NASCAR Power Rankings – Two in a Row For JJ Means He’s Back on Top

Jimmie Johnson’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 victory means only one thing; he’s back on Top in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

Okay…it means two things. First, he’s back on top in the NASCAR Power Rankings and second, he is now, once again, the favorite to win the Sprint Cup Championship.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson +200- – JJ’s won the last 2 Sprint Cup races. He has 4 victories on the year. Could it be? Could Johnson really win yet another Sprint Cup Championship? Yes, he could.

2. Denny Hamlin +400 – - Denny’s 14th place finish at New Hampshire wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible either. He’s still having an awesome 2010.

3. Kyle Busch +400 – - Kyle finished ahead of teammate Denny at New Hampshire with an 11th place finish. I haven’t heard a lot of smack coming out of Kyle’s mouth lately. Maybe, a discussion with the Coach (Joe Gibbs) took care of the bad attitude Kyle had earlier this year.

4. Jeff Gordon +600 – - Oh, Gordo! Another Top 10 finish, this time 4th, is something to sort of cheer about. I mean, you gotta start closing the deal on these near victories!

5. Kurt Busch +1200 – - Kurt just couldn’t get there in time, but he does climb in the rankings because he’s won a race this year and secured his 7th Top 5 finish on the year with a 3rd at New Hampshire.

6. Kevin Harvick +800 – - Mr. Consistency was consistent again. This time Harvick crossed the finish line in 5th place.

7. Tony Stewart +1400 – - Smoke is heating up, baby! The 2nd at New Hampshire was Tony’s 4th straight Top 10 finish and 3rd Top 5 finish in his last 4 starts.

8. Matt Kenseth +3000 – - Kenseth crossed the fiish line in 17th place at New Hampshire. Not great, but good enough to keep him in the Top 10.

9. Jeff Burton +1500 – - Burton’s 12th place finish in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 wasn’t all that bad. He’ll need to build on it this week, however, before I can move him up in the rankings.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. +3500 – - Jr is back after an 8th place finish at New Hampshire. I’m hoping he puts together a string of great finishes because I like seeing his name on the power rankings.

Dropped-out: Kasey Kahne +6000

After two great weeks, Kasey ran into engine trouble and finished 36th in the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. That’s too bad. It looked like he was really going to get something going this year. He still can, but it’s going to get tougher from here on out.

On the Verge: Greg Biffle +3000

Biff didn’t do all that well at New Hampshire when finishing 16th but if the Chase started today he would make it and he finished better at New Hampshire then the 2 guys he’s ahead of in the Sprint Cup Standings, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin.

This July 4th Weekend, drivers head back to Daytona for the Coca-Cola 400! Log onto the NASCAR sportsbook and bet the Coca-Cola 400!