P.2 NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings

(by Jeffrey Boswell)

6. Kasey Kahne —

Kahne led 67 laps in Charlotte, and held the lead when the cars pitted for the last time. He restarted third behind Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon but lacked the speed to challenge Johnson at the end. Kahne's third-place was his sixth top-five finish of the year, and he is now ninth in the points, 331 out of first.

"As a victim of mechanical issues in a previous race," Kahne said, "I can definitely relate to what Mark Martin and Juan Montoya are going through. That same accident on the street would have simply resulted in an exchange of insurance numbers. On a NASCAR track, it resulted in the downfall of Jimmie Johnson's two closest pursuers."

"I feel especially bad for Martin. It seems second place is his destiny. Therefore, his demise in Charlotte gives this track the nickname of 'Lowe's Martyr Speedway.'"

7. Kurt Busch —

Busch finished 10th in Charlotte, a respectable finish but one that didn't get him any nearer to points leader Jimmie Johnson. Busch moved up one spot in the points to fifth, and trails Johnson by 177.

"Look, we may trail Johnson by an insurmountable amount," Busch said, "but we'll keep plugging away until mathematical elimination is official. However, it seems that it really doesn't matter who 'does the math,' the consensus solution to the equation is a Jimmie Johnson championship."

8. Denny Hamlin —

After leading 54 laps early, Hamlin's No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota dropped a valve just past the midway point in the Banking 500 in Charlotte. With his engine crippled, Hamlin parked his car, and his eventual 40th-place finish shattered any hopes of the Sprint Cup. He now trails Jimmie Johnson by 372 points.

"We fumbled once again," Hamlin said. "My engine dropped a valve in Charlotte, whereas last week in California, I dropped the 'ball.'"

9. Greg Biffle —

Biffle survived a late spin through the grass in Charlotte to post a 16th, a result that maintained his position of seventh in the Sprint Cup point standings. He trails Jimmie Johnson by 268.

"Sure, it looks like Jimmie Johnson has the Cup wrapped up," Biffle said, "but frankly, I'm tired of answering questions concerning Johnson's dominance. Like 'Who's your daddy?' Ironically, that's similar to the question I found myself asking after a controversial race a few weeks ago: 'You're whose daddy?'"

10. Ryan Newman —

Newman finished 11th in the Banking 500, just missing his 15th top-10 of the year. He moved up two spots in the point standings to eighth, 288 behind Johnson.

"As you probably noticed," Newman said, "I was driving the No. 39 Chevrolet with the special Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen paint scheme promoting the DVD release of the movie. Like the Transformers, Jimmie Johnson operates with robotic precision. And the 'Fallen?' Well, that would be the other 11 drivers in the Chase."