How the Rankings are Calculated: Frontstretch does our Power Rankings somewhat similar to how the Associated Press does them for basketball or football – our expert stable of NASCAR writers, both on staff and from other major publications 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, Summer Dreyer calculates the points, adds some funny one-liners and … here you go!
| FRONTSTRETCH TOP-15 POWER RANKINGS: APRIL 18, 2012 | |||
| Rank | Driver (First-Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
| 1 | Greg Biffle (9) | 199 | 3 |
| Saturday night’s win (April 14) is further establishing Biffle as the regular-season favorite. But as teammate Carl Edwards can attest to, that doesn’t guarantee anything come Chase time. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch | |||
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 177 | 4 |
| Didn’t Ryan Newman get the memo? When Johnson is fighting for the lead, he gets his own racing lane, free of traffic for 50 feet on either side. That’s what Chad told him! Tom Bowles, Frontstretch | |||
| 3 | Matt Kenseth | 169 | 5 |
| It appears teammate Biffle has been taking notes on Kenseth’s patented “finish consistently, attract little media attention and pick up an occasional win here and there” strategy. Summer Dreyer, Frontstretch | |||
| 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 163 | 6 |
| Michael Waltrip Racing cued up the Monkees on my MP3 player: “I’m a Believer.” Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com | |||
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 157 | 1 |
| 10th on the racetrack Saturday night, but back in familiar territory as the fourth-best Hendrick car on a 1.5-miler. Prediction: will be clicking his heels, going “There’s no place like Talladega” about 20 times after Kansas. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch | |||
| 6 | Kevin Harvick | 135 | 9 |
| Nothing would have spiced up a dull Texas race like a little love tap from the front of Harvick’s car to the rear of Kyle Busch’s. Not that we’d ever want to stir anything up. Summer Dreyer, Frontstretch | |||
| 7 | Carl Edwards | 123 | 11 |
| Second-place curse has made him the weakest of the Roush drivers so far this season. Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com | |||
| 8 | Tony Stewart (1) | 122 | 2 |
| Did someone forget to tell Stewart and company that the Easter break only lasts one week? Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch | |||
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 117 | 7 |
| Someone needs to tell Darian Grubb getting “revenge” over Stewart by winning first doesn’t mean he gets to take the rest of the year off. Although I’m sure Denny’s reminding him of it, at the racetrack, in so many wonderful ways. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch | |||
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 115 | 13 |
| Aside from Martinsville, Gordon hasn’t shown much competitiveness and his finishes have been atrocious for a four-time champion. Of course, the same thing could be said about Stewart for the first 26 races of the 2011 season. Summer Dreyer, Frontstretch | |||
| 11 | Mark Martin | 88 | NR |
| Might only be a part-time driver but shows a full-time effort every race he shows up for this season. Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com | |||
| 12 | Ryan Newman | 81 | 8 |
| Kindly reminded this week, at 4 a.m. by some “informants” in dark glasses and heavy trench coats where he sits on the Hendrick/Stewart-Haas totem pole. I don’t think the No. 39 will be a “lapped-traffic problem” for Mr. Johnson anymore. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch | |||
| 13 | Clint Bowyer | 73 | 10 |
| Bowyer did the Texas two-step outta there! That race was a mess for the No. 15 team compared to his teammates. Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com | |||
| 14 | Kyle Busch | 72 | NR |
| Not racing as much seems to have taken the edge off of Rowdy. Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com | |||
| 15 | Brad Keselowski | 53 | 12 |
| A White House visit for his finishing position in the Chase last year was the lone highlight of his week. Good thing he was in someone else’s car so he could be certain there would be enough fuel to make it there. Summer Dreyer, Frontstretch | |||
| Dropped Out: AJ Allmendinger (14), Aric Almirola (15) | |||
| Others Receiving Votes: AJ Allmendinger (50), Kasey Kahne (49), Paul Menard (40), Kurt Busch (29), Joey Logano (25), Jamie McMurray (20), Jeff Burton (16), Juan Pablo Montoya (14), Marcos Ambrose (12), Regan Smith (1) | |||
| Who Voted: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch; Tom Bowles, Frontstretch; Carolyn Brewster, NASCAR Illustrated; Kelly Crandall, Speedwaymedia.com; Summer Dreyer, Frontstretch; Amanda Ebersole, Skirtsandscuffs.com; Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch; Dustin Long, Athlon Sports; Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com; Mike Neff, Frontstretch; Matt Taliaferro, Athlon Sports | |||
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