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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Talladega Power Rankings
Carl Edwards widened his grip on the No. 1 spot in the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 23, 2011   Talladega, AL
Carl Edwards finished 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Carl Edwards holds on to the top spot in the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings, as several of his top championship rivals had hard times in Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

This week’s list:

1. CARL EDWARDS — An 11th-place finish wasn’t great, but it allowed Edwards to stretch his points lead to 14 over teammate Matt Kenseth. Previous rank: 1.

2. MATT KENSETH — All things considered, Kenseth could have done worse than finish 18th, especially since he moved into second in points. Previous rank: 3.

3. BRAD KESELOWSKI — Fourth in the race and now third in points, Keselowski has no quit in him. Absolutely a threat to win it all. Previous rank: 7.

4. TONY STEWART — Still very much in the title hunt, Stewart finished a solid seventh, drafting much of the day with the wrecked car of Joey Logano. Previous rank: 6.

5. KEVIN HARVICK — Usually great at Talladega, Harvick was an unlucky victim this time, getting crashed out early. Previous rank: 2.

6. JIMMIE JOHNSON — It’s all over for Johnson now, as he’s more than one full race behind with only four to go. Congrats on five in a row, it may never be seen again. Previous rank: 4.

7. KYLE BUSCH — Unfortunately for Busch, he’s not going to win a title this year. Another tough day Previous rank: 5.

8. KURT BUSCH — Like Harvick, Busch got snared in a wreck not of his own making. Previous rank: 8.

9. JEFF GORDON — Gordon got dumped on the last restart by Trevor Bayne, which cost him dearly. Previous rank: 12.

10. DALE EARNHARDT JR. — When he led briefly, the crowd went wild. Then reality set in. Previous rank: 11.

11. DENNY HAMLIN — Without a drafting partner early in the race, Hamlin still gutted out a top 10. Previous rank: 10.

12. RYAN NEWMAN — It wasn’t on purpose, but the boss dumped Newman and cost him a good finish. Previous rank: 9.

13. KASEY KAHNE — A sixth-place finish was Kahne’s worst in the last four races, and that’s damn good. Previous week: 13.

14. CLINT BOWYER — Congrats to the 17th different winner of 2011. Bowyer gave Richard Childress his 100th Sprint Cup victory. Previous rank: 15.

15. GREG BIFFLE — For the whole race, Biffle played the dutiful teammate and stuck with Edwards. Previous rank: 14.

16. JEFF BURTON — The best run of the season for Burton, who finished second to teammate Clint Bowyer. Previous rank: Unranked.

17. DAVID RAGAN — Fast early, Ragan had a disappointing finish of 28th. Previous rank: 17.

18. AJ ALLMENDINGER — Both Richard Petty Motorsports cars wrecked together on Lap 104. Previous rank: 16.

19. MARCOS AMBROSE — See above. Previous rank: 18.

20. MARK MARTIN — A late-race accident cost Martin a good finish. Previous rank: 19.

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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