Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2015 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan

Another week of fuel mileage paid off again for Matt Kenseth. He dominated the race Sunday afternoon, leading a race-high 146 laps, and had enough fuel to cross the line first. This win is Kenseth’s third of the season and second in the past three weeks. He now sits solely in the third seed behind Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, who both have four wins.

With only three races remaining until the Chase, the top drivers are starting to show their strength. Seven drivers from the Watkins Glen Power Rankings top 10 finished in the top 10 at Michigan, showing their versatility going from a road course to a high-speed oval. Even though he crashed his primary car, Busch still finished a respectable 11th, which helps his chances of staying in the top 30 in points.

Next up is Bristol, where no one is safe and anything can happen. See if your driver made the top-15 in this week’s Sprint Cup Power Rankings.

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 Harvick may set a record for top-five results this year. At this point he has to be “Happy” with so many competitive finishes rolling into the Chase. Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com First Place Votes: 6	120
2	+2	Matt Kenseth Kenseth and Busch have been like the JGR relay team to Victory Lane, handing off the baton to each other as they have dominated in recent weeks. In the last six races, Busch has three wins and now Kenseth has won two of the last three after Sunday’s triumph at Michigan. Kyle, get ready for that baton at Bristol. Mike Zizzo, Texas Motor Speedway	108
3	-2	Joey Logano I imagine if Logano went a month without shaving that his beard, much like his splitter in pre-race inspection, would be found to be a bit too thin. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch.com	105
4	-1	Kyle Busch The field thanks you for wrecking your ultra-fast primary car at Michigan, forcing you to your backup ride and the rear for the field to start the race. You finished 11th, but you gave them all a chance to win for one weekend. Mike Zizzo, Texas Motor Speedway	100
5	+3	Martin Truex Jr. It seemed like Furniture Row Racing was slumping a month or so ago, but the team has gone back to their top-five ways, finishing third in Michigan. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch	96
6	-1	Brad Keselowski I’m not going to lie. That retro paint scheme was by far the best I’ve seen in a number of years. It works well when you have the same sponsor, too. Mike Mehedin, Frontstretch	86
7	+3	Dale Earnhardt Jr. It’s hard to believe that Earnhardt was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to finish inside the top 10 at Michigan, a track they swept in 2014. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch	83
8	+1	Carl Edwards Edwards has only one backflip off a winning car this season, but he and Joe Gibbs Racing have been running well. It’s time for another backflip. Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com	74
9	+4	Denny Hamlin Hamlin hasn’t quite had the speed of JGR teammates Kenseth and Busch, but we said the same thing about him before the Chase last year, too. We all know how that turned out. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch	71
10	-3	Kurt Busch The June winner at Michigan wasn’t so lucky in his July return, facing a myriad of issues and finishing a lap down in 20th. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch	66
11	-5	Jimmie Johnson How many of you are seriously falling for the “there’s something wrong with the No. 48” trick again? Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch	65
12	+3	Ryan Newman Newman knows the Chase reality. Even with zero wins you can advance while others drop out. He may repeat with consistency. Dwight Drum, RaceTake.com	53
13	-1	Paul Menard Don’t look now, but Menard seems to have avoided his usual summer drought and is actually in good position to make the Chase. Tony Lumbis, Frontstretch	47
14	N/A	Jeff Gordon Gordon is enduring a less-than-enjoyable rollercoaster ride for a Chase berth. Currently hanging onto the 15th seed in the 16-driver field after finishing 17th at Michigan, Gordon is busting out the “Rainbow Warriors” paint scheme for some retro mojo at Bristol. Mike Zizzo, Texas Motor Speedway	40
15	-1	Jamie McMurray Jamie Mac’s recent struggles continued at Michigan, but at least a 16th-place run kept him from losing too many points in the Chase standings. Aaron Bearden, Frontstretch	37