Love it or hate it, Talladega certainly delivered when it came to "The Big One." Pretty much everyone other than Matt Kenseth left with heavily damaged racecars which means overtime for the Cup Series crew members. You hear that sound? That's the sigh of relief from NASCAR Nation that Talladega has finally been crossed off the schedule.
How did race winner Matt Kenseth do in our rankings? And was Keselowski able to hold the lead? Continue 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: October 9th | |||
| Rank | Driver (First Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
| 1 | Brad Keselowski (5) | 153 | 1 |
| When all the dust cleared, the blue deuce emerged battered but still with the points lead. Could this be a sign of things to come when the "Chase dust" clears at Homestead? Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson (1) | 142 | 2 |
| Many thought the best moment of the aftermath of the "Big One" of seeing drivers cilmb from their cars was Johnson hitching a ride on Dale, Jr.'s window ledge. No truth to the rumor that Junior asked for directions on getting back on track for the championship. Kelly Crandall, SpeedwayMedia.com | |||
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | 134 | 5 |
| Jeff Gordon remembers when Talladega was fun. He also remembers when gas was cheaper and people had RESPECT for their fellow man!!! ….Too soon for the "old" jokes? Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 131 | 3 |
| Hamlin ran so far behind the pack on Sunday for a minute I thought he was still in fuel conservation mode from Dover. Kelly Crandall, SpeedwayMedia.com | |||
| 5 | Clint Bowyer | 117 | 4 |
| Last year, his teammate helped put him in position to cross the finish line first. This year, his teammate (unintentionally) was the reason why he could not even get to the finish line. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 6 | Kasey Kahne | 108 | 9 |
| When asked post-qualifying what getting the pole meant at 'Dega, he deadpanned, "It means I start first … That's it." I don't think anyone knew the depth of how right he was. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| T-7 | Matt Kenseth (2) | 105 | NR |
| Long-time Roush followers know just how unusual it is for restrictor plate races to be one of the high points of the season for his teams. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com | |||
| T-7 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 105 | 6 |
| Dude hasn't won a plate race since 2004, of course he's going to criticize it after he wrecked, again, after running well enough to win. Don't worry, come February, he'll be fine and ready to love all over Daytona. Kelly Crandall, SpeedwayMedia.com | |||
| 9 | Kyle Busch | 100 | 10 |
| No matter how you slice it, come Monday morning, this driver will still be unlucky number 13 in the standings. Carolyn Brewster, NASCAR Illustrated | |||
| 10 | Tony Stewart | 89 | 8 |
| Honestly, he reminded me of Steve Urkel, "Did I do that?" Why yes, you did, Tony! Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com | |||
| T-11 | Kevin Harvick | 88 | 11 |
| Harvick pretty much accused fans of intentionally looking for things to bitch about when it comes to restrictor plate racing (or racing in general). …Well, yeah, Harvick, but what's YOUR excuse? Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| T-11 | Greg Biffle | 88 | 13 |
| After watching his teammate Matt Kenseth win at Talladega, Biffle is considering giving this whole "lame duck" thing a try. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 13 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 84 | 7 |
| ESPN "put a fork" in Truex's Chase chances. In a related note, forks apparently ruin television screens. Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 14 | Ryan Newman | 49 | 15 |
| Question: "Ryan, why weren't you faster in today's race?" Ryan: "Who do you think I am? Quicken Loans?" Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com | |||
| 15 | Joey Logano | 32 | 12 |
| Logano was involved in the first caution of the day, which was a surprisingly minor three car wreck. The racing gods, obviously unimpressed, cackled maniaclly: "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" | |||
| Dropped Out: Mark Martin (14th) | |||
| Others Receiving Votes: Regan Smith (28), Jeff Burton (23), Paul Menard (16), Mark Martin (15), Marcos Ambrose (13), David Ragan (10), Aric Almirola (6), Kurt Busch (5), Jamie McMurray (5), Trevor Bayne (2), Travis Kvapil (2), Brian Vickers (2), Casey Mears (2), Michael Waltrip (2), David Gilliland (1). | |||
| Who Voted: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch.com; Kelly Crandall, SpeedwayMedia.com; Summer Bedgood, Frontstretch.com; Carolyn Brewster, NASCAR Illustrated; Amanda Ebersole, SkirtsandScuffs.com; Dustin Long, Athlon Sports; Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com; Matt Taliaferro, Athlon Sports. | |||
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