||
| 10 | Kurt Busch (1) | 108 | 6 |
| Can his luck suck any worse? Maybe we shouldn’t ask. | |||
| 11 | Mark Martin | 106 | 10 |
| Phoenix is the destination for many retired Americans; maybe that is why the only AARP card-carrying member of the Cup ranks runs so well there. | |||
| 12 | Ryan Newman | 97 | NR |
| If not for GWC finishes, Newman would have one win in five years – and people bag on Junior? | |||
| 13 | Joey Logano | 96 | 13 |
| Don’t look now, but Sliced Bread is busy slicing his way through a Chase-contending field near you. | |||
| 14 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 81 | 12 |
| Not sure if 12th was good or bad, but someone needs to figure out why Junior always has chattering tires. | |||
| 15 | Tony Stewart | 75 | 9 |
| Apparently, going green doesn’t suit Tony very well… unless it’s being green with envy at watching his other car win the race. | |||
| Dropped Out: Paul Menard (14), Denny Hamlin (15) | |||
| Also Receiving Votes: Juan Pablo Montoya (59), Denny Hamlin (57), Paul Menard (44), Brad Keselowski (32), AJ Allmendinger (29), Martin Truex Jr. (23), Jamie McMurray (13), Marcos Ambrose (13), Sam Hornish Jr. (13), Kasey Kahne (11), Scott Speed (9), Brian Vickers (8), Robby Gordon (8), David Ragan (1) | |||
| Writer Voting Panel: Phil Allaway, Brock Beard, Thomas Bowles, Bryan Davis Keith, Tony Lumbis, Mike Neff, John Potts, Vito Pugliese, Mike Ravesi, Kurt Smith and Matt Taliaferro | |||
About the author
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.
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