NASCAR National Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Bristol

Mother Nature has virtually punched her ticket into the 2014 Chase as rain once again delayed a Sprint Cup race; this time, twice in one day. The eight-hour event was eventually run in its entirety, with Carl Edwards becoming the fourth different driver to win in as many races. Tire strategy got Edwards to the lead and he never looked back, pacing the field for a total of 78 laps.

After a career-best start to his season with two second-place finishes and a win, the wind in Junior Nation’s sails was lost after an unimpressive 24th-place finish. For the second week in a row, SHR flag-bearer Kevin Harvick endured troubles and dropped outside the top 35. On the flip side, Jeff Gordon logged his fourth consecutive top-10 result, the best start to his storied career, part of a contingent of drivers who used Bristol to boost their season-long title hopes. Others… well, they simply survived. Matt Kenseth proved that aerodynamics don’t mean a lot at Bristol after being rear-ended by Timmy Hill but rallying to a 13th-place finish.

The biggest controversy was with three laps to go when the caution lights “mysteriously” came on much to the surprise of the drivers, crews, fans and even NASCAR. Official reports state an official in the flagstand accidentally turned on the lights, triggering the tower to throw the yellow flag. Ironically, the rain began to fall again shortly after and the race was called, ensuring no negative effects of the rogue caution.

Drivers now head back to the West Coast and Auto Club Speedway. Let’s see if the same ones perform well at this big, two-mile oval. But before that, see if your driver made the cut in this week’s NASCAR Power Rankings.