Defending Sprint Cup champion reigns over NASCAR power rankings

In the modern era (1972-present) only Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson followed their first Cup Series championship by taking the title the following year. Why is that notable? Keep reading.

1. Kevin Harvick (Last week: 3)

Granted it’s way early, but a victory and two runner-up finishes soundly answers any questions about Kevin Harvick’s ability to repeat. And that blazing start will likely continue this weekend, where Harvick is the Phoenix all-time leader in wins with six -- including a sweep a year ago.

2. Joey Logano (LW: 1)

Another week during which the No. 22 car was fast early, struggled to keep pace during the middle portion, then rallied to finish in the top-10. Also not helping matters was Joey Logano getting dinged for speeding on pit road twice. One such penalty can be overcome, two not so much.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4)

Greg Ives eschewing four tires on the final stop was a seemingly dubious call, especially when Dale Earnhardt Jr. faded while leader Harvick began slowing. Nevertheless, Earnhardt supported his crew chief’s gamble, saying he wants to race for wins and not points.

4. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2)

If there was someone capable of keeping pace with Harvick, the likeliest candidate would have been Johnson. However, similar to what happened so many times last season, any chance of winning became undone by tire problems -- not once, but twice. The first occurred while he was leading, but the second puncture was the most damaging as it sent the No. 48 slamming into the Turn 1 wall.

5. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 8)

The resurgence continues for Martin Truex Jr., this time with a second-place finish. Is this merely a few good weeks in a row, or the foundation for something more? Although the sample size is small, the evidence suggests he will continue to be a factor throughout the year.

6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 5)

Las Vegas was prototypical Matt Kenseth -- he wasn’t flashy, just quietly effective in grabbing a ninth-place finish. And has it really been 48 races since he last won one? That doesn’t seem right.

7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 10)

The revamped No. 11 team is off to a solid start, with Denny Hamlin in contention every week. So when might that first victory come? Phoenix would be a good place, considering he has a win and three other finishes of fifth or better in the past six races. Then again, it’s hard to envision anyone beating Harvick on Sunday, so Hamlin might have to wait another week.

8. Brad Keselowski (LW: 6)

Through three races, Brad Keselowski hasn’t shown anything resembling his 2014 form, though he did post top-10s at Atlanta and Las Vegas. The culprit isn’t so much an issue of speed right now, but rather a lack of grip, as the No. 2 car was quite loose on both intermediate tracks and had Keselowski pointed sideways several times.

9. Ryan Newman (LW: Unranked)

Too soon to say if Richard Childress Racing and its affiliate teams made significant gains over the offseason? Judging by Truex, Ryan Newman, AJ Allmendinger, Paul Menard and Brian Scott finishing 13th or better Sunday, perhaps not.

10. AJ Allmendinger (LW: Unranked)

Building off a surprise 2014 Chase berth, AJ Allmendinger has come out of the gate with two consecutive top-10s. Making that all the more significant is that Atlanta and Las Vegas are 1.5-mile tracks, the exact kind of oval he struggled on last season with not a single top-10 in 11 races.

11. Kasey Kahne (LW: 11)

Was headed for likely top-five, maybe better, before Carl Edwards body-slammed the No. 5 car into the wall off Turn 4. Luckily the damage wasn’t crippling. Unluckily, the damage was enough where any chance Kahne had of contending was gone and he finished 17th.

12. Carl Edwards (LW: 7)

The consensus prior to the season was Edwards would mirror what Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart and others accomplished when they made the switch to new teams. Thus far that hasn’t happened, with something hampering Edwards in every race. At Daytona it was a brake issue, Atlanta was a flat tire, and Las Vegas was Edwards overdriving and pancaking Kahne into the wall, all but ending both of their fine runs.