Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick lead NASCAR power rankings; Martin Truex Jr. closes gap

The premise of the NASCAR power ranking couldn’t be any more straightforward. To be at or near the top, a driver needs to perform well consistently. And though winning is not the end-all be-all, it certainly carries the most importance when determining who should be arranged into which position.

But this week presents a particular challenge. Throughout the season Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick have been the two most consistent drivers, each having only finished outside the top-10 once -- which, coincidently occurred for both at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Except the big difference between Truex and Harvick is the latter has reached victory lane twice over this season, while Truex hadn’t. So it made sense than that Harvick, along with Jimmie Johnson, who has a series-best four wins, regularly ranked higher than Truex.

However, now having earned his first win of 2015 Sunday at Pocono Raceway, logic would seem to dictate Truex be higher than the No. 3 spot he resided in last week. And yet he isn’t. Why? Because neither Harvick nor Johnson gave any justification for being slotted any lower than the week previous, as all they did was finish the Axalta 400 second and third.

If it’s any consolation, at least Truex can lay claim to being the highest ranked of those who don’t have multiple victories this season.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson (Last week: 1)

The story of Johnson’s season is while the No. 48 hasn’t been blazing fast, he and crew chief Chad Knaus still somehow find ways to produce great results. Sunday offered another example, as several others were better and yet, when the checkered flag waved, there was Johnson in third.

2. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2)

A problem with third gear meant Harvick struggled on restarts and needed long runs to get his car going. That proved to be the deciding factor. On a restart with 16 laps remaining, Truex got the jump and quickly built up a significant buffer between himself and Harvick, who despite posting faster lap times, couldn’t catch Truex.

3. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 3)

For the fourth straight race Truex again led the most laps, except this time he was able to close out Sunday to score his third career win. What helped was unlike Kansas and Dover, there were no rash of cautions late to jumble the field; nor did the proceedings unfold like at Charlotte where the Coca-Cola 600 was decided on fuel mileage. The driver who had the fastest car won at Pocono, something not said many times in recent weeks.

4. Kurt Busch (LW: 5)

Kurt Busch’s best season in years continued with a fifth at Pocono. He now ranks second in laps led, fifth in top-five finishes and owns the fourth lowest average finish. And that’s despite the 2004 Cup series champion missing three races while serving a suspension.

5. Joey Logano (LW: 6)

The No. 22 needed a strong run Sunday and got it, though it required some extra effort. After having to forfeit his 11th starting position due to a pre-race penalty for changing transmissions and pit road a speeding penalty, Logano fought back to finish fifth.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4)

Had he not overcorrected when Brad Keselowski got squiggly in front of him and door-slammed Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes he would’ve finished somewhere around third. As it were, he placed 11th due to the damage, which is rather meaningless considering Earnhardt’s already locked into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

7. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7)

After an up-and-down start to season where Joe Gibbs Racing’s Toyota engines didn’t have a lot of oomph, the No. 20 team has to feel good where it’s at heading into the summer stretch. Matt Kenseth has six finishes of seventh or better over the past seven races, including a sixth Sunday.

8. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8)

Albeit for a harmless spin in qualifying, which proved costly to several drivers who had to post a time, Denny Hamlin had a fairly quiet weekend. He qualified eighth, had an average running position of 11th and ended the day with a 10th-place finish.

9. Jamie McMurray (LW: 12)

With consecutive seventh-place finishes and still seventh in the standings, Jamie McMurray just keeps knocking out solid finishes to put himself in a good spot to grab a first-ever Chase bid. Except with Truex’s victory, that means there is one less position available to those who don’t win, as 10 different drivers have already secured berths. That means McMurray’s path to the playoffs may require him to win a regular season race, something he hasn’t done since 2010.

10. Brad Keselowski (LW: 9)

His finish (17th) doesn’t reflect how racy Brad Keselowski was after a listless few months where the No. 2 team often relied on track position, not speed, to get station itself near the front. But any chance of a better outcome disappeared when Keselowski got a piece of Brett Moffitt when the rookie spun.

11. Jeff Gordon (LW: 10)

A year’s worth of frustration and underwhelming performance came to a head Sunday. During the last caution Jeff Gordon and crew chief Alan Gustafson got into a heated exchange that included each dropping several f-bombs (five total) and Gordon breaking out the term “dickhead” to describe how the guys around him were racing.

12. Kasey Kahne (LW: Unranked)

A fourth at Dover followed by a 13th at Pocono is enough to jump Kasey Kahne back into the rankings. That’s more indicative of the fact no one else was deserving, as Ryan Newman crashed out and Carl Edward finished an ordinary 15th.