On the strength of his Brickyard 400 victory, it is Jeff Gordon who leads this week rankings.
One race after Brad Keselowski of Team Penske unseated the three-headed Hendrick Motorsports triumvirate of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. which had controlled the power rankings for the majority of the season, Hendrick has reclaimed the No. 1 spot. Fittingly, it's the man who won the Brickyard 400 Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has held the points lead 13 of the previous 14 weeks.
1. Jeff Gordon (Last week: 5)
Gordon winning the Brickyard 400 for a fifth time was as popular a victory as Earnhardt's Daytona 500 triumph. And if you're a Gordon fan hoping he can finally get that long sought fifth championship, Sunday was a positive sign. As it marked the third occasion Gordon won at Indy as the points leader, with the other two times (1998, 2001) having culminated in a Cup title.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 1)
No owner has won more races at Indianapolis than Roger Penske, but his quest for his Brickyard 400 title will have to wait another year. It was thought Keselowski might be able to deliver Sunday after showing promise in practice and qualifying. That speed, however, never carried over to the race, and also not helping was getting trapped a lap down early. Keselowski did rally to finish 12th, but it certainly felt like a result that should have been better.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 2)
When asked Saturday who would replace Steve Letarte atop the 88 team pit box, Earnhardt said discussions had just begun about his future crew chief. On Wednesday that questioned was firmly answered with the appointment of Greg Ives, Johnson's former engineer during his five-year title run and the current crew chief for Nationwide Series standout Chase Elliott.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 3)
Indianapolis is where the 48 is supposed to be at its best, but that wasn't the case Sunday. Johnson was a complete non-factor all afternoon, led zero laps and finished 14th. A decent outing for most anyone else, but when you're the defending and six-time series champion expectations tend to be a little higher. No cause for alarm, though, as Johnson limped into the Chase a year ago with consecutive finishes of 40th, 36th, 28th and 40th and look how that turned out.
5. Kyle Busch (LW: 7)
Three runner-ups in four races gives further credence that the No. 18 team is slowly coming into form at the most opportune time. If Busch can win a race or two over the next six weeks before the Chase starts he will deservedly be viewed as a title contender.
6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4)
Like his teammate, Kenseth has seen an uptick in performance in recent weeks, has become a regular fixture near the front, and is a fringe title contender. The one noticeable difference between Busch and Kenseth is the former has a win this season, while the latter does not.
7. Joey Logano (LW: 8)
In typical Penske fashion at Indy, the team placed Logano and Keselowski on divergent strategies. Logano gambled on track position and stayed out early, while Keselowski followed the leaders to pit road. Neither decision materialized into a win with Logano fifth and Keselowski 12th.
8. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6)
The Brickyard was a struggle for Harvick, who started on the pole but could never get the handle on his car. He did manage to finish eighth, an encouraging sign for a driver and team where week-to-week consistency and high-end results are still an ongoing battle.
9. Ryan Newman (LW: 10)
With each passing week that sees a repeat winner, it becomes increasingly clear that Newman is likely Chase bound. Residing in the seventh position in the standings, second among non-winners, Newman is 51 points above the cutline. For his sake he just has to hope a rash of new winners don't emerge in the next few weeks.
10. Kasey Kahne (LW: 15)
Ho-hum, it's just another week where victory somehow eludes Kahne, who remains winless on the year. The good news is he enters Pocono having won this race a year ago, and after that there are a bevy of tracks where the No. 5 team should be strong. The bad news is that this has been a familiar theme for Kahne this season and nothing yet has come to fruition.
11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 13)
Well off the pace Friday and Saturday, Hamlin suddenly found some speed and knocked out a third-place finish, which could have been a win had it not been for a miscue on pit road. And then perhaps not so coincidently, the No. 11 car was found to have some nonconforming parts. The infraction would see crew chief Darian Grubb suspended six races and fined $175,000 and Hamlin lose 75 points.
12. Kyle Larson (LW: Unranked)
That summer swoon behind him, Larson has rolled off back-to-back top 10s and solidified his footing in the standings. He is ranked 12th overall, eligible to make the Chase, and with some strong tracks coming up (Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta) NASCAR's top rookie has a prime opportunity to grab a victory sometime soon.
13. Clint Bowyer (LW: 9)
Staying out on old tires, the 15 team tried to play the track position game to no avail, as Bowyer quickly slid out of the lead and would finish 16th. He is likely to qualify for the Chase, but thus far there is little evidence to think Bowyer won't be one of the first to be eliminated.
14. Austin Dillon (LW: Unranked)
Even though Larson continues to set the pace, Dillon is quietly turning in a fine rookie campaign of his own. A 10th at Indianapolis was his third top 10 of the year and perhaps more impressively, has completed all but 11 of 5,671 laps, which leads all drivers.
15. Carl Edwards (LW: 14)
Roush's announcement that he wouldn't return next season didn't please Edwards, who called the timing "unfortunate." But from the organization's perspective, releasing the news that your marquee driver and face of the team is leaving just hours before the second biggest race of the season allows it to become buried somewhat. And which is exactly what happened with Gordon's win getting the bulk of the headlines Sunday.
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