Power Rankings: After Week 17 – Daytona

Week 17 Power Rankings

1. Both Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon were involved in the same wreck, to go to the very back, to work with each other and finish 5th & 6th in a lap.

2.  Kurt didn’t have the best finish at Daytona, but there’s no denying how strong he has been as of late.

3.  Much like Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards didn’t have the finish he was hoping for at Daytona, getting spun out by teammate Greg Biffle early, but Edwards has been strong and consistent all year. One bad race—especially Daytona has no affect on Edward’s great year.

4.  The last two weeks have been amazing for Jeff Gordon. Both races he was in back for most of the race, to come out of nowhere at the end to finish 2nd & 6th. Gordon should get extra style points for his great save! Gordon has been on a roll lately.

5.  Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan to his first career win in the Sprint Cup Series. Much like teammate Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth has been strong this year. Kenseth is generally a hit or miss at Daytona, but he ran a smart race and stayed out of trouble.

6.  Harvick ran a solid race at Daytona, working with teammate Paul Menard most of the race to bring it home 7th. While Harvick has 3 wins on the year, he only had the fastest car in one of those three races but still got the job done. I’m not sold on Harvick, but he has been running well. He is the points leader, now, so I guess that does count for something.

7. Hamlin has been strong the last several weeks after starting the season off really slow. He ran up front at Daytona but went backwards late with partner Ryan Newman. Hamlin spun coming to the checkered but he’s been too strong lately to be any lower than 7.

8. Jimmie Johnson has been quiet lately, he isn’t nearly as dominant this year as previous years, so far. Johnson wrecked at Daytona coming to the checkered with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

9. Bowyer was involved in a wreck at Daytona, as was most of the field. Bowyer has had some strong runs.  Bowyer still is in the top 10, currently sitting in 9th.

10. Stewart has been struggling as of late, but I still think he’s too good of a racer and has too good of a team. Stewart should get 1-2 wins in the next four-five races. He struggled at Daytona but avoided the big wrecks and brought it home in a decent position, 11th.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr has really been struggling as of late, he continues to slide down the point standings and his frustration continues to build, Jr is looking to end his long losing streak. Jr started the season off strong but has fell behind as of late, we’ll see if he can rebound.

12. Joey Logano has finally had some luck with some nice finishes the last two races. Logano is heading to a track in which he loves. Logano finally has some momentum after his Nationwide win and a 3rd place finish this weekend in the Sprint Cup Series. Confidence is a big thing for Logano and I fully believe he will thrive off of it in the upcoming weeks, starting at Kentucky this weekend. Logano is my pick to win at Kentucky this weekend!