After an exciting and controversial finish at Richmond, the Sprint Cup Series heads to a track that has deep roots in it's history, Darlington Raceway, dubbed "Too Tough To Tame." Here patience and racing the track, not your competitors, is what pays off, and rubbing against the wall is as expected as the big one at Talladega. The Lady in Black has a freshly paved surface, and higher speeds will present another challenge for the drivers. Without further ado, here are this week's power rankings.

1. Kyle Busch

While racing for the lead with just a few laps to go, he got into Dale Earnhardt Jr, sending him into the wall. However, Busch's 2nd place finish was his 7th this year, and put him back on top of the Sprint Cup Series point standings. In his three starts at Darlington, he has two finishes of 23rd or worse, but has a 7th place finish here back in 2006.

2. Jeff Burton

Burton recovered from being involved in Richmond's version of the big one to finish 11th, but Burton seems to have fallen off a little bit from the competition as far as running up front is concerned. However this consistency will certainly earn him a spot in the chase, and you can expect more of it at Darlington, where he has an average finish of 11.5.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Over two years have passed now since Earnhardt won a points paying race, with heartbreak coming in the closing laps at Richmond. However, Jr. has run well at Darlington in years past. In 2006, he finished 5th despite suffering from the flu, and has finished 11th or better in 7 of the last 9 races there.

4. Carl Edwards

Edwards finished a solid 7th at Richmond, and should expect more success at Darlington, where he has three top-10's in four starts. The only other finish is a DNF due to an early engine failure.

5. Clint Bowyer

Bowyer's streak of consistency continued when he ran in the top-5 all night at Richmond, and was able to steal the victory when Busch and Earnhardt tangled. Now Bowyer returns to the site of his first career pole, which came at Darlington last year before going on to finish 9th. Over the past year Bowyer's performance has improved greatly, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he was up front in the final laps.

6. Denny Hamlin

This guy has lost so many races in his young career, and Saturday night may have been the most heartbreaking for the Virginia native. However, Hamlin will have to put that behind him as he goes to the egg-shaped oval that is Darlington, where he finished 2nd last year.

7. Tony Stewart

Where Stewart will drive next year is still uncertain, but he's continued to run up front, finishing 4th at Richmond. Darlington is one of the few tracks that Stewart hasn't won at yet, but he's been consistent, with an average finish of 11.9.

8. Greg Biffle

Biffle has been on a slump as of late, and it continued at Richmond where he only finished 14th. In the past five races, he's only had one top-10 finish, including a 39th at Texas. However he's had a lot of success at Darlington, including back-to-back wins in 2005 and 2006.

9. Kevin Harvick

Harvick fought an ill-handling car all night and managed to earn his first top-10 since Bristol, finishing 8th. Harvick has been hit or miss, however, at Darlington, where he only has 4 top-10's in 11 starts.

10. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson was never a contender at Richmond, and was involved in the big crash midway through the race. However, Darlington is one of Johnson's best tracks, where he's only failed to finish in the top-10 once in nine starts, and swept the races here in 2004.



Other Notables:

11. Jeff Gordon- Recovered from being a lap down to finish 9th at Richmond, and is the defending winner of the upcoming race, and looking for his 8th career victory at Darlington.

12. Kasey Kahne- Finished 10th at Richmond after running in the top-15 for most of the night, for his fifth top-10 of the season. He has three poles in five starts at Darlington, and an average finish of 12.4.

13. Mark Martin- Will again race at Darlington this weekend. His experience makes him a favorite to run up front.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- He earned his first top-5 of the season at Richmond, just his 3rd top-10 this season. He's never finished in the top-10 at Darlington, but has an average finish of 12.5.

15. Kurt Busch- This is a driver who needs to turn things around. He hasn't finished better than 23rd in the past five races, and has only one top-5, which came in the Daytona 500 when he pushed teammate Ryan Newman to the win.

After the chaos at Talladega the Sprint Cup Series heads to Richmond, Virginia, where 400 laps and 300 miles of bumping and BLEEPing are sure to please in primetime.

1. Jeff Burton

Burton didn't perform particularly well at Talladega, finishing 12th after starting in the back of the pack. Burton has the potential to perform at Richmond, where he won in 1998. However, in this race last year, he left the race early with engine troubles and finished 43rd.


2. Kyle Busch

Is there any doubt that he will be one of the guys to beat in the Chase? Just when you thought you found a track that Busch couldn't compete at, the guy goes out and wins there. Talk about silencing critics... As far as Richmond goes, he has never failed to complete a lap and has 5 top-5's in 6 starts.


3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He led 46 laps before getting caught up in a large wreck and falling back. However, Jr. recovered to finish 10th, keeping him 3rd in points. However, this weekend is a dreaded anniversary for Jr; 2 whole years since he won a points paying race. He would like nothing more than to end that slump this weekend at Richmond, where he's claimed 3 victories.


4. Carl Edwards

It seems the only way that Carl will ever be doing back flips at Talladega is if he gets turned around and takes a Sadler-esque ride. Otherwise, Carl will dread going to the 2.66 miler. Unfortunately, things don't fare much better for Cousin Carl at Richmond either, where he has an average finish outside the top-20.


5. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin was a show all in himself at Talladega, pushing cars to the lead every other lap, finishing the day finishing 3rd for his 5th consecutive finish of 6th or better. Now Hamlin seeks his first victory at Richmond, another home track for the Virginia native. Hamlin would like nothing better than to give the fans the same show he did back at Martinsville earlier this year.


6. Greg Biffle

Biffle has never performed well at 'Dega, and was probably just relieved to have earned a sub-par 18th place finish, avoiding too much damage in the points race. Biffle has 5 consecutive top-10's until the COT was introduced, when he finished 19th and 39th. However Roush racing has upped it's COT program, and with that Biffle should return to being at contender at RIR.


7. Jimmie Johnson

If you had to decide between putting Jimmie Johnson or Morgan Shepherd for a fantasy roster for Richmond at this point last year, you may have actually picked the latter. Before his sweep of the races last year, Johnson only had one top-10 in 10 starts. However Johnson was able to claim victory in both races at the Virginia track last year with the COT, which implies he will also contend for the win again this weekend.


8. Kevin Harvick

Harvick suffered from a last lap crash that relegated him to a 24th place finish. Richmond is the place for Happy Harvick to turn it around, however, as he has 8 top-10's in 12 starts, including a win here in 2006.


9. Tony Stewart

Stewart has enjoyed so much success at Talladega, leading several laps and coming oh so close to victory. Victory eluded him again, however, when he was caught up in the big one with 15 laps to go. Stewart has three victories at Richmond, however, and has an average finish of 11.3, including a runner-up finish here last fall.


10. Clint Bowyer

Six consecutive top-10's have allowed Bowyer to climb to 7th in points, and proved that he can perform at any track you throw at the 29 year old Bowyer, with those top-10's coming at the short tracks of Bristol and Martinsville, the intermediate track in Texas, the one-miler Phoenix, and finally the unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway. At Richmond he is almost a sure-bet to earn his 7th-consecutive top-10, where he has an average finish of 10.8.




Other Notables:

11. Jeff Gordon- He fell from 2nd to 19th in the final two laps and was involved in the final lap crash. However, Gordon should perform well at Richmond, where he finished 4th in both races last year, leading the most laps in each.

12. David Gilliland- I don't know what it is, but Gilliland has all of a sudden put together 4 top-15's in 5 races, and sits 18th in points! And he's already earned a top-10 at Richmond before.

13. Brian Vickers- He finished 5th at 'Dega, his first top-5 of the season. Vickers now sits 15th in points, could he be a surprise after 26 races?

14. Juan Pablo Montoya- Love 'em or hate 'em Montoya performed at 'Dega, riding Busch's rear bumper to a 2nd place finish. Montoya now claims the final spot of the Chase field, seemingly coming out of nowhere (his 2nd place finish at Talladega is his only top-10 of the year so far).

15. Mark Martin- The 49 year old Martin again takes the wheel of the Army car, and is almost certain to contend after his strong run at Phoenix.

           
After the week off and allowing Nationwide Series to enjoy the spotlight the Sprint Cup Series is back in action at the largest track on the schedule, the 2.66 mile Talladega Superspeedway. The likelihood of the big one taking out contenders, picking who will win is difficult, but I'm going to try.

 

1. Jeff Burton

 

Came from a low starting position and a mid-race spin to finish 6th, continuing his run of consistency. He looks as though he could be a driver to beat for the championship this year.






2. Carl Edwards

 

He recovered from a pit road penalty to finish 4th at Phoenix, showing he can perform on all the tracks, not just the 1.5 milers. Talladega isn't Edwards' best track, however, as he has an average finish of 21.7 and has only led 9 laps in his 7 career starts.






3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

He was competing with Mark Martin for the win late at Phoenix before finishing 7th after pit stops, as he inches closer and closer to his long awaited first win of 2008. And there is no better place than Talladega, where he has 5 wins, thanks in large part to what he learned from his father, who won 10 races at the track.





4. Kyle Busch

 

Busch had another top-10 at Phoenix, then went on to win his third strait Nationwide Series race at Mexico. If that success is going to continue at Talladega, Busch is going to have to do something he seldom does at the Alabama track: finish. In six starts, he has run all 188 laps only once, back in 2006 when he finished 11th, his best finish at the track.





5. Greg Biffle

 

 

Biffle bounced back from poor runs at Texas and Martinsville to finish 9th at Phoenix. However, Talladega could spell more trouble for the Biff, where in ten starts he has never finished in the top-10.

6. Kevin Harvick

 

 

Harvick's finish at Phoenix was lower than he deserved, as Happy Harvick had run in the top-10 all night long before running out of gas in the final laps. Harvick should be back out front at Talladega, however, where he has an average finish of 13.3.

7. Tony Stewart

 

Stewart's finish was also lower than it should have been at Phoenix after stalling on pit road in the final laps. However, he should be a threat to win at Talladega, though he has never won in 14 cup starts. However he has finished 2nd not once, not twice, but 6 times. Doesn't hurt that he earned his first victory at the track in the Nationwide Series this weekend.






8. Denny Hamlin

 

Hamlin finished 3rd at Phoenix for his 4th strait finish of 6th or better. In four starts at Talladega he has only 1 top-10, but he runs out front often, especially last year when he led 88 laps in the two races run.

9. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson earned Hendrick Motorsports it's first victory of the 2008 season, and he could make it back-to-back at Talladega, where he finished 2nd in both races last year and won here in 2006.

10. Clint Bowyer

 

He continues to impress after finishing 2nd at Phoenix thanks to fuel strategy. However, his average finish at Talladega is outside the top 30.








Other Notables:

11. Jeff Gordon- managed a top-15 at Phoenix after his miserable at Texas, and he is a favorite for the Talladega race, with 6 career wins at the track including both races last year.

12. David Gilliland- All of a sudden, this young driver has three top-15's in the past four races, and Yates has always had a strong plate program, which could lead to more success for David.

13. Michael Walrtip- All four of his career Cup victories have come on plate tracks, Waltrip could have a strong run at 'Dega.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- Earned just his second top-10 of the season at Phoenix, but could get his third at Talladega has run up front, thanks to lessons learned from former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. David Stremme- Will fill in for the injured Dario Franchitti at Talladega. Stremme had driven for Ganassi before being released in place for Franchitti, could be an opportunity to show that move was a mistake.

After duking it out in the Lone-Star state it's time for the best of Nascar to Duel in the Desert, here are this weeks rankings:

1. Jeff Burton

Another top-10 for Burton at Texas with a 6th place finish, the point leader's average finish at Phoenix is 11.4 in 17 starts with two wins, and his average finish this year is even better, at 7.1. His worst finish this year is 13th in the Daytona 500.





2. Carl Edwards

This is the man to beat at any 1.5 mile track we go to right now. He isn't too shabby at Phoenix either, with four top-10's in seven starts. Last year in the COT he finished 11th and a disappointing 42 that came due to an engine failure just 125 laps in the race. In the laps he had run, he led 87.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After promise displayed early in the race, Earnhardt Jr. and crew fell behind on their adjustments and settled for a disappointing 12th place finish. He's struggled lately at Phoenix, but his past success gives hope for his first win of the year, with two victories at the diamond in the desert.

4. Kevin Harvick

Harvick isn't far off Burton's pace as far as consistency, with an average finish of 8.3 on the year. And Phoenix is a place for Harvick to flex his muscles, as he's had top-10's the past four races, including two wins.

5. Kyle Busch

Busch ran up front all day at Texas before finishing 3rd. He should run well at Phoenix, with four top-10's in his six career starts, including a win back in 2005.







6. Tony Stewart

He had a quiet top-10 at Texas, and should be a front runner at Phoenix. In his 12 career starts, he has an average finish of 9.4, and a win back in 1999 when he made his first start at the track.







7. Denny Hamlin

Backed up his Martinsville win with a 5th at Texas. Now he heads to Phoenix looking for another victory. Last year in this race, he had arguably the car to beat, but a mistake on pit road cost him.







8. Jimmie Johnson

Texas looked more like the Johnson of old, but he still had nothing for Carl. He should be a car to beat at Phoenix, finishing 4th and 1st in the two races last year. He also has an average finish of 6.6 in 9 starts.






9. Clint Bowyer

He was a victim of a last lap wreck that cost him a top-5 finish at Texas, but he still had a solid top-10. Phoenix could be a struggle for Bowyer, as he only has one top-10 in 5 starts. There is hope, however, as Bowyer improves almost everywhere he goes, and his most recent finish at Phoenix was an 11th.





10. Matt Kenseth

Recovered from a horrible day in Martinsville to finish 9th at Texas. Expect more success at Phoenix, he has five top-5's in 11 starts and three in the last four races.









Other Notables:

11. Ryan Newman- His strong finish at Texas helped his chances of making the chase, but a 25 point penalty brought him back down to 10th in points. The Rocketman will have to do better than he has in the past at Phoenix if he wants to stay there.

12. Jeff Gordon- He finished 43rd for just the 2nd time in his career at Texas, dropping him out of the top-12. He'll have to rebound at Phoenix if he wants to make a run at the chase.

13. Jamie McMurray- Followed up Martinsville with a solid top-15, now he needs to keep this recent consistency going to finally prove himself.

14. Brian Vickers- Finished 16th at Texas, and so far this year has an average finish of 19th. At Phoenix he averages of 15.3, indicating he'll have another solid run.

15. David Gilliland- He earned another top-15 at Texas, and so far this year has three finishes of 17th or better.

Here are the Nascar Sprint Cup Series Power Rankings for the upcoming race in Texas. One thing to keep in mind this weekend is how well the tires will do, as they were a handfull at Atlanta, Texas' sister track. Without further delay, here are the rankings:

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Another race, another top-10 finish for Jr. at Martinsville, where he led the most laps and says he could have contended for the win if he had just been a little more patience. Jr. goes to Texas looking for his first win in 68 races, the same track where he earned his first career victory.

2. Jeff Burton

He is showing that he can contend for wins every week, as last week in Martinsville he was just a few tenths behind leader Denny Hamlin in the closing laps, but lapped traffic slowed his progress and allowed Jeff Gordon to get bye. However, Burton is one of the favorites at Texas, as he is the only driver with multiple victories at the track, including a victory in this race last year.

3. Carl Edwards

Surprising well at Martinsville with a 9th place finish, now he goes to Texas where can again contend for the win. At Atlanta earlier this year, it was his race to lose until he lost the motor. Expect him to run out front at Texas as well.

4. Kyle Busch

He didn't exactly shine at Martinsville, having rear-end gear trouble and finishing at the tail end of the pack and losing the point lead. However, Texas is a good place for Shrub to rebound, as he won at Atlanta earlier this year.

5. Greg Biffle

He was an also-ran at Martinsville, but Texas is a good place for the Biff to flex his muscles, as he's won here before.

6. Jeff Gordon

Comes out of Martinsville silencing critics, for the time being, however he'll have to perform at Texas to keep them quiet, a place that he has struggled at in the past, though last year he was the car to beat in the spring race. However, most of the time he is just an average car, as he has an average finish of 15.7.

7. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin earned a victory in front of a crowd of fellow Virginians for the first time, something he has looked forward to doing since his career started. Expect a good finish at Texas out of Hamlin, he has an average finish inside the top-10.

8. Tony Stewart

Recovered from his late-race wreck at Bristol to finish 5th at Martinsville, and he heads to Texas looking for more success. In 12 starts he has 7 top-10's, and a win here back in the fall race of 2006.

9. Clint Bowyer

The two short tracks were kind to Bowyer, as he finished 3rd at Bristol and then 10th at Martinsville. At Texas Bowyer only has a best finish of 16th, though he has improved lately at intermediate tracks.

10. Jimmie Johnson

He's back in the top-12 in points after recovering from a spin to finish 4th at Martinsville. The challenge for Johnson is the same as Gordon, to perform well at Texas. Earlier this year at Atlanta, Johnson was lapped twice en-route to a sub-par 13th place finish, thanks to well timed cautions. Johnson and crew need to figure out what to do with the car if they want to avoid falling out of the top-12 after this race, as a bad finish could find them out of it once again.

Other Notables:

11. Matt Kenseth- Had a temper tantrum at Martinsville, something we rarely see out of the 2003 champion. He finished runner-up in both races at Texas last year.

12. Martin Truex Jr.- He has failed to contend this year, but Texas could be where he turns things around. He has an average finish of 6.6 in 5 starts.

13. Jamie McMurray- Back in the top-35 after finishing 8th at Martinsville, but needs to continue to perform if he wants to stay in the top-35 or, more importantly, keep his job after the end of the season.

14. Kasey Kahne- Finished 17th at Martinsville, off the lead lap, but should perform better at Texas, where he won in 2006.

15. Regan Smith- He had the best finish of his young career at Martinsville, finishing 14th. He's now locked into the show at Texas, as he is 35th in points. Maybe the rookie can come up with another solid finish.

Here are this week's power rankings for the upcoming race at Martinsville, as the Sprint Cup Series gets ready to resume racing after the Easter off-week.

1. Kyle Busch

He runs up front every week and contends for the win. He would have had another good run at Bristol hadn't it been for a power steering failure while leading the race. He'll be looking to rebound at Martinsville, where he'll have to be patient if he wants to finish up front.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

He has been as consistent as anyone this year, and aside from the Fontana crash has a worst finish of 9th. Martinsville bids well for Jr., where he has enjoyed much success in prior years, including a stretch where he finished in the top-5 in 5 consecutive races.

3. Carl Edwards

Short track racing just isn't what Carl Edwards is known for. He had a sub-par run at Bristol, finishing 16th, and that will likely be the same at Martinsville. In 7 starts, he has no top-10's at the Virginia track.

4. Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle has the best average finish among active drivers at Bristol, but Martinsville is the exact opposite for the Biff, where he has an average finish of 24th.

5. Jeff Burton

Burton's patience allowed him to avoid the incident that took the chances of Tony Stewart winning and the slowing car of Denny Hamlin on the final restart to get his first win since Texas last spring. More patience out of Burton could see him looking for three in a row at Texas.

6. Kevin Harvick

Harvick was right behind Burton last week at Bristol last week, and he knows how to get around Martinsvile. In the past four races, he has three top-10's.

7. Matt Kenseth

He had another solid top-10 at Bristol last week, but he may struggle next week at Martinsville, where in 16 starts he has mustered just 5 top-10's. However, two of those top-10's came last year in the first races run by the COT at the paperclip track, when he finished 10th and 5th.

8. Jeff Gordon

Gordon struggled to stay on the lead lap all day at Bristol, managing only an 11th place finish there, but Martinsville is where he should rebound. One of his favorite tracks, Gordon has won there seven times, and has a streak of ten consecutive top-10's. Perhaps even more impressive than that is the fact Gordon has never failed to finish a race in 30 starts at Martinsville.

9. Tony Stewart

Stewart was a victim of typical short track racing at Bristol, going from contending for the win to finishing 14th in an instant. However, he too should rebound at Martinsville, where in the past five races he has four top-10's, with the other being a 13th place showing.

10. Denny Hamlin

He could-a, would-a, should-a won at Bristol. However, he has to put that all behind him as he goes to Martinsville looking to win in front of fellow Virgina natives. In five starts he has one DNF overshadowed by four finishes of 8th or better, including his first start there.

Other notable drivers:

11. Kasey Kahne- He had another consistent run at Bristol, but he struggles at Martinsville, where he has failed to finish in the top-15 in half of his starts.

12. Jimmie Johnson- A flat tire late at Bristol cost him a good finish. He's won the past three races at Martinsville, but if he's going to win a fourth strait he'll have to avoid more bad luck.

13. Clint Bowyer- He completed the RCR 1-2-3 finish at Bristol, and he'll look to continue to improve at Martinsville. He got his first top-ten at the track in his last start there last fall.

14. Martin Truex Jr.- He's quietly finishing in the top-15 each race, which is allowing him to stay in the top-12. However his best finish at Martinsville is only 19th.

15. Aric Almirola & David Gilliland- Both drivers impressed as Almirola earned his first top-10 finish in his career and Gilliland earned his first top-10 in a non-restrictor plate race. Both Gilliland and Almirola are on the entry list for Martinsville.

OK, I look at Power Rankings from foxsports.com, nascar.com, and espn.com. Nascar.com likes to go with a little bit of a sarcastic approach, foxsports.com goes directly off driver rating, and espn.com, well, it's espn. So I'm making my own rankings, based on driver performance in the past few races, NOT NECESSARILY THE RESULT OF THE RACE, and how they usually fare at the upcoming track. Feel free to disagree, I'm sure some of you will.

 

1. Carl Edwards

If not for a transmission failure with 50 laps to go at Atlanta, people would be talking about how dominant Carl has been to start the year. His performance will carry over to Bristol, where he won when they re-configured the track last year.

 

2. Kyle Busch

Busch is certainly strong this year, and his win at Atlanta proved it. Now the Shrub goes to Bristol, where he won last year, looking for more success. He and Carl are the two drivers to beat right now.

 

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The fan favorite has run well since his switch to Hendrick Motorsports, and has been the most consistent driver out of the organization. In three out of four races this year, Jr. has been the best finishing Hendrick driver. Jr. is no slouch at Bristol, with a win here in the 2004 night race and three straight finishes of 7th or better







4. Greg Biffle

Greg Biffle has been the most consistent driver out of the Roush camp, with his worst finish this year a 15th, with top-10's in every other race, which has allowed the Biff to rise to 2nd in points. And although he's not known for being the best short track racer, Biffle has the best average finish of any active driver at Bristol at 10.3

 

5. Kasey Kahne

Kahne is quietly having a good season, defidently an improvement from last year. Kahne was right behind Carl last year when they reconfigured the track at Bristol.

6. Kevin Harvick

Happy Harvick has been consistent this year, but hasn't yet had a car that could win. However, Bristol could be the site of Harvick's first win, he won there in 2005 and has 9 top-10's in 14 starts.

 

 

7. Jeff Gordon




The consistency Gordon had in 2007 hasn't carried over to 2008, but the performance has. Gordon has run in the top-5 of every race, but has 2 DNF's in the four races he's run. He's tied for most victories among active drivers with Kurt Busch at 5, and could be expected to run up front Sunday, it's just a matter of whether or not he'll finish.







8. Kurt Busch






Kurt Busch has struggled since finished 2nd in the Daytona 500, with no top-10's since. However, Bristol is the place for Busch to turn it around, where he has 5 wins in 14 starts.

9. Tony Stewart




Smoke was infuriated by the tires at Atlanta after a 2nd place finish, but he'll have to put that behind him as he goes to Bristol where he only has 6 top-10's in 18 starts, though he finished 4th on this configuration last year.








10. Matt Kenseth






Kenseth has run well this year, but like Gordon just hasn't had the finishes. However, he heads to Bristol where he has 2 wins and an average finish of 12.5.






Other notable drivers:

11. Brian Vickers- off to a fast start with Red Bull, sitting 9th in points.
12. Jeff Burton- consistent as always, his patience will pay off in Bristol.
13. Ryan Newman- The 500 winner is getting top-15 finish after top-15 finish.
14. Martin Truex Jr.- Haven't heard much about him, but he's had a couple of good runs this year, but he'll be looking for more, with just one top-10 so far.
15. Jimmie Johnson- Really needs to step it up if he wants to go for a third championship.