With two laps to go, Matt Kenseth appeared due for the top spot in our power rankings. Amid a quiet but strong Chase, the 2003 champion had positioned himself to take an impressive victory at Phoenix International Raceway and surge into the Championship 4.
Then, suddenly, the caution flag flew and everything changed.
Minutes later, Kenseth found himself in the outside wall, while Joey Logano rose from fourth to earn an unexpected victory and stamp his ticket to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
With such swings and turmoil in the final seconds, ranking the Chasers this week proved to be a challenge. Throw in a dominant race from Alex Bowman, a late comeback for Kyle Larson and a solid top 10 for Ryan Blaney, and picking the 10 best drivers heading into Homestead was near-impossible.
A few contributors were busy traveling from Arizona to Florida – one of the longest one-week trips on the tour. The rest of us gave it our best shot. Here are the 10 that shined the brightest in the Arizona desert.
POWER RANKINGS: Can-Am 500 Edition
1. JOEY LOGANO (58 POINTS, +3)
“Remember a few months ago when everyone was questioning his lack of wins? Logano once again proves that it’s all about the Chase.” – Bryan Gable, Frontstretch
2. KYLE BUSCH (53 POINTS, No Change)
“For so long, the knock against Kyle Busch was that he hadn’t won a Cup championship. Now he’s on the verge of two in a row.” – Jim Utter, Motorsport
3. JIMMIE JOHNSON (50 POINTS, -2)
“This season marks Johnson’s first appearance in the Championship 4. Could six-time become seven-time at Homestead?” – Pete McCole, AutoRacing1
4. CARL EDWARDS (39 POINTS, -1)
5. MATT KENSETH (37 POINTS, No Change)
“Went from securing a spot in the Championship 4 to being out of title contention all in the span in one lap. Such is the nature of the Chase.” – McCole
6. DENNY HAMLIN (32 POINTS, No Change)
“Another chance at his first series championship slips away at Phoenix.” – Utter
7. KEVIN HARVICK (26 POINTS, -1)
“A huge missed opportunity for a driver and team that usually make the most of the opportunities they get.” – Gable
8. ALEX BOWMAN (23 POINTS, +2)
“Led more laps than teammates Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., managed in the entire season in a lone race. Excellent stuff from a driver that needed to attract attention, though the incident with Kenseth may be the moment remembered most from the day.” – Bearden
9. KURT BUSCH (14 POINTS, -1)
“Credit where it’s due – Busch’s team showed all of the grit and determination of a champion as they rallied to earn a good result. Unfortunately for Busch, the run came two weeks too late.” – Bearden
10. BRAD KESELOWSKI (12 POINTS, -3)
“Seems as though all the air has been let out of this team since they were eliminated.” – McCole
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
These two drivers engaged in one of the better duels of the season back at Michigan International Speedway in August. Now they fight once again as they try to claw their way into victory lane, and potentially the season-ending top 10.
Kyle Larson (8 points) – “Rallied from two spins to finish third, and now heads to arguably his best track with a chance to sweep the weekend. Can you say momentum?” – Bearden
Chase Elliott (7 Points) – “A ninth-place finish at Phoenix keeps him in sight of a possible top-10 points finish – a great first season for the young rookie.” – McCole
Others receiving votes: Martin Truex, Jr. (6), Ryan Blaney (4), Paul Menard (2), The End of the Season (1)
Contributors
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Dustin Albino | @DustinAlbino |
| Phil Allaway | @Critic84 |
| Aaron Bearden | @AaronBearden93 |
| Summer Bedgood | @SummerBedgood |
| Tom Bowles | @NASCARBowles |
| Greg Davis | @GregMDavis |
| Sean Fesko | @TheWriterSean |
| Michael Finley | @FinleyFactor |
| Bryan Gable | N/A |
| Tony Lumbis | @TonyLumbis |
| Toni Montgomery | @ToniLMontgomery |
| Kevin Rutherford | @surfwax83 |
| Jason Schultz | @NASCARJason |
| Joseph Wolkin | @JosephNASCAR |
| Name | Position/Description | |
|---|---|---|
| AnnoyingRaceFan | @AnnoyingRaceFan | I’M @annoyingracefan ON TWITTER (AND INSTAGRAM). PEOPLE CALL ME ARF. I’M A RELATIVE NOBODY. |
| MatthewDillner | @MatthewDillner | NASCAR |
| Brian Eberly | @beberly18 | Writer, Rubbings Racing, Motor Racing Digest |
| Mike Hembree | @MikeHembree | Writer, USA Today |
| Ben Hinc | @lemonlovr | Owner, The Apex |
| Jerry Jordan | @kicknthetires | Owner, Kicknthetires.Net |
| Pete McCole | @PeteMcCole | NASCAR Writer, AutoRacing1.com |
| The Orange Cone | @TheOrangeCone | I am an orange traffic cone. |
| Kyle Pokrefky | @KPokrefky | Writer, The Fourth Turn |
| Reid Spencer | @Reid_Spencer | Lead Writer, NASCAR Wire Service |
| Doug Turnbull | @DougTurnbull | Announcer, PRN Live, Atlanta Motor Speedway |
| Jim Utter | @jim_utter | NASCAR Editor, Motorsport.com |
How they’re made: Following the conclusion of each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, members of a voting panel, including Frontstretch writers, members of accredited media including Motorsport, NASCAR and USA Today, as well as writers from other sites and social media favorites, submit their top 10 drivers for the Power Rankings. The drivers are then given points based off their position, with first place getting 10 points, and each subsequent driver getting one fewer point until the 10th-place driver, who gets a lone point. Points are then tallied, and the rankings are created.
Do you agree with our rankings? Think someone got snubbed, or that one of the top drivers is overrated? Let us know in the comments, and tell others what your top 10 would be.
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.