NASCAR power rankings reflect Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance

The run began Memorial Day weekend when Carl Edwards won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Speedway. That became the first of seven victories Joe Gibbs Racing would take over a 12-race span, with the latest triumph occurring Sunday when Matt Kenseth led 73 percent of the laps at Michigan International Speedway.

It’s a stretch that’s seen JGR excel on a variety of tracks from a short oval to an intermediate, a road course to a high-banked speedway. A stretch of dominance made all the more impressive as the wins have come utilizing three widely different rules packages, something no other organization can claim. That only further cements JGR’s position as NASCAR’s top team and championship favorite, with the Chase for the Sprint Cup beginning next month.

“I can’t remember where we’ve kind of had a stretch like this over these last 10 weeks or so,” Joe Gibbs said. “So, you know, you really want to enjoy those. They’re hard to get.

“You just hope now that we’ll be able to hold some momentum here and head into the Chase, but it’s very hard to do. In pro sports it can come and go in a week. It keeps us excited and after it and working hard.”

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Matt Kenseth (Last week: 4)

If it’s possible for a driver to win two of three races quietly then Matt Kenseth has accomplished it, with each coming by way of completely different methods. Three weeks ago it was because he played the fuel-mileage game the best, while Sunday was total domination. And that run of success has an excellent chance of continuing at Bristol Motor Speedway, where Kenseth won in the spring and owns four victories overall.

2. Kyle Busch (LW: 1)

A crash in final practice forced Kyle Busch to wheel a backup car and forfeit his sixth starting position. It also required a change of mindset, as no longer could the No. 18 team think about winning -- instead they needed to focus on maximizing points. Mission accomplished. Busch drove a smart and patient race, not putting himself in precarious spots and netting an 11th-place finish. That result increased the margin between himself and Cole Whitt, currently ranked 31st in the standings, to 23 points with three races to go before the Chase starts.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 3)

The wins continue to elude the defending champ, not that it matters any as he continues knocking out top-5 finishes on a near weekly basis. That kind of consistency will keep Kevin Harvick in contention for another title, as he continues to lead all drivers in top-fives, top-10s, laps led and average finish.

4. Joey Logano (LW: 2)

Even while JGR has put a virtual stranglehold on the competition, Joey Logano has been the one driver who’s been able to keep pace consistently. Not so at Michigan, however. Team Penske provided him with a solid car, but it wasn’t the caliber of what JGR put underneath Kenseth and that’s why Logano had to fight just to finish seventh.

5. Brad Keselowski (LW: 5)

All week Brad Keselowski spoke how badly he wanted a win on his home track. And with how much speed the No. 2 team had shown lately, it seemed like that victory was a real possibility. Instead the Rochester Hills, Mich., native was never even factor, laboring to a nondescript ninth.

6. Carl Edwards (LW: 9)

If there was a car that could have challenged Kenseth, it was the No. 19 Toyota. However, restarts again flummoxed Carl Edwards for the third time in four races, as he could never get going when the green flag waved. That continually allowed Kenseth to build a sizable advantage, which Edwards couldn’t overcome. He finished sixth.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8)

When Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s 10th represents the best among the Hendrick Motorsports brigade, you know the organization underwent a rough weekend. But whereas Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne all struggled, give Earnhardt credit for salvaging a somewhat decent result despite an engine-chassis package clearly inferior to what JGR is bringing each week.

8. Kurt Busch (LW: 6)

He wasn’t going to repeat his June victory, but Kurt Busch was headed for a respectable finish before thinking he had a tire going flat and pitting under green flag conditions. That cost him a lap, which he regained, but lost again when the No. 41 car later ran out of fuel. He never recovered, finishing 20th.

9. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 10)

While most everyone struggled to pass due to the unforgiving high-drag aerodynamic package, Martin Truex Jr. was one of the few who could maneuver around other cars. That delivered him a third-place finish, his best result since a third in the June Michigan race.

10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 11)

Although he was the only JGR driver who failed to lead a lap and he had nowhere near the same speed as Kenseth, Denny Hamlin still produced a solid weekend. He qualified second, ran almost entirely in the top 10 and left Michigan with a fifth-place finish.

11. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 7)

It was a day at the office Jimmie Johnson would rather soon forget. The rough outing included a flat tire, overshooting his pit stall -- a sequence that was quite comical with Johnson yelling at his team not to yell at him -- and capped with him spinning out by himself off Turn 4.

12. Ryan Newman (LW: Unranked)

When Ryan Newman was docked 50 points in the spring for doctoring tires, the penalty seemingly ensured that if he were to make the Chase he would have to do so by winning a race and not by his ranking in the standings. Yet with two regular season races remaining and 56 points above the cutline, the winless Newman is playoff-bound barring a total collapse or a rash of new winners.