NASCAR power rankings: Team Penske continues torrid streak

Two Chase for the Sprint Cup races, two victories for Team Penske, which has placed itself in the enviable position of having both its drivers securely in the next playoff round with a race still to go. The latest triumph came courtesy of Joey Logano, who followed Brad Keselowski’s playoff-opening win with a victory of his own Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Altogether Penske has nine victories in 2014, with only Hendrick Motorsports (10) tabulating more. But whereas Hendrick fields four cars, Penske runs just two full-time cars and doesn’t operate under the “strength in numbers” premise that is pervasive among upper-echelon organizations.

1. Brad Keselowski (Last week: 1)

Any potential three-peat went by the wayside as the call to take four tires dropped Keselowski from the lead to 16th. Eventually he would make it back to the front even after a spin made things interesting, but running on worn tires, there was little chance of maintaining that position. Nevertheless, a pole, 78 laps led and a seventh-place finish is more than enough to keep Keselowski atop the power rankings for another week.

2. Joey Logano (LW: 4)

To put into perspective the breakout season Logano is in the midst of, he has more victories (four) and laps led (794) in 2014 than he had combined in the past 183 races (three wins, 660 laps led). And the slate of Chase races upcoming is very favorable with Dover, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas and Phoenix all looking like strongholds. Adding to his excellent week and season, Team Penske announced Thursday it had signed Logano to a “multi-year” contract extension.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3)

The day didn’t pay off with a trip to Victory Lane, but Harvick has a lot to be happy about following New Hampshire. He led a lot of laps, avoided the calamity on the track -- no easy feat considering the 15 cautions and the number of Chasers who found trouble -- experienced no mistakes on pit road and left with a third-place finish.

4. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 6)

Johnson acknowledged the obvious that the 48 team doesn’t have the same speed as Harvick, Jeff Gordon or Keselowski right now. As to the extent of the discrepancy, Dover will be a telltale indicator. It is Johnson’s best track and where he’s frequently both sublime and dominant.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 5)

It was by no means flashy, but Earnhardt will gladly take ninth following a loose wheel that required a stop under the green and dropped the 88 car two laps behind. Afterward, Earnhardt was nonplussed about his tepid Chase performance thus far but said he was confident about his chances at Dover, where he finished ninth in the spring and second a year ago.

6. Jeff Gordon (LW: 2)

A strong finish and subsequent advancement with ease were well within Gordon’s reach. Then, a cut tire sent him into the wall and any supposed cushion vanished. The positive is that a decent Dover finish will be good enough to get Gordon into the next round. But as Loudon proved, there are no guarantees.

7. Kyle Larson (LW: 9)

NASCAR’s burgeoning superstar followed a third at Chicagoland with a runner-up at New Hampshire, which supposedly wasn’t one of his better tracks. It’s inevitable that Larson will soon get that elusive maiden Cup victory. The only question is if will it occur before the season is out, making him the first freshman driver to win since Logano in 2009.

8. Kyle Busch (LW: 11)

Fighting back to grab a top 10 following a wreck is atypical of the 18 team, which has a deserved reputation for not responding positively to adversity. Busch has had a relatively quiet -- albeit solid -- Chase thus far, but a breakout at Dover wouldn’t be surprising at all.

9. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8)

One of the many who experienced a rough day at New Hampshire Sunday, when a late spin dropped him out of the top 10. Now a full year since Kenseth last won, he could use some of last season’s mojo, as he’s very much on the Chase Round 1 bubble.

10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10)

Up front and in the lead, Hamlin was fulfilling the promise Joe Gibbs Racing showed entering the playoffs. In no time flat, however, a weird refueling issue developed and knocked him five laps down. More problematic was the wreck Hamlin got swept up into which puts him in a very precarious position entering Dover, easily one of his worst tracks.

11. Jamie McMurray (LW: 13)

With three consecutive top 10s and four in the last five races, it’s easy to think McMurray is turning it on late in the season. The reality, however, is that speed has been there throughout the year and he’s now just getting the results that coincide with the performance.

12. Kurt Busch (LW: 7)

Despite a season which has included a win and a Chase berth, it seems the relationship between Busch and crew chief Daniel Knost is in its final stages. Never the easiest driver to work with, Busch is continually vexed by the inability of Knost, a first-time crew chief, to make his car handle better -- an issue that again was prevalent Sunday, as the No. 41 lacked competitiveness.

13. Aric Almirola (LW: Unranked)

Counted out after a blown engine left him buried in points following Chicagoland, Almirola responded with an impressive sixth-place run at New Hampshire. His effort, combined with the vast misfortune that befell many other Chasers, gives him a chance -- albeit slim -- of sneaking out of Round 1.

14. Ryan Newman (LW: 12)

Considering his past success on the 1-mile oval, New Hampshire seemed like an ideal place for Newman to score a high finish and if things broke right, maybe a win. But after getting a piece of the Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth mix-up, Newman was challenged just to finish 18th.

15. Clint Bowyer (LW: Unranked)

When he failed to qualify for the Chase, Bowyer vowed to be a playoff spoiler and grab a win somewhere along the way. Thus far he’s failed to come anywhere close to that goal, with the 15 team a nonfactor at Chicagoland (39th) and New Hampshire (14th).