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.