NASCAR power rankings: Kevin Harvick answers challenge

When the Chase for the Sprint Cup began, the narrative centered on Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing vs. Joe Gibbs Racing’s four-car team: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin.

Except, while Harvick was in position to win each of the first two races, he failed to closeout, crashing at Chicagoland Speedway then running out of fuel while leading the next week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In both instances JGR capitalized, with Hamlin and Kenseth each scoring wins.

But on the ropes and needing short of a victory, Harvick responded in a big way Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Dominance so complete -- Harvick led 355 of 400 laps -- Busch remarked afterward that it wouldn’t have mattered whether he had eight tires on his car, there was no way he was beating Harvick. It was a win that not only kept the reigning Sprint Cup champion in the playoffs, but also assured a budding rivalry will continue for at least another three races.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Matt Kenseth (Last week: 1)

The series wins leader posted the best Round 1 average finish (4.3) and was one of only two drivers to record top-10s in all three races. That high-level consistency should carry over to the second bracket, as Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega are three of Kenseth’s better tracks.

2. Kyle Busch (LW: 5)

After a tire failure at New Hampshire, Busch entered unexpectedly on the bubble and needed a good result to avoid elimination. He got that with a second-place finish, which, considering Harvick’s superiority, had to almost feel like a win to some degree.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 6)

Came through in the clutch to stay in the Chase and found a way to irk his rivals via a benign victory celebration. In other words, Harvick had an all-around great weekend and his status as championship favorite very much remains as is.

4. Joey Logano (LW: 4)

Along with Kenseth, Joey Logano was the other driver to notch top-10s in every Round 1 race. But whereas Kenseth maintained a presence near the front and led a combined 54 laps, Logano led just a lone circuit and didn’t resemble the drive who entered the Chase as a legitimate title contender.

5. Denny Hamlin (LW: 2)

When you got a Chase win in your back pocket you can do things like speeding on pit road, not once but twice. The pair of penalties prevented Hamlin from showcasing whether he had a winning car and directly contributed to him finishing 18th, snapping a six-race top-10 streak.

6. Carl Edwards (LW: 3)

Only needed a drama-free race to lockup his spot in the next bracket and what Edwards experienced was anything but uneventful. First came at incident on pit road where Kurt Busch rear-ended the No. 19 car, which later brought an unusual noise emitting from the engine that made Edwards think it was “blowing up.” The motor stayed intact and Edwards gutted out a 15th-place finish, allowing him to move on rather comfortably.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 12)

Don’t tell Dale Earnhardt Jr. bonus points for winning during the regular season aren’t important. Because without the extra points he earned for winning in May at Talladega and in July at Daytona, Earnhardt would have never tied Jamie McMurray for the final transfer position Sunday and advanced Round 2 via a tiebreaker.

8. Brad Keselowski (LW: 8)

He made it past the first round with an average finish of 12th. A number that will obviously have to improve if he’s going to have any playoff staying power, which may prove problematic as the No. 2 team continues to lack in the speed department, noticeably behind Harvick and the JGR camp.

9. Kurt Busch (LW: 9)

Busch ran consistently in the top-five before an issue with the right front suspension developed, which otherwise would’ve necessitated a green-flag stop and possibly playoff elimination. But luckily for Busch, a caution waved at an opportune time allowing repairs to be made and he stayed on the lead lap, finishing 17th.

10. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 10)

As Martin Truex Jr.‘s car was sitting on the grid an official noticed an irregularity on the No. 78 car and made Furniture Row Racing go back through technical inspection. Also forced to forfeit his ninth starting position and drop to the rear, he nonetheless still recovered and drove to finish 11th to secure advancement. Round 2 sets up favorably for the team, as Charlotte and Kansas are both tracks Truex nearly won on earlier this season.

11. Jeff Gordon (LW: 11)

Not flashy, just effective, best describes how Jeff Gordon made it through the opening round with finishes of 14th, seventh and 12th. Can the four-time Cup champion conjure up some magic and keep his hopes alive of retiring with a fifth title past Round 2? There is promise. The No. 24 has been better of late on intermediate tracks -- he led 41 laps at Chicagoland -- and Gordon was in contention to win all three restrictor-plate races this season.

12. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7)

The quest for a record-tying seventh championship will have to wait until next year, as Jimmie Johnson’s Chase ended thanks to a $5 broken axle seal. Adding salt to the wound, it came at Dover, a track where Johnson typically dominates -- he owns a Dover-best 10 wins -- and marks the second straight season the No. 48 team suffered a surprising early elimination.