NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Charlotte Power Rankings
Carl Edwards is now on top of the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 16, 2011   Concord, NC
Carl Edwards is in hot pursuit of his first Sprint Cup title. (Photo: Getty Images)
With his fourth top-five finish in five races in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Carl Edwards sent a strong statement in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway/

And he moved back on top of the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings.

This week’s list:

1. CARL EDWARDS — In five Chase races, Edwards has not finished worse than eighth. If he can survive the next two weekends, he will be in great shape to capture the crown. Previous rank: 2.

2. KEVIN HARVICK — A sixth-place finish at Charlotte allowed Harvick to stay within five points of Edwards. This is going to be a dogfight. Previous rank: 3.

3. MATT KENSETH — His resounding victory at Charlotte moved Kenseth firmly into the championship mix. And he is coming on strong. Previous rank: 5.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON — Realistically, Johnson’s title hopes are probably over after crashing at Charlotte. But never, ever count him out. Previous rank: 1.

5. KYLE BUSCH — The Shrub dominated at Charlotte, led the most laps and finished a strong second. And he only made up two points on Edwards. Previous rank: 6.

6. TONY STEWART — After qualifying on the pole, Stewart was fast early but couldn’t seal the deal, finishing eighth. Previous rank: 7.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI — A disappointing night at Charlotte, where he finished 16th, but still a great season so far for Keselowski. Previous rank: 4.

8. KURT BUSCH — A 13th-place run means the elder Busch is starting to lose touch with the front of the field. Previous rank: 8.

9. RYAN NEWMAN — Good news: Newman’s 10th-place finish was his best result of the Chase. Previous rank: 11.

10. DENNY HAMLIN — In each of the last four races, Hamlin has improved upon his prior finish. Previous rank: 10.

11. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — Another mediocre run for Earnhardt, who has finished in the top 10 just twice in the last 17 races. Previous rank: 9.

12. JEFF GORDON — The biggest disappointment of the Chase has been Gordon, who has an average Chase finish of 19th. Previous rank: 12.

13. KASEY KAHNE — In his last three races, Kahne has finished fourth, second and fourth. Previous week: 13.

14. GREG BIFFLE — Super-fast car, bad finish. The story of Biffle’s season. Previous rank: 15.

15. CLINT BOWYER — With RCR throwing all its resources to Harvick, it’s not surprising that Bowyer finished 24th. Previous rank: 14.

16. AJ ALLMENDINGER — Twice in the last three weeks, both RPM cars finished in the top 10. Impressive. Previous rank: 16.

17. DAVID RAGAN — Nice run for Ragan, who finished 11th at CMS. Previous rank: 18.

18. MARCOS AMBROSE — An awesome fifth-place run for the affable Aussie. Previous rank: 19.

19. MARK MARTIN — Tough night for Martin after a front-end failure on his car. Previous rank: 17.

20. PAUL MENARD — Fast all weekend, Menard’s 17th-place finish was a bit of a letdown. Previous rank:20.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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