Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2012 FedEx 400 at Dover

Hendrick Motorsports has shot out of a rocketship, winning every race – including the Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race – since May 12. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago we were talking about how HMS was struggling early on in the season? My, how time flies! But if the standings are any indication, they have quite a bit of competition on their hands for the championship, in particular from the Roush Fenway Racing duo of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle. 

Which team is our team of NASCAR web experts more impressed with this week? Did wins or consistency determine the top spot in our Power Rankings? Keep reading to find out.

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 Bedgood calculates the points, adds some funny one-liners and … here you go!

FRONTSTRETCH TOP-15 POWER RANKINGS: JUNE 6, 2012
RankDriver (First-Place Votes)VotesLast Week
1Jimmie Johnson (4)1553
Now we know what Boris Said looks like after he plays paintball. Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com
2Matt Kenseth (3)1512
Johnson may be getting the wins and the attention with this clown wig, but Kenseth is getting the points. And we think he is just fine with that. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch
3Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1)1434
Sadly, points do not matter without a win. Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com
4Greg Biffle1351
Spent the weekend at the Monster Mile becoming all but invisible. How funny! That’s how most people think he’ll be during the entire 10-race Chase. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch
5Kevin Harvick1139
He may have just had the quietest second-place finish in the history of NASCAR. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch
6Martin Truex Jr.10210
Consistent the entire season and leading the way for MWR, Truex needs a win for morale, momentum and added mojo to compete for the 2012 championship. Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com
7Brad Keselowski937
Hasn’t exactly been on top of his game the last two weeks; so-so starts lead to so-so finishes in this 2012 game of track position. But what you can take from it, the sign of a true title contender is how the car still improves dramatically over the course of the race. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch
8Kasey Kahne918
Kahne is currently setting an example for his teammate Jeff Gordon. There is still time for a comeback! Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch
9Kyle Busch906
Tough weekend for the Busch brothers at Dover. One blew his motor and the other may have possibly blown his career. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch
10Clint Bowyer8913
A surprising stat you may not be aware of: Bowyer has only three finishes this season lower than 13th. That’s pretty damn good for a team that didn’t even exist six months ago. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch
11Denny Hamlin885
Hamlin goes from his nightmare track at the Monster Mile to one of his best tracks in Pocono. Let’s just hope the racing steps up, too. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch
12Tony Stewart6412
From championship to mid-pack, Stewart seems to be in a free fall. Quick, everyone panic. Amanda Ebersole, SkirtandScuffs.com
13Jeff Gordon5614
The next time there’s a mystery debris caution when Gordon needs a break, don’t you get the sense Robin Pemberton might be picking up the debris of his face somewhere on pit road after the race? This poor guy sounds like he’s at his wit’s end. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch
14Carl Edwards5111
Both of his teammates seem to have taken a page out of Edwards’s book from last season, and managed to leave him behind in the process. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch
15Ryan Newman4615
Newman’s crewmember Andy Rueger can relate to Kurt Busch’s post-Dover comments, since, after all it was Busch that Rueger wanted to beat the s— out of in the first place. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch
Dropped Out: None
Others Receiving Votes:  Joey Logano (43), Aric Almirola (42), Paul Menard (37), Mark Martin (31), Marcos Ambrose (28), AJ Allmendinger (11), Jeff Burton (9), Kurt Busch (7), Regan Smith (3), David Ragan (1), Juan Pablo Montoya (1)
Who Voted: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch; Kelly Crandall, SpeedwayMedia.com; Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch; Tom Bowles, Frontstretch; Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com; Dustin Long, Athlon Sports; Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch; Dennis Michelsen, RaceTalkRadio.com; Matt Taliaferro, Athlon Sports

About the author

The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.

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