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Kansas winner Joey Logano seizes the top spot from teammate Brad Keselowski in this week’s rankings.
The combined dominance of Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports continued, even in spite of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski all experiencing various issues at Kansas Speedway. As the lone Penske/Hendrick driver not to encounter problems, Joey Logano made it eight straight wins between the two organizations and 18 of the past 22 races.
And fittingly it is Logano, on the heels of his fifth victory of 2014 (tying Keselowski for series-best), who jumps up to No. 1 this week. A more than justifiable ranking, since no driver has been better throughout the Chase for the Sprint Cup, witness the two wins and pair of fourths.
1. Joey Logano (Last week: 3)
It's telling that in the two Chase races where drivers routinely encountered trouble (New Hampshire, Kansas) Logano not only avoided any missteps, but took the win each time. That's not happenstance. Because if this season has proven anything it's that Logano, crew chief Todd Gordon and the No. 22 team have elevated themselves to a higher level and are every bit as good as any other team in the garage, as indicated by their five victories and position atop the standings.
2. Brad Keselowski (LW: 1)
Keselowski is a textbook example of how quickly fortunes can change under NASCAR's new Chase format. Prior to Sunday, he was considered all but a lock to make it to the season finale as one of the four championship contenders. Now, thanks to a blown tire and accompanying 36th-place finish, there's no guarantee Keselowski advances past Round 2 let alone makes it all the way to Homestead.
3. Jeff Gordon (LW: 2)
Most weeks a 14th-place finish would be viewed a disappointment, yet considering the circumstances Gordon will gladly take that result. Not only did two of his main competitors for the championship (Keselowski, Johnson) incur much worse fates, Gordon could have easily finished lower than he did Sunday.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 4)
That Harvick was gun shy about having a flat tire is understandable. In addition to the repeated failures that inflicted several drivers at Kansas, Harvick's luck this season almost ensured that something fluky would derail what had been another outstanding run.
5. Kyle Larson (LW: 6)
It's too bad Larson didn't qualify for the Chase, because if he had, he would have had a real shot at becoming the first rookie to win the championship. That's not hyperbole, when you consider he's finished second, sixth, second and third with only Logano accumulating more points. Although that first victory continues to be elusive, it's coming. And when it does, Larson is going to start winning in bunches, and won't stop for many years to come.
6. Kyle Busch (LW: 7)
As Busch said, finishing third was the equivalent of a win due to a tortured Kansas history where more often than not his car ended up missing its fenders. That Kansas is Busch's worst track never made much sense, because it plays to his strengths of tire management and being able to handle a loose car.
7. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5)
Just about any other team and it would be safe to begin writing the playoff obituary. However, if any team deserves the benefit of the doubt it's the 48 bunch. The six-time champions habitually recover from situations that seem dire only to galvanize and recover seamlessly. In short, it would surprise no one if Johnson, whose only real hope of advancing is via winning, went out and won at Charlotte.
8. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10)
When the Chase began Hamlin was adamant that if he could just survive the first two segments the slate of tracks in the second half really worked to his advantage. He may still have some work to do, but a seventh at Kansas has Hamlin in good shape to transfer out of Round 2 -- provided of course nothing drastic occurs at Charlotte or Talladega. And that's a very big if.
9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8)
Like Harvick, Kenseth thought a tire was going down and hit pit road before he tagged the wall. And as was the case with Harvick, his team discovered nothing amiss on the No. 20 car and he continued on without incident.
10. Ryan Newman (LW: 11)
Led by Newman's sixth-place effort, Kansas marked the first time Richard Childress Racing placed all of its team inside the top 10. Teammates Austin Dillon and Paul Menard finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 9)
After a listless performance in the first three Chase races, Earnhardt resembled his regular season form at Kansas, up front and leading for 45 laps. Then, a right-front tire let go and a once promising day turned into anything but, and casts serious doubt whether Earnhardt can recover and make it out of Round 2.
12. Jamie McMurray (LW: 13)
Kansas was really McMurray's season in a nutshell. He again had a fast car capable of winning only to not get the corresponding finish due to something out of his control. This time it was a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go, which dropped McMurray from eighth to 25th.
13. Carl Edwards (LW: 15)
Every playoff in every sport produces a Cinderella of some sort. Playing that role in NASCAR's Chase is Edwards, who despite having one foot out the door (he's going to Joe Gibbs Racing next season) and being saddled with cars that lack speed on intermediate ovals (the predominate sized track in the Chase) is somehow third in points.
14. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: Unranked)
After a substandard regular season where he was a non-factor most weeks, Truex has found something the past four races. Beginning with Chicagoland he's finished 14th, 12th, seventh and a season-best fourth at Kansas. The majority of the year may have been disappointing, but Truex has a good chance to end with a flurry with some of his better tracks (Texas, Homestead) upcoming.
15. Kurt Busch (LW: 12)
A fender rub caused a cut tire which led Busch to a crash-induced 42nd-place finish. And so it goes for a driver and team that never found its stride in the Chase, or the duration of the season for that matter.