CUP: Michigan Power Rankings

Sprint Cup

CUP: Michigan Power Rankings

Kyle Busch continues to lead the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...

Tom Jensen | Posted August 21, 2011 Brooklyn, MI

Kyle Busch celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Kyle Busch became the first four-time winner on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit this year, passing Jimmie Johnson to win the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

The victory solidified Busch’s hold on the top spot in the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings for this week.

This week’s list:

1. KYLE BUSCH — Now the question is pretty basic: Is this the year Kyle Busch wins his first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship? Signs point to “yes.” Previous rank: 1.

2. JIMMIE JOHNSON — A bad start but an excellent runner-up finish show that the No. 48 is just starting to warm to Chase form. Still as dangerous as ever. Previous rank: 2.

3. JEFF GORDON — Original four-time finished sixth, the third time in four races he’s finished sixth or better. He continues to deliver. Previous rank: 7.

4. BRAD KESELOWSKI — This week’s big mover is Keselowski, who finished third, his third consecutive top-three finish since breaking his ankle. Previous rank: 14.

5. MATT KENSETH — A best-in-class 10th-place finish was cold comfort for Kenseth, as all the Roush Fenway Racing Fords were hugely disappointing. Previous rank: 6.

6. KEVIN HARVICK — His Richard Childress Racing team had another awful day on pit road, as Harvick failed to crack the top 10 for the fifth time in six races. Previous rank: 4.

7. CARL EDWARDS — Slow in practice, slow in qualifying, slow in the race and then something breaks. A sucktastic weekend all around for Edwards. Previous rank: 3.

8. RYAN NEWMAN — Quietly, Newman posted another top-five finish and came home ahead of his boss, Tony Stewart, who he has regularly bested this year. Previous rank: 8.

9. KURT BUSCH — For the second race in a row, Busch wrecked and finished outside the top 30. Definitely headed in the wrong direction at the wrong time. Previous rank: 5.

10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — A 14th-place run for Earnhardt was the eighth time in the last nine races he’s finished 14th or worse. Inexplicably, he’s still in the top 10 in points. Previous rank: 9.

11. TONY STEWART — Angry, frustrated and disappointed, Stewart still finished ninth. But he’s not at all happy. Previous rank: 11.

12. CLINT BOWYER — A nice eighth-place run for Bowyer, who is still the bubble man on the outside of the Chase looking in. Previous rank: 10.

13. GREG BIFFLE — How in the heck did Biffle win the pole, lead 86 of 200 laps and limp home 20th? Bet he and his team are wondering that, too. Previous rank: 15.

14. DENNY HAMLIN — Deep, deep trouble for perennial Michigan dominator Hamlin, who clobbered the wall and finished 35th. He really could miss the Chase. Previous rank: 13.

15. PAUL MENARD — Although he made up a little ground on Hamlin in the hunt for the wild card spot, 26th was a poor result and signaled the official end of Menardigras. Previous rank: 14.

16. AJ ALLMENDINGER — An 11th-place finish was respectable for the ‘Dinger, who survived a couple of lurid spins in the race. Previous rank: 16.

17. MARK MARTIN — A fourth-place finish was just Martin’s second top-five of the season. Previous rank: Unranked.

18. KASEY KAHNE — Seventh was a good result for Kahne and the lame-duck Red Bull team. Previous rank: 19.

19. MARCOS AMBROSE — After winning at Watkins Glen and Montreal, Ambrose was hit with a dose of hard reality that left him 27th. Previous rank: 18.

20. JOEY LOGANO — Largely invisible all day, Logano finished just outside the top 20 in 21st. Previous rank: 17.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

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