Dover’s Monster Mile was more like something from Monsters, Inc. this past weekend, but the G-rated version still served up a little mixture among the Power Rankings. The biggest news of the weekend was Jimmie Johnson forgetting what the pit-road speed was long enough to be penalized, throwing away a very good chance at winning the race. In his place rose Kyle Busch, gaining momentum with his second win of the year that leaves him a solid second in the standings.
But while Busch might be number two in real life, has he risen up to number one in our poll? And what about two new entrants who give the poll a little extra “Spice” this week? Read this week’s Power Rankings to see if your driver was able to survive the Monster Mile or if he was crushed like a toy tank in a Godzilla movie, dropping right off the list.
| FRONTSTRETCH POWER RANKINGS: MAY 19, 2010 | |||
| Rank | Driver (First-Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
| 1 | Kyle Busch (4) | 186 | 2 |
| Two laps from an unprecedented trifecta at the Monster Mile. Good preparation for an Indy/Charlotte double someday? | |||
| 2 | Kevin Harvick (3) | 184 | 2 |
| Reviving Tony Stewart’s role from last year as the unlikely points leader. | |||
| 3 | Denny Hamlin (2) | 174 | 3 |
| He wanted so much to be mad at Clint Bowyer following that Nationwide incident – but how could he with that beautiful hair? | |||
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson (1) | 169 | 1 |
| In keeping with California protests of Arizona’s immigration law, the El Cajon native will sport the “Los Lowe’s” paint scheme in next weekend’s All-Star Race. | |||
| 5 | Jeff Gordon | 165 | 4 |
| Would NASCAR consider letting Gordon bring T-Rex out of mothballs to have a shot at winning a race? | |||
| 6 | Jeff Burton | 150 | 6 |
| Sporting a Dale Earnhardt paint scheme can’t hurt his chances of racing into the All-Star Race. | |||
| 7 | Matt Kenseth (1) | 138 | 8 |
| Finished ahead of Hendrick for a change, but still not winning races. | |||
| 8 | Greg Biffle | 117 | T-12 |
| Back on the top-10 wagon, but ought to try leading a lap once in a while. | |||
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 104 | 7 |
| How much worse will his bad runs look in a bright yellow car? | |||
| 10 | Carl Edwards | 98 | 11 |
| Leading an average of one lap every six races. | |||
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 83 | 15 |
| He may not know how to get to the moon, but to get into the Chase, Pat Tryson knows just what to do. | |||
| 12 | Ryan Newman | 82 | 14 |
| Leading an Army-like procession up the ranks for the No. 39 team; but will his teammate and driver/owner come with him? | |||
| 13 | Mark Martin | 79 | 10 |
| At least he didn’t finish 30th. | |||
| 14 | Tony Stewart | 53 | NR |
| Could the All-Star Race reenergize this team again? | |||
| 15 | David Reutimann | 51 | NR |
| Sunday was a prime example of why he’s still buried in the points. | |||
| Dropped Out: Jamie McMurray (9), Juan Pablo Montoya (T-12) | |||
| Also Receiving Votes: Joey Logano (49), Jamie McMurray (45), Juan Pablo Montoya (42), Clint Bowyer (40), AJ Allmendinger (31), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (29), Brad Keselowski (15), Kasey Kahne (10), Paul Menard (3), Regan Smith (1), David Stremme (1) | |||
| Writer Voting Panel: Phil Allaway, Brock Beard, Thomas Bowles, Bryan Davis Keith, Tony Lumbis, Mike Neff, 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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