Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick stakes his claim to No. 1

Kevin Harvick led 74 laps on Sunday. (Getty)[/caption]

Welcome to Power Rankings. As always, Power Rankings are far from a scientific formula. In fact, it’s the perfect blend of analytics and bias against your favorite driver. Direct all your complaints to us at happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com and we’ll try to have some fun.

1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 7): There’s only one time Kevin Harvick hasn’t gotten a win when he’s needed it in the Chase. And that was at last year’s season finale at Homestead when he finished second to Kyle Busch. Not bad at all.

Had Harvick not gotten a win at Kansas to move on to the third round his Talladega could have been a bit more distracting than most. Remember what happened in 2015 with the cautions at the end of last year’s race and Trevor Bayne? It’s impossible to forget. The win means Harvick can simply laugh at any and all mentions and simply flash three fingers for the third round instead of wondering if a similar situation will dictate his Chase chances once again.

2. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 1): We are so brutal. After vaulting Johnson seven spots thanks to his Charlotte win last week, the six-time champion drops a spot despite finishing fourth. Poor guy.

Johnson had a fast car throughout most of Sunday’s race, though it wasn’t as fast as the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing or Harvick’s car. We’re interested to see what the Talladega strategy is for Johnson and Harvick. How much do they work with their teammates to get them (Harvick teammate Kurt Busch and Johnson teammate Chase Elliott) into the third round?

3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3): Busch was one of those fast Toyotas, but he wasn’t really, really fast. For a brief moment it looked like Busch was going to be a contender for the win late in the race after he exploded from seventh to second immediately after the race’s final restart.

But once Carl Edwards’ tires heat-cycled, Edwards had a car that could run with Busch and the side-by-side racing between the two derailed any hopes of either car catching Harvick. Busch ended up finishing fifth and is a healthy 27 points ahead of the Chase cutoff.

4. Matt Kenseth (LW: 2): The only guy who has more points than Busch in the second round of the Chase is Kenseth, who finished ninth after starting first. Kenseth is in the best position of any non-winner this round, a stark contrast to where he was in the standings after Kansas a year ago.

But Kenseth was unhappy after the race given how dominant his car was at the beginning of the race. He said some contact with the wall and contact with Alex Bowman made his car refuse to turn, hence his backslide throughout the second half of the race.

5. Carl Edwards (LW: 9): Edwards has perhaps the best poker face of any driver in the garage, but it’s clearly obvious how much he wants to win at Kansas. And yes, Edwards was disappointed after Sunday’s race.

He looked like he was in position to get his first Cup win at what he considers his home track, but Harvick rocketed past him on the final restart with 30 laps to go and zipped away for the win.

On the bright side, it’s the most speed Edwards has shown in quite some time. His second was the best finish he’s had since Kentucky and his 61 laps led were the most laps he’s led since Richmond … in the spring.

6. Joey Logano (LW: 11): Logano showed why he’s one of the best drivers at restarts on that final restart. He got a great jump on Jimmie Johnson ahead of him and put Johnson three-wide entering turn 1 to cleanly make the pass.

Logano finished third, even if he might not have had the third-fastest car throughout the race. The finish means that Logano can go to Talladega knowing that if he finishes ahead of the four cars behind him in the standings he’s moving on in the Chase.

7. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): Is the second round the return of the crazy luck that Truex has shown throughout the season? Truex won two races in the first round of the Chase but his car stalled leaving pit road on the final pit stop of the race at Charlotte a week ago.

Sunday Truex’s team had an issue with fueling the car as the engagement between the fuel can and the car’s fuel intake was problematic. The issue meant Truex’s car wasn’t full of gas multiple times, though the issues could have been worse had it not been for a fortuitous caution in the middle of the race. Truex ended up finishing 11th.

8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6): Busch is surviving and advancing. After finishing eighth at Charlotte, Busch was 13th at Kansas with a backup car. Busch was forced to go to a backup on Saturday when his car dug through the infield grass after a tire went flat off turn 4.

If only we knew Busch’s practice misfortune would be a sign of things to come during the race. In addition to Keselowski’s car getting blown up because of the grass, Aric Almirola’s car was also eaten by the infield on Sunday.

9. Austin Dillon (LW: 12): Major props to the No. 3 team for again trying the two-tire strategy that backfired so hideously at Charlotte.

A late two-tire stop put Dillon on the front row for the second-to-last restart of the race. He was gobbled up by the field in turns 1 and 2, but that gobbling refers to simply being passed by other cars and not getting bumped into the wall.

Dillon finished sixth and is tied with Joey Logano for the final spot in the third round. Expect a lot of references to Dale Earnhardt if the No. 3 is successful at Talladega.

10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 4): Keselowski better capitalize on that Talladega magic.

After crashing at Kansas — well, being eaten by the infield grass monster — Keselowski needs another successful day at Talladega if he wants to move on in the Chase. Or, because he’s just seven points outside the top eight, he could also benefit from other drivers’ misfortune.

Keselowski was right when he said Sunday that he wasn’t in a win-and-in situation at Talladega. His good finish at Charlotte means he’s in striking distance, unlike where he was in 2014 when his only way of advancing in the Chase was at Talladega. Watching NASCAR’s best restrictor plate racer (remember, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out) in a situation where he must run up front all day will be a hell of a storyline.

11. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8): There’s Martin Truex Jr. luck and there’s Denny Hamlin luck. That Hamlin finished 15th on Sunday at Kansas is nothing short of amazing given the calamity that he experienced throughout the race.

The caution that happened when Hamlin was limping his car around the track for a damaged splitter will be the moment of the Chase for Hamlin if he moves on at Talladega. Had he been forced to pit under green for the problem he would have lost multiple laps, either because of being slow on the track or because of the repairs on pit road.

Instead, Hamlin’s team got the problem fixed … and then committed multiple pit road penalties late in the race.

12. Chase Elliott (LW: 10): If there’s a driver who needs to win at Talladega to advance, it’s Elliott. He’s 25 points behind eighth after a disastrous day at Kansas. Much like Charlotte, it was going well — Elliott led laps again — and then the boulder fell off a cliff.

A left-rear wheel issue led to a tire rub that Elliott had to pit for. Then he hit the wall a couple times and the problem got worse. Elliott was forced to limp his car to pit road late in the race and ultimately finished three laps down.

Lucky Dog: Alex Bowman hit the wall (and Matt Kenseth, apparently) and finished seventh. And he was sick too.

The DNF: Jamie McMurray hit the wall and finished 37th.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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