NASCAR power rankings: Joe Gibbs Racing is dominant, but Kevin Harvick remains No. 1

As if further evidence was needed that Joe Gibbs Racing is NASCAR’s dominating force, Carl Edwards provided more proof by winning the Southern 500 Sunday at Darlington Raceway.

Bookending a sizzling summer streak that begin Memorial Day weekend, JGR drivers have now combined to win eight of the previous 14 races. And with the Chase for the Sprint Cup just 10 days away, Edwards and teammates Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin each hold realistic hopes of winning the championship.

Yet, as has been the case for much of the season, a JGR driver isn’t atop the weekly rankings. That distinction again belongs to defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick, who continues to show unrelenting consistency that even JGR can’t match.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Kevin Harvick (Last week: 1)

For almost the entirety of the night, Harvick had one of the fastest cars and was running second to Brad Keselowski when the final yellow flag waved with 11 laps remaining. A slow pit stop, however, cost Harvick a few precious spots on the subsequent restart and he had to settle for fifth.

2. Joey Logano (LW: 2)

Just keeps producing great runs week after week, as Joey Logano’s fourth-place effort Sunday lowered his average finish to 6.4 over the previous 12 races. And with Richmond one of his better tracks -- he’s finished sixth or better in four of the last five -- Logano has an excellent shot of dropping that average finish even lower.

3. Kyle Busch (LW: 3)

It wasn’t pretty and involved overcoming contact with Greg Biffle and consequentially spinning, but by finishing seventh Busch secured a Chase berth Sunday. That he did so is remarkable considering how the year started, but to clinch with a regular season race remaining only makes the feat all the more impressive.

4. Carl Edwards (LW: 5)

Sunday’s win had been building, as Edwards had consistently demonstrated winning speed in recent months just not the corresponding finishes. And after pit strategy trapped him two laps behind, it seemed like his second victory of 2015 would have to wait. But gradually he worked himself back on the same lap as the leaders, and when Jeb Burton spun to set up the final pit stops and restart, that was the opening Edwards needed. He was first off pit road, got an excellent restart and drove away to collect the checkered flag.

5. Brad Keselowski (LW: 6)

Dominated from the pole, leading a race-high 196 laps, but when Brad Keselowski couldn’t get going on the restart with eight laps to go he allowed Edwards to build up an insurmountable advantage. And while the wins haven’t materialized, Keselowski has demonstrated great consistency with a career-best eight consecutive top-10 finishes.

6. Matt Kenseth (LW: 4)

It was expected Kenseth would be among the challengers Sunday night. A notion dismissed when he got loose and pancaked the wall, resulting in significant damage to the No. 20, which dropped him two laps behind.

7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 8)

Whoever is Hamlin’s insurance provider must dread seeing his name pop up on their caller ID. The news that he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee playing basketball Tuesday means he’s blown out both knees, broken his back and a had a piece of metal get lodged in his eye, all since the beginning of the 2010 season.

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (LW: 7)

It’s hard for NASCAR’s most popular driver to do anything quietly, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in workmanlike fashion, has amassed nine finishes of 11th or better in the past 11 races. And he’s done so in spite of the recent feebleness of Hendrick Motorsports, which has fallen behind JGR, Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing performance wise.

9. Kurt Busch (LW: 10)

Hopes for a first ever Darlington victory went askew when an ill-timed bump by Martin Truex, Jr. sent Kurt Busch spinning with 59 laps remaining. Before that incident he had been a fixture up front and one of the few drivers capable of keeping pace with Keselowski. Though it offered little consolation, Busch did manage to recover and finish sixth.

10. Martin Truex, Jr. (LW: 12)

A ninth-place finish doesn’t indicate just how strong a car Truex had, as he ran with the leaders for the majority of the evening. Nonetheless, Darlington was a good reminder that if Furniture Row Racing can shed its recent run of bad luck, the potential is there for this team to make some noise in the Chase.

11. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 9)

An eventful night saw Jimmie Johnson loop it off Turn 4, escape with minimal damage, rally back into the top 10, then fade to 19th. Also worth noting, he failed to lead a lap for the eighth consecutive race.

12. Ryan Newman (LW: 11)

What he’s doing weekly is by no means flashy -- 13th at Darlington -- but it is effective and makes a return trip to the Chase a mere formality. All Ryan Newman needs to do is finish 31st and he’s playoff bound for a third straight season.