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Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2011 AAA 400 at Dover

The Monster Mile took it easy on equipment this weekend, with only one car not finishing the race because of a crash and 20 winding up on the lead lap. However, those who struggled on the 1-mile, concrete oval also happened to be some of NASCAR’s biggest names.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.? “You found a fine time to leave me, loose wheel…” Tony Stewart? The Smoke was coming out of his ears en route to 25th. Denny Hamlin? Well, we should be used to his ugly, unimpressive 18th-place finishes during a lost season.

In the meantime, Kurt Busch hopes an old-school chemistry with Steve Addington has been found all over again. The duo actually had combined to get the car improving over the course of an event, enough to beat Jimmie Johnson on the final two restarts and hang on to win the race. Right behind them came Carl Edwards, who shot himself in the foot with a pit-road speeding penalty that opened the door for an upset.

Cousin Carl was third, not first when the No. 99 Ford was perhaps the car to beat on speed. Further back, Kevin Harvick brought his ride home in 10th, good enough to keep him tied with Edwards for first place in the points going forward.

So while Edwards flashed some brilliance, surging back into a podium finish was it enough to move him past Stewart for the top spot in our poll? Or are Stewart’s two wins enough to overcome a lackluster performance and keep him in the number one position? Also, how much did Johnson’s second-place run bump him up in the voter’s minds? Read the Power Rankings this week to find out how the experts are shaking down this 43-car field with only seven races left to go.

FRONTSTRETCH TOP-15 POWER RANKINGS: OCT. 5, 2011
Rank Driver (First-Place Votes) Votes Last Week
1 Carl Edwards (4) 116 2
The difference between Cousin Carl and Kurt Busch is the in-race meltdown over the pit road speeding penalty contained the words, “Aw, Shucks” instead of “Monkey @##$ing a Football.”
2 Kevin Harvick 109 3
Trying to kill ’em with consistency, hoping 10th every week is going to be enough. News flash for the Closer: it’s not. They’ve got to start leading laps, pronto because someone’s going to start winning races and inch ahead.
3 Tony Stewart (1) 98 1
Does it make it OK if you tell everyone for the entire week leading up to the race that you’re going to suck?
4 Jimmie Johnson (1) 93 8
Somehow, in the midst of all those people digging his grave Johnson is sitting at the funeral home, waiting for a Halloween points lead scare once they finish the burial and come back.
5 Jeff Gordon 91 5
Somehow, someway has hung in there through a Chase where no one’s stood out. But Kansas needs to offer a kickstart because there’s also no margin for error here.
6 Brad Keselowski 90 4
Not sure if you can call a 20th-place finish championship caliber, but it was enough to keep them in the conversation which is more than the other wildcard team is doing.
7 Kurt Busch 85 10
Did you know Kurt Busch came out in public yesterday and called Steve Addington his “best friend” on NASCAR Now? Man, some friendship they have, right? That quote reminds us, we have to call our buddies and ask them out on Friday for some quality verbal abuse, temper tantrum and hissy fit time at the mall.
8 Kyle Busch 83 7
Heading into the heavy intermediate portion of the Chase with this guy still in contention could make the playoff a bit more interesting.
9 Matt Kenseth 82 6
Still flying so far under the radar that he’s rubbing on the ground.
10 Kasey Kahne 56 15
Putting his best foot forward as employees all around him start jumping ship with pink slips coming. It’s like a bad dream, right? Or his life 12 months ago.
11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 47 9
Sucking less than Ryan Newman and Hamlin after three races. That’s about it.
12 Clint Bowyer 46 NR
Trying to sightsee the front of the field as much as possible before he watches it zoom away from him driving a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota in 2012.
13 AJ Allmendinger 40 NR
The most airtime for a seventh-place finishing non-Chaser since the current format began in 2004.
14 Ryan Newman 38 12
What a difference two months makes.
15 Brian Vickers 36 13
When the guy’s taking a bankrupt Nationwide Series ride out of the blue to keep his status intact for 2012 you know the Sprint Cup opportunities are few and far between.
Dropped Out: Greg Biffle (11), David Ragan (14)
Others Receiving Votes: David Ragan (26), Marcos Ambrose (22), Greg Biffle (20), Juan Pablo Montoya (18), Denny Hamlin (18), Jeff Burton (17), Regan Smith (15), Martin Truex Jr. (4), Paul Menard (4), Joey Logano (3), David Reutimann (3)
Writer Voters Include: Phil Allaway, Tom Bowles, Bryan Davis Keith, Tony Lumbis, Mike Neff and Garrett Horton
Frontstretch.com

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.