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Frontstretch Sprint Cup Power Rankings : Top 15 After Fontana
Mike Neff · Wednesday September 3, 2008
California is a wide open track with plenty of room to run. The drivers had to struggle with the sun as it was going down and ultimately struggled with making their cars handle as the track cooled off. The end result was Jimmie Johnson won the race and moved up two spots in the rankings this week as did Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer. But the biggest mover was Greg Biffle, climbing three spots from ninth to sixth. Tony Stewart was the biggest loser this week, dropping four spots while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. slid three. To see if your driver was chillin’ in the sun or burnt by the California heat, check out the results of our Top 15 rankings.
How The Rankings Are Calculated: Frontstretch does their power rankings somewhat similar to how the Associated Press does them for basketball or football -- writers on our staff will vote for the Top 20 on a 20-19-18-17-16-15...3-2-1 basis, giving 20 points to their first place driver, 19 for their second, and so on. In the end, Mike Neff calculates the points, adds some funny one liners, and ... voila! You have the power rankings from our dedicated staff.
| Rank | Driver (First Place Votes) | Points | Last Week |
| 1 | Carl Edwards (6) | 192 | 1 |
| Want to know who is going to win the championship? We suggest you go "right to the source and ask the horse, he'll give you the answer that you endorse..." | |||
| 2 | Kyle Busch (3) | 189 | 2 |
| Uncompetitive all night, yet still finishes seventh right behind his closest competitor. Now THAT’s what championships are made of. | |||
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson (1) | 178 | 5 |
| It's September, which means the leaves start changing, football season officially begins -- and Jimmie Johnson starts to catch fire. | |||
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 161 | 4 |
| People are talking about him as a title contender? Um…no. | |||
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 154 | 6 |
| Speaking of title contenders, could Kenseth throw the NASCAR world out of whack again by winning a championship with...gasp...NO wins!!!??? | |||
| 6 | Greg Biffle | 152 | 9 |
| One Doritos Bag short of a win. | |||
| 7 | Tony Stewart | 132 | 3 |
| Summer is almost gone, and so are Tony’s title hopes. | |||
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 125 | 10 |
| Things are on the upswing since Hamlin ditched the FedEx Office paint scheme. | |||
| 9 | David Ragan | 115 | 8 |
| Cali could have been better, and because of it, Richmond will spell the death knell for Ragan's title hopes. | |||
| 10 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 103 | 7 |
| Starting to feel like a true Hendrick driver as he slips into Jimmie Johnson's shadow. | |||
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 97 | 13 |
| Everyone is thinking Richmond is a no-brainer for Bowyer, which could very well cause him to come up snake eyes for the Chase. | |||
| 12 | Jeff Gordon | 91 | 11 |
| What are the chances of something unforeseen happening at Richmond, denying Gordon a spot in the Chase in the last race before it starts? With the way he has been running lately, probably pretty good. | |||
| 13 | Jeff Burton | 80 | 12 |
| Short of those Holiday Inn commercials, we're not sure the last time we saw Jeff Burton on television. | |||
| 14 | Kasey Kahne | 68 | 15 |
| In true election year spirit, Kasey Kahne has been lobbying NASCAR to allow a "Fan Vote" into the Chase. | |||
| 15 | Brian Vickers | 67 | NR |
| This year has been a miraculous one for Vickers; now, if he can only win a race to make up for not sneaking into the Chase this year. | |||
Dropping out: Jamie McMurray
Also receiving votes: Jamie McMurray (50), Ryan Newman (49), Martin Truex, Jr. (26), David Reutimann (15), A.J. Allmendinger (14), Mark Martin (10), Aric Almirola (8), Kurt Busch (6), Juan Pablo Montoya (5), Elliott Sadler (3), Bobby Labonte (3), Patrick Carpentier (3), Tony Raines (2), Ken Schrader (1), Regan Smith (1)
Writers voting this week: Ren Jonsin, Kim DeHaven, Cami Starr, Mike Neff, Tony Lumbis, Matt Taliaferro, Vito Pugliese, Bryan Keith, and Doug Turnbull
Do you want the chance to win a free Frontstretch T-Shirt, and are you really good at talking about NASCAR? Well, we have the perfect opportunity for you. Our staff will be giving away a free T-Shirt to the reader who makes the best post in our Frontstretch Forum between now and the end of the season. So, what makes a good post? It’s pretty hard to impress us, but here are some things we are looking for:
Does your post spark passionate reactions from other readers? Are you commenting on meaningful NASCAR-related events? Do your posts have substance? In other words, “Dale Jr. is the best driver ever” or “Danica Patrick is hot” will not cut it.
So go to the Frontstretch Forums, post early, post often, and post well! We’ll announce the winner following the final race of the season at Homestead.
©2000 - 2008 Mike Neff and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!
