NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Preseason Power Rankings
Kevin Harvick starts the season atop the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted February 20, 2012   Charlotte, NC
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, smiles in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo: Getty Images)
Time to kick off the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings with the preseason edition.

This week’s list:

1. KEVIN HARVICK — Free of the obligations of running Kevin Harvick Inc. and with a new child on the way and an old friend in as his crew chief, Harvick is the man to beat.

2. KASEY KAHNE — Finally in a stable home with fast cars at Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne will make the most serious title run of his career to date.

3. JIMMIE JOHNSON — Never, ever underestimate the talent and determination of Johnson, who could end up starting another championship streak this year.

4. CARL EDWARDS — A Daytona 500 pole was a good way to kick off the season for Edwards, who must demonstrate that he’s recovered from last year’s heartbreak.

5. KYLE BUSCH — Busch made a pair of truly astonishing saves in winning his first Budweiser Shootout. Still, he’s not finished better than eighth in points with Joe Gibbs Racing.

6. TONY STEWART — The three-time and defending Sprint Cup champion has never won titles back to back, but he should be good again this season.

7. BRAD KESELOWSKI — Last year, Keselowski proved he was a front-line Sprint Cup driver and the Chase races are good for him. Still, don’t think he’ll be better this year.

8. MATT KENSETH — Consistent and capable, Kenseth should be solidly in the Chase mix again this year.

9. JEFF GORDON — As great a driver as Gordon unquestionably is, he has never mastered the Chase format and his drive for five will again stall.

10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — For the first time in his career, Junior makes it into NASCAR’s playoff round in consecutive seasons.

11. DENNY HAMLIN — Optimistic all during the off-season about new crew chief Darian Grubb, it still could take time for the new duo to get on track.

12. GREG BIFFLE — The Biff makes it back into the Chase following a 2011 season where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

13. RYAN NEWMAN — It will be a good year for Newman although he will be the last man out in the title fight.

14. AJ ALLMENDINGER — The move to Penske Racing proves good for all involved as ‘The Dinger continues to improve.

15. JEFF BURTON — It will be a better season for Burton, but not a great season, as he and new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer prove to be a good combo.

16. MARCOS AMBROSE — The affable Aussie is the team leader now for Richard Petty Motorsports and does a good job with the team.

17. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA — With new crew chief Chris Heroy, Montoya starts to recover his old form at long last.

18. CLINT BOWYER — The move to Michael Waltrip Racing isn’t quite the instant success that Bowyer had hoped for.

19. PAUL MENARD — Solid but unspectacular, Menard provides a solid third car for Richard Childress Racing.

20. JOEY LOGANO — Jo Lo improves in 2012, but not enough to earn a new contract at Joe Gibbs Racing.

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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