NASCAR Sprint Cup Power Rankings: Top 15 After Phoenix

And then there were four. The drivers competing for the Championship at Homestead next week are set, and as the other Chase races have proven, it wasn’t without drama. Kevin Harvick’s only option was to win, and win he did, in dominating fashion by leading the most laps. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano needed top-10 finishes to advance. After battling back from one lap down, they finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Ryan Newman created the most drama, dive-bombing under Kyle Larson into turn 3 of the final lap, pushing Larson into the wall. That one position was all Newman needed to knock Jeff Gordon out of the top 4 and secure his own place in the Championship Round.

Performance was key at Phoenix and the top 10 in Power Rankings after Texas stepped up their game. Seven drivers finished in the top 10 Sunday afternoon, and nine drivers finished in the top 14. The only driver with a poor finish was Kyle Busch, who was involved in an accident and finished 34^th.

Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman will battle for the 2014 Sprint Cup Championship next weekend at Homestead. No matter the outcome, one thing is for sure: NASCAR will have a first-time champion. It is sure to be an exciting race. But, before we head to Florida one last time, see if your favorite driver made the top 15.

How The Rankings Are Calculated: Frontstretch does our power rankings 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… 3-2-1 basis, giving 20 points to their first-place driver, 19 for second, and so on. In the end, Mike Mehedin calculates the points, adds some funny one-liners, and… here you go!


Rank	Change	Name	Total Votes
1	+1	Kevin Harvick Everyone thought he was going to stomp the field, and he did. Most dominant Phoenix winner ever. However, he’s set himself up like Davey Allison did in 1992. Can he close the deal in Homestead? Phil Allaway, Frontstretch.com First Place Votes: 7	7140
2	-1	Joey Logano FACT: Jeff Gordon, the best driver of his generation, won his first title at age 24. What age is Mr Logano? Why, he just happens to be 24, knocking the No. 24 car out of the way while earning his first ever chance for the title. Tom Bowles, Frontstretch.com	130
3	+1	Denny Hamlin This moment is the very one all of those sports psychology appointments were preparing Hamlin for. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com	120
4	+2	Ryan Newman Most likely busted all remaining brackets – if there were any left – after his last-lap pass to knock Jeff Gordon out and put himself in the final four heading to Homestead. Has a 25 percent chance of winning his first Sprint Cup championship Sunday, and after his performance at Phoenix, I’d give him as much a chance as the other three. No underdog story here anymore. Michael Mehedin, Frontstretch.com	118
5		Jeff Gordon More than likely, Jeff Gordon will score the most points for the entire season. He is ineligible to finish any better than fifth in points. Weak. Phil Allaway, Frontstretch.com	114
6	-3	Brad Keselowski Another victim of how cruel this Chase format is. Brad Keselowski had six wins this season, but a poor Martinsville finish kept him out of the hunt for his second title. Justin Tucker, Frontstretch.com	107
7	+2	Matt Kenseth Matt Kenseth is finally eliminated after having 21 top-10 finishes in 2014 with zero wins. Winning counts plenty with the new elimination format. Kenseth has said the format didn’t change his racing outlook. He hasn’t got a win yet, and has one chance to finally get a checkered flag. Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com	95
8	-1	Dale Earnhardt, Jr. “Win one for Stevie” – it will be interesting to see how the No. 88 team fares in their last race with crew chief Steve Letarte on top of the pit box. Jim Noble, ESPN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/PRN	90
9	+2	Kyle Larson Finished a decent 13th at Phoenix and showed the maturity of a veteran after what happened with Ryan Newman on the final lap. Justin Tucker, Frontstretch.com	80
10	-2	Kyle Busch He’ll never look at Talladega the same way again. But of all the Chase drivers who didn’t make the final four, Kyle may have the most optimism heading into 2015. Jim Noble, ESPN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/PRN	70
11	+1	Carl Edwards Carl Edwards does not have to worry about being a lame duck driver for much longer, and I doubt he will for many seasons to come. Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com	65
12	N/A	Greg Biffle Invisible when he’s a title contender and invisible when he’s not. Not much ever changes for Greg Biffle, does it? Tom Bowles, Frontstretch.com	56
13	-3	Jamie McMurray The good news is he seems primed and ready to make a big run next year. The bad news is his crew chief, Keith Rodden, may be jumping ship. Jim Noble, ESPN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/PRN	45
14	N/A	Kurt Busch Gene Haas said he never had any intention of sitting Kurt Busch after his domestic violence allegations surfaced. Let’s hope the allegations are not what they seem to be. Kurt, and SHR as a whole, does not need any more media attention this year. Michael Mehedin, Frontstretch.com	43
15	-2	AJ Allmendinger Honestly, the No. 47 is running better now on a regular basis with AJ Allmendinger than it ever has before. Bravo. Phil Allaway, Frontstretch.com	42

Others Receiving Votes: Jimmie Johnson (37), Martin Truex, Jr. (20), Kasey Kahne (19), Marcos Ambrose (18), Aric Almirola (17), Clint Bowyer (17), Austin Dillon (10), Tony Stewart (8), Brian Vickers (4), Paul Menard (3), Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (2).

Participants: Phil Allaway, Frontstretch.com; Tom Bowles, Frontstretch.com; Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com; Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch.com; Michael Mehedin, Frontstretch.com; Jim Noble, ESPN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio/PRN; Justin Tucker, Frontstretch.com.

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Rank

Change

Name

Total Votes

1

+1

First Place Votes: 7

7140

2

-1

130

3

+1

<img decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-77079 size-medium" src="https://frontstretch.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014_NSCS_Head_Hamlin_Denny-255x300.jpg" alt="2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Portraits" width="255" height="300" />

120

4

+2

118

5

114

6

-3

107

7

+2

95

8

-1

90

9

+2

80

10

-2

70

11

+1

65

12

N/A

56

13

-3

45

14

N/A

43

15

-2

42