NASCAR power rankings: Brad Keselowski absolute No. 1

In a microcosm of the regular season, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon were among the top challengers Sunday, combining to lead 62 percent of all laps at Chicagoland Speedway. And just as the regular season concluded, the playoffs began in the same fashion with Keselowski winning for a second consecutive week.

Keselowski’s fifth victory of the year tied a career-high and marked the first time he’s ever posted back-to-back wins. That streak could just as easily run to three, as Chase race No. 2 takes place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Keselowski rolled to victory in July.

1. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 1)

Equal parts daring and predatory, Keselowski’s three-wide pass for the lead and eventual win will forever be part of his highlight reel. Lurking behind Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson as they focused on one another, Keselowski waited for a hole to open and then pounced, completing the audacious maneuver by the slimmest of margins.

2. Jeff Gordon (LW: 2)

A strong start to the Chase for the regular season points leader, who qualified well, led some laps and finished second. The test will be whether Gordon can net a similar result at New Hampshire, a track where he hasn’t had much success recently.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3)

Armed with a new crew with a championship pedigree, Harvick must have thought his troubles in the pits were a thing of the past. Not so, apparently. During his second stop of the afternoon, the No. 4 team failed to tighten the left-front wheel, necessitating another trip down pit road. It was a mere blip, however, as the crew was flawless the rest of the day. Harvick came back to lead a race-high 79 laps en route to a fifth-place finish.

4. Joey Logano (LW: 4)

Luck is paramount to winning a championship in any sport. And Sunday, Logano’s break came in the form of an overcooked engine (a plastic wrapper covered the grille) which expired just as he crossed the start/finish line. Instead of plummeting down the running order, Logano finished fourth and sits third in points. Remember this if for whatever reason he finds himself on the Chase bubble at Dover.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 6)

A disturbing trend as of late sees Earnhardt run well but not get a finish indicative of his performance. The latest example saw him climb inside the top five only to backslide in the closing stages to 11th. With the stakes higher and others having raised their games, Earnhardt and crew chief Steve Letarte need to do the same, with Earnhardt candidly emphasizing post-race that his team needs to be better in practice.

6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5)

While Johnson was a fixture in the top 10 for much of the day, the Chase opener was a bit of an underwhelming effort from the defending champion. The 48 car had little speed, especially compared to guys considered Johnson’s biggest competition (Keselowski, Harvick and Gordon). That said, Johnson still finished 12th and, were it not for a late caution, would have placed higher.

7. Kurt Busch (LW: 8)

Contact with his sibling nearly caused him to spin out in front of the field, but a remarkable piece of driving kept him together and off the wall. By finishing eighth, Busch has posted consecutive single-digit results for the first time since March.

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7)

For the second week in a row, the normally unflappable Kenseth committed an uncharacteristic mistake, this time spinning onto pit road. The incident wasn’t crippling, as he still recovered to finish 10th and would have been better had he not taken four tires under the final caution. Surprisingly, despite how good he’s been, New Hampshire will mark a year since Kenseth last won a race.

9. Kyle Larson (LW: 11)

Although he didn’t win, Larson left quite the impression. His drive from last on the grid to third -- in a backup car, nonetheless -- garnered praise from Gordon, who was quite complimentary of Larson post-race. Gordon called the rookie the “real deal” and predicted future superstardom. That’s heady praise from a four-time series champ, but it certainly seems well-deserved.

10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9)

At one juncture Hamlin thought his engine was expiring, which proved to be untrue and allowed him to grab sixth. With that finish, he earned his seventh top-10 in the past 10 races. But while the consistency is there, what Hamlin really needs is a win if he is to assert himself as bona fide contender.

11. Kyle Busch (LW: Unranked)

It was by no means pretty and included a run-in with his brother, but Busch muscled out a seventh Sunday. Highlighting just how much the No. 18 team has struggled in recent weeks, the finish was its best since a runner-up at Indianapolis in July. With New Hampshire and Dover upcoming, Busch has an excellent chance to return to Victory Lane and build some positive vibes heading into the Chase’s precarious Round 2.

12. Ryan Newman (LW: 10)

A strong run was negated when a flat tire caused Newman to drop three laps to the field. Through a combination of a fast car, pit strategy and timely cautions, he got back on the lead lap and eked out a 15th-place finish. With three victories and a fifth in July, Newman could be a sleeper at New Hampshire.

13. Jamie McMurray (LW: Unranked)

Through the early going it seemed McMurray was going to play the role of Chase spoiler, but a brush of the wall and changing track conditions contributed to a ninth-place result. Still, with some good tracks ahead (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega) a victory isn’t out of the question sometime before the season ends.

14. Kasey Kahne (LW: 14)

If Kahne is going to make a playoff push, avoiding speeding penalties like the one he incurred Sunday is a must. He’s also going to need to find some speed as the 5 was lacking in that department at Chicagoland, and really for much of the year.

15. Greg Biffle (LW: 12)

The good news is Biffle was among those in the Chase field Sunday. The bad news is a repeat of Chicagoland -- where he finished two laps down in 23rd -- will ensure his playoff stay is brief.