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Frontstretch Sprint Cup Power Rankings : Top 15 After Watkins Glen
Frontstretch Staff · Wednesday August 12, 2009
Turning right and turning left was good for some at Watkins Glen, but turned others into a knot they never wriggled out of. After his record-breaking fifth victory at the track, Tony Stewart was able to once again garner all of the first place votes for this week, but the remainder of the spots in our poll were up for grabs. In all, 13 of the top 15 positions changed hands as a second straight rain delay threw a wrench into more than a few teams’ summer momentum.
Read this week’s top 15 rankings to find out which drivers avoided the gravel trap and head to the Irish Hills as the favorites.
How The Rankings Are Calculated: Frontstretch does our power rankings somewhat similar to how the Associated Press does them for basketball or football — writers on 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 one batch of power rankings to serve to our fans.
| FRONTSTRETCH TOP 15 POWER RANKINGS: AUGUST 12th, 2009 | |||
| Rank | Driver (First Place Votes) | Votes | Last Week |
| 1 | Tony Stewart (10) | 200 | 1 |
| Trying to steal the spotlight as much as he can before his equipment gets a sudden “downgrade” come September. | |||
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 188 | 2 |
| Yes, he won the pole, but don’t confuse that with winning the race. Road courses are still J.J.’s only weak point. | |||
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 168 | 4 |
| May be the standard-bearer for JGR, and if Kyle Busch doesn’t make the Chase, it just might play out well having him win the races instead of Johnson. | |||
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 158 | 5 |
| Sixth on a road course yet seventh in the points? What a long, strange trip it’s been. | |||
| 5 | Jeff Gordon | 152 | 3 |
| Jeff Gordon wants to keep racing for several more years, but a few more hits like Monday’s and his back might not be on board with that. | |||
| 6 | Kurt Busch | 146 | 8 |
| One of those days where finishing seventh was frustrating instead of fulfilling. | |||
| 7 | Kasey Kahne | 135 | 7 |
| So much for those ludicrous ideas of a road course sweep by Kahne. | |||
| 8 | Carl Edwards | 132 | 10 |
| Bounced back big time with a Chase-clinching run just before heading to Ford’s playground this weekend. Could it be his best chance yet for a win? | |||
| 9 | Mark Martin | 114 | 6 |
| Another week or two like the Glen, and he will wind up with the most wins and miss the Chase. Expect another change to the format on the way … | |||
| 10 | Brian Vickers | 96 | 9 |
| Red Bull now considering one-week contracts after seeing how Vickers performs when his future is uncertain. | |||
| 11 | Clint Bowyer | 93 | T – 12 |
| He’s the source of the scratching and clawing sounds that you hear each week. | |||
| 12 | Greg Biffle | 82 | 14 |
| Hopefully, Biffle won’t just routinely start pulling over to let people by at the end of races after these last few gas mileage deals. | |||
| 13 | Marcos Ambrose | 80 | NR |
| David Reutimann’s pissed at Denny Hamlin for a Pocono crash that took him out. But what about Ambrose? Give him back a top 10 finish last Monday and he’d be the one with an outside shot at the Chase. | |||
| 14 | Ryan Newman | 71 | 11 |
| With all that his team went through this weekend, a lead lap finish was easily equal to a victory. | |||
| 15 | Matt Kenseth | 70 | T – 12 |
| He may not hate road courses as much as David Reutimann… but it’s close. | |||
| Dropped Out: David Reutimann (15). | |||
| Also Receiving Votes: Kyle Busch (62), Joey Logano (43), David Reutimann (33), A.J. Allmendinger (29), Elliott Sadler (10), Max Papis (8), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (6), Jeff Burton (5), Jamie McMurray (5), Kevin Harvick (5), Martin Truex, Jr. (4), Casey Mears (4), Sam Hornish, Jr. (2). | |||
| Who Voted: Thomas Bowles, Ren Jonsin, Mike Neff, Tony Lumbis, Doug Turnbull, Matt Taliaferro, Vito Pugliese, Bryan Keith, Phillip Allaway, and Kurt Smith. | |||
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