Power Rankings
October 20, 2009

New this Week

Clint Bowyer

Dropped Out

Kevin Harvick
Gain of the Week

Gain of the Week
Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman
Up three spots
Drop of the Week

Drop of the Week
Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards
Dropped out from No. 9
 Rankings
 Rank   Name   Comments 
1:Jimmie Johnson Johnson has won 17 of the 55 Chase races run. The next closest are Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, with six victories.
2:Jeff Gordon A 5.8 average finish would be good enough to win three of the five Chases run. This year, it may not be good enough to stay within 100 points of the champion.
3:Mark Martin On a single restart at Lowe's, Martin and Juan Pablo Montoya knocked each other, damaging their cars and ending their nights. Yep, Johnson is good, but he's also lucky.
4:Juan Pablo Montoya It's one thing for a driver to fall out of contention because of performance, another because of bad luck. And before his night went south, JPM was moving through the field.
5:Tony Stewart If the Chase were run in the hot summer moths, then we would be talking about how it needs to be Tony-proofed instead of Jimmie-proofed.
6:Kasey Kahne If not for a blown engine at New Hampshire and the wreck at California – both of which came with Kahne running in the top 10 – Kasey would be in the hunt.
7:Kurt Busch How much has the field stepped up its game? KuBusch's average finish in this Chase is better than when he won the title in 2004 – and he's 177 points out.
8:Ryan Newman Right now, it's all about snapping a 66-race winless streak.
9:Denny Hamlin He has led laps in four of five Chase races. Only Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch have led in all five. This is why Denny is so upset. He was a legit contender.
10:Casey Mears Continues a stellar audition for 2010. Starting 42nd and finishing seventh will certainly open some eyes.
11:Greg Biffle Just playing out the season, like the rest of his Roush Fenway teammates.
12:Clint Bowyer Everyone at Richard Childress Racing is running better. It's a good sign leading into 2010, but the organization is still not where it needs to be.
Lucky Dog:Brad Keselowski Has an average finish of 19.8. While that may not sound like much, it's pretty stout considering he has entered only 11 events. It's also three spots better than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s.
DNF:Brian Vickers No one had a better average over the 10-race stretch leading into the Chase than Vickers; in five Chase races, Vickers' average finish is 25.8.
Disclaimer: The NASCAR Power Rankings are based on the opinions of the Yahoo! Sports editorial staff and do not necessarily reflect actual driver standings or race results. Send a question or comment on the latest rankings.