NASCAR power rankings: Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports lead the way

Continuing the persistent theme that Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske are the two organizations of prominence this season, Jeff Gordon (Hendrick) took the win Sunday at Dover International Speedway. It was the seventh straight checkered flag for a driver representing either of the two powerhouses and 17 of the past 21 overall.

Considering that vast success, it is no surprise half of the remaining Chase for the Sprint Cup field is comprised of Hendrick and Penske drivers, four of whom are near the top in this week’s NASCAR power rankings.

1. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 1)

Keselowski and Harvick were the only two drivers who could honestly say they had cars capable of winning all three races in the Challenger Round. That competitiveness should bode well in the second bracket, especially at Kansas and Charlotte, two styles of tracks where Team Penske thrives.

2. Jeff Gordon (LW: 6)

Not too long ago it seemed 100 victories weren’t obtainable for Gordon, whose trips to the winner’s circle were sporadic to say the least. But four checkered flags this season has increased Gordon’s total to 92 overall, and made the goal of triple-digits in the wins column reasonably attainable.

3. Joey Logano (LW: 2)

A sure sign that Logano’s evolved into a legit title contender is that he had a relatively quiet Dover and still placed fourth. That’s what teams that win championships do on days when the speed isn’t there to win.

4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3)

Harvick was correct when he stated that if the No. 4 team can ever move past the mistakes and sour luck, he is the driver to beat for the championship. The problem is at this juncture of the season, there is little indication that neither his luck nor the correctable mistakes that have hampered Harvick are showing any signs of improvement.

5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 4)

Dover is supposed to be Johnson’s track, the place where he runs well no matter what. However, in an indicator that the 48 team isn’t up to its usual Chase standards, there was the atypical performance put forth Sunday. Yeah, Johnson finished third, but for the first time in 14 Dover starts he failed to lead a lap, and it was clear Harvick, Keselowski and Gordon were faster -- just as they’ve been throughout the Chase.

6. Kyle Larson (LW: 7)

On the strength of sixth-, second- and third-place finishes, Larson has scored the third-most points in the Chase. An impressive streak, which only further highlights the tremendous rookie season the 21-year-old has compiled. The only thing he hasn’t done yet is win, and that appears to be a matter of when and not if.

7. Kyle Busch (LW: 8)

Wasn’t a factor as expected, but did enough to advance to Round 2. And considering how Busch limped into the Chase, with the 18 team seemingly coming apart due to infighting, making it out of the first segment should be viewed as an accomplishment.

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 9)

After a crash the week before, Kenseth found himself in the unexpected position of needing a good outing at Dover to avoid elimination. He did just that, putting together a stress-free day en route to finishing fifth. If Kansas does turn into the wreck-fest and attrition-filled race as many expect, that could favor Kenseth, who has won there each of the past two years.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5)

At the most inopportune time, Earnhardt’s performance level has regressed significantly. He has just one top 10 in the past six weeks -- a ninth at New Hampshire -- and has led zero laps. In a format where running up front and winning matters so much, Earnhardt’s recent form lends itself to seeing him getting bounced sooner rather than later.

10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10)

Dover is among Hamlin’s worst tracks, but he did just enough to advance. His 12th-place finish was enough to vault him above the cutline -- the only driver to do so Sunday -- and now he enters the portion of the Chase that gets better and better with each subsequent round.

11. Ryan Newman (LW: 14)

Consistency is still paying dividends for Newman, who used a 10th Sunday to qualify for the Contender Round. Will that steadiness be enough to carry him through to Round 3? It’s unlikely, though every playoff produces a Cinderella story.

12. Kurt Busch (LW: 12)

Any thought that he might be some sort of playoff sleeper didn’t last long, since Busch didn’t survive the first round of cuts. The problem for the former series champion is the same thing that’s hampered him all season: an inability to get better as the race moves on. Busch was solid in the early and middle portions at Dover, but his car was at its worst over the final 100 laps, and he finished 18th and out of the Chase.

13. Jamie McMurray (LW: 11)

Having posted three straight top-10s and four in five weeks, McMurray came into Dover with plenty of momentum. That seemed to carry through into practice and qualifying since the No. 1 car was a fixture at the top of the speed charts (McMurray qualified fifth). But when the green flag waved he struggled and finished 22nd.

14. Clint Bowyer (LW: 15)

Although a ninth at Dover was encouraging, he is a ways away from ending his two-year winless drought. And if you haven’t heard, Bowyer and his wife, Lorra, became first-time parents, welcoming a baby boy into the world.

15. Carl Edwards (LW: Unranked)

After sluggish results in the first two Chase events, Edwards was teetering on not advancing to Round 2. He came through, though, with a 10th-place finish that, much like his season, was uninspiring yet somehow still decent enough.