Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 15 After the 2008 All-Star Race at Charlotte

The All-Star Race is all about the money, with a cool $1 million on the line, no one holds back and mayhem typically ensues. Or, as this year’s event showed, it can turn into a parade around the track where track position dominates the event and there is almost no passing for the lead. While the $1 million was still paid, the race was a snooze-fest and the only real excitement was two different Joe Gibbs cars falling out of the lead with engine failure. While the race didn’t provide much action, it did provide a little movement in the Power Rankings. Read on to see if our picks are all-star or all washed up.

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 Kyle Busch (8) 178 1
  Still faster than most of the teams while he runs on seven cylinders.
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 154 3
  Without tires, didn’t have a shot to win, with tires, didn’t have enough time to win.
3 Denny Hamlin 151 4
  Lobbying NASCAR to have every race shortened by 15 laps since its seems like that’s about the time his victories go up in smoke.
4 Carl Edwards (1) 150 5
  Golly Gee, I was so looking forward to racing Busch. If I can’t beat the best, then I don’t want to win either.
5 Jeff Burton 150 2
  Hey, he beat Dale Jarrett in the All-Star race.
6 Clint Bowyer 132 6
  Richmond seems much longer than just two races ago.
7 Jimmie Johnson 130 7
  Pit strategy accounted for his All-Star finish a lot more than his racecar.
8 Tony Stewart 118 8
  Shows his years of experience over his teammates by breaking his engine BEFORE the race.
9 David Ragan 87 10
  The same handling issues that killed Edwards and Biffle sabotaged Ragan’s Showdown hopes.
10 Greg Biffle 76 11
  Who knew two tires could kill a car that badly?
11 Jeff Gordon 75 9
  Back when he won this race, gas was under $2 a gallon.
12 Kevin Harvick  71 12
  Best in the RCR camp didn’t mean much Saturday night.
13 Ryan Newman  65 13
  Might actually be getting a little faster the last few weeks.
14 Mark Martin 55 NR
  Keeping the fan base buying merchandise with one race every few weeks.
15 Martin Truex Jr. 51 14
  Hoping that he won’t have to ride in the middle of the pack all night Sunday like he did Saturday night.

 

Falling out of the rankings: Travis Kvapil

Also receiving votes: Travis Kvapil (49), Matt Kenseth (38), Kasey Kahne (35), Brian Vickers (30), Juan Pablo Montoya (28), Jamie McMurray (17), David Gilliland (14), Bobby Labonte (10), Casey Mears (8), Kurt Busch (7), Sam Hornish Jr. (3), Scott Riggs (2), Paul Menard (1), Dave Blaney (1), David Reutimann (1)

Writers voting this week: Cami Starr, Mike Neff, Tony Lumbis, Vito Pugliese and Bryan Davis Keith

About the author

What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? The writer, radio contributor and racetrack announcer coordinates the site’s local short track coverage, hitting up Saturday Night Specials across the country while tracking the sport’s future racing stars. The writer for our signature Cup post-race column, Thinkin’ Out Loud (Mondays) also sits down with Cup crew chiefs to talk shop every Friday with Tech Talk. Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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