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1. Kyle Busch:
We're sure the Indiana Jones folks are hoping some of Kyle
Busch's success rubs off on their movie this weekend. For yet
another week Busch tops the point standings and the power
rankings after winning his third race of the season at
Darlington Saturday night. Busch's success might come to an end
when the series races its 600-mile endurance race at Lowe's in
two weeks. In four Coca-Cola 600 starts his best finish was a
25th in 2005. But that was in a Chevy and now he's in a Toyota,
as he'll get his first taste of 600 miles with the new
manufacturer.
Last Week's Rank:
First |
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2. Dale Earnhardt Jr:
Even though a victory still eludes him,
Junior continues to remain in contention for the points lead. He
posted his eighth top-10 finish of the season at Darlington, a
fourth-place finish after starting second. He's finished in the
top-10 three times in nine Coca-Cola 600 starts, including an
eighth-place result last year.
Last Week's Rank:
Fifth |
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3. Carl Edwards:
Edwards couldn't have hoped for a better finish in Darlington
Saturday after starting 36th - well, maybe one better finish.
Edwards battled the field to finish second in the Dodge
Challenger 500. He jumped three spots in the standings to
seventh, but the Roush driver is still trying to catch up from
his 100-point early season penalty. In three Coca-Cola 600
starts, Edwards has finished third twice and 15th once (last
year). That 15th-place finish was his worst one at the track in
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Last Week's Rank: Fourth |
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4. Denny Hamlin:
Earnhardt Jr. might want to start
worrying a little bit about Hamlin. After finishing seventh
Saturday, Hamlin jumped two spots in the points to fourth - 56
behind Junior. In both of his 600-mile Charlotte race starts,
Hamlin has finished ninth. He will also be debuting in the
endurance race with a new manufacturer.
Last Week's Rank:
Third |
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5. Clint Bowyer:
Bowyer wasn't able to do much Saturday at Darlington. After
starting 38th, he finished 15th and, as a result, slipped a spot
in the standings and quite a few in the Rankings. In two
Coca-Cola 600 starts, Bowyer has posted 19th and 29th-place
finishes, respectively.
Last Week's Rank:
Second |
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6. Jeff Burton:
Burton is still putting up a fight to remain in contention for
the points lead. The veteran driver finished 10th in Darlington
to continue his consistent season. Eleven races into the season,
Burton has yet to finish worse than 13th. Burton is a two-time
winner in the Coca-Cola 600 with Jack Roush. Since joining with
RCR, Burton has only one top-10 finish in the 600 mile race.
Last Week's Rank:
Sixth |
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7. Jeff Gordon:
Gordon finally posted two straight top-10 finishes this season
with his third-place run at Darlington coming on the heels of a
ninth in Richmond. Just in time, too. The finish moved him
within Chase contention in the points to 10th. But the outlook
coming into next week's Coca-Cola 600 doesn't look too rosy for
Gordon. He's won the endurance race three times, but not
recently. In his last four starts in the race, Gordon has an
average finish of 34.2.
Last Week's Rank:
Ninth |
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8. Tony Stewart:
Stewart was able to turn some
lemons into lemonade at Darlington after being crashed into by
Elliott Sadler on the third lap of Saturday's race. The JGR
driver bounced back to post a 21st-place finish and maintain his
eighth-place spot in the standings. Stewart's posted five top-10
finishes in nine starts in the Coca-Cola 600 race, most recently
a sixth last year.
Last Week's Rank:
Seventh |
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9. Kevin Harvick:
Harvick’s DNF record remains in tact despite hard
contact with wall at Darlington. His 39th-place finish extended
his streak of races without a Did Not Finish to 55 consecutive
races, the longest active streak in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series. Hravick now heads to Lowe's Motor Speedway as the
defending All-Star winner. He also has three top 10s in 14
points paying starts at LMS.
Last Week's Rank: Eighth |
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10. David Ragan:
Ragan continues to be the big
surprise in 2008 after moving into the 12th spot in the
standings. His fifth-place finish at Darlington was his second
top five of the year, equaling his mark during the 2007 season.
If Ragan plans to keep it up he will need to turn around his
Charlotte performance where he has a 38.5 average finish in two
starts.
Last Week's Rank:
N/R |
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11. Greg Biffle:
Biffle had one of his best races of 2008 going,
leading 95 laps at Darlington, up until engine failure took him
out of the race. A frustrated Biffle climbed form his car and
said, "I’ve just come accustomed to expecting it because it’s
just week after week it’s something. Something breaks. Something
falls off. We’ve got wheels loose." But don't worry Greg,
RacingOne is noticing the hard work you're putting in and that's
why we moved you up in the rankings. Pending and trouble, Biffle
will need to work harder to keep his position in the rankings
next weekend at Charlotte where he has posted an average finish
of 35.7 in his last three races.
Last Week's Rank:
14th |
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12. Jimmie Johnson:
Although Johnson finished outside the top 10 for the first time
at Darlington since 2003, he was able to gain one spot in the
standings to sixth. At Lowe's Motor Speedway Johnson has posted
five wins and 11 top 10s in the last 12 races.
Last Week's Rank:
15th |
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13. Travis Kvapil:
Kvapil has taken a liking to the fast tracks on
the circuit that have laid down new pavement over the last
couple seasons. Kvapils' eighth-place finish at Darlington was
his third top-10 of the season and it moved him one spot in the
standings (18th) and into the rankings for the first time. Next
week will mark Kvapil's fifth start at Lowe's Motor Speedway. In
his last start in 2006 he finished 20th in the No. 32 Chevrolet.
Last Week's Rank:
N/R |
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14. Matt Kenseth:
Kenseth ended a streak of three
bad races in 2008 with a sixth-place finish at Darlington. It
was his fifth top 10 of the year and it moved him into 20th in
the standings. Kenseth's last of seven top 10s at Lowe's Motor
Speedway came in this event in 2006 when he finished fifth.
Last Week's Rank:
N/R |
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15. Martin Truex Jr:
Truex Jr's 15th spot in the rankings equals his
position in the points standings. Truex was able to lead his
first laps (11) laps at Darlington en route to his 14th-place
finish. Truex's best finish at Lowe's Motor Speedway in five
starts came in his first attempt when he finished seventh in
2005.
Last Week's Rank:
11th |