Despite Matt Kenseth’s intentions, Joey Logano remains No. 1 in NASCAR power rankings

Despite rising tempers and talk of retaliation, for much of the afternoon the action was rather mundane Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. The Team Penske duo of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski took turns dominating, with the victory appearing likely to be decided between the teammates.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything flipped with 65 laps to go as Martinsville transformed into one of the more memorable and controversial races of recent memory. When the smoke and the wrecked cars cleared away, Logano and Keselowski went from being solidly in championship contention to on the brink of Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff elimination. All the while, one of NASCAR’s most respected veterans, Matt Kenseth, performed an action of revenge that would earn him an unprecedented two-week suspension, and another, Jeff Gordon, celebrated with complete and utter joy in victory lane.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Joey Logano (Last week: 1)

Forty-five laps. That’s how close Logano was to becoming the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four straight races, in addition to securing a spot in the championship bracket. Instead, Logano finds himself in near-desperation mode, requiring a win either at Texas or Phoenix to advance. Otherwise he almost certainly will be eliminated.

2. Kyle Busch (LW: 2)

Because of a substantial morning shower there was standing water along the curbing through the corners. Despite its best efforts, NASCAR couldn’t completely get it dry. One of those puddles caused Kyle Busch to spin out, but despite thinking otherwise, he did escape with minimal damage and rallied to finish fifth.

3. Denny Hamlin (LW: 4)

Although he finished third, two speeding penalties prevented Denny Hamlin from completing the Martinsville sweep. And not surprisingly, given he has his own issues with Logano and that Kenseth is his teammate, Hamlin has been the most outspoken regarding the stiff penalty NASCAR handed Kenseth on Tuesday. Among other things, he’s said the sanctioning body acted heavy-handed only because the fans and media demanded so. An interesting observation considering nearly every poll conducted overwhelmingly said Kenseth deserved no suspension of any kind.

4. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3)

Wanting to avoid the calamity that befell them at Chicagoland when Kevin Harvick had tire rub, crew chief Rodney Childers called his driver to pit road after contact with Kurt Busch on pit road caused frontend damage. A smart decision, as Harvick recovered to finish eighth, a result made all the better considering the myriad issues that struck Logano, Keselowski and Busch.

5. Jeff Gordon (LW: 7)

If he was going to punch his ticket to the championship, Gordon knew it likely hinged on him winning Martinsville. Logano, Keselowski and Harvick have generally all appeared to have more speed than the No. 24. But when opportunity knocked, Gordon answered by seizing control of the race following Logano’s crash and holding off Jamie McMurray for what could be the final victory of his storied career.

6. Carl Edwards (LW: 5)

After Carl Edwards became tangled in a multi-car accident and suffered a fairly crumpled hood, any chance of a good finish seemingly went by the wayside. But the damage was more cosmetic than anything and following repairs he recovered to finish 14th. That result prevented Edwards from falling into an insurmountable points deficit -- he’s just seven behind Harvick for the final transfer spot.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW: 10)

No repeat Martinsville win for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who pulled out a fourth-place finish despite not having a car to his liking most of the afternoon. But he may have had the quote of the weekend when asked about the Kenseth-Logano fracas: “Don’t wreck Matt Kenseth, I’ll tell you that right now. Don’t wreck that boy,” Earnhardt said.

8. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 9)

While chaos reigned at Martinsville, all Martin Truex Jr. did was leave with a quiet sixth-place finish that put him in solid position to advance in the playoffs. He’s nine points ahead of Edwards, the first driver below the cutline, and heading to a pair of tracks where he finished ninth (Texas) and seventh (Phoenix) in the spring. If Truex can replicate those results, he should make it to the season finale with a shot at the championship.

9. Kurt Busch (LW: 6)

For three-quarters of Martinsville, Kurt Busch was a fixture up front and in line for an excellent result. Then it all went askew when Kenseth and Keselowski wrecked off Turn 2 with Busch getting collected and slamming into the inside wall. Goodbye what was a certain top 10, hello 34th-place finish.

10. Matt Kenseth (LW: 8)

If there’s a lesson to be learned from Martinsville, it’s that when Kenseth said he was going to get revenge on Logano, he most certainly meant it. And what is it about Team Penske that brings out Kenseth’s absolute worst? Last season he jumped Keselowski between the haulers at Charlotte, and he just turned the final short track race of 2015 into a de facto demolition derby because he wanted to pay back Logano.

11. Brad Keselowski (LW: 11)

Similar to his teammate, Keselowski was well-positioned to score a victory, or at least a very good finish that would put him in excellent shape to transfer out of Round 3. But a tap from Kurt Busch sent Keselowski into Kenseth and caused considerable damage to the No. 2 car, erasing what had been a promising afternoon. And like Logano, Keselowski will need a win over the next two weeks to remain in title contention.

12. Ryan Newman (LW: Unranked)

Although knocked out of the Chase in the previous round, Ryan Newman continues his patented “fly under the radar and keep scoring respectable finishes” routine. The latest was a seventh Sunday, Newman’s sixth top-15 in seven playoff races this season.