Power Rankings post-Dover: Denny Hamlin building championship run

12. Ryan Blaney (--)

Comment: Team Penske tends to excel more than any organization at Talladega these days, so that's a good sign for last-place Blaney after his Dover race was cut short with a brake issue. That Penske magic hasn't rubbed off on him yet, however, with just two top 10s in 12 starts for a rough 20.8 average finish.

11. Chase Elliott (-7)

Comment: Elliott was a fellow recipient of bad luck at Dover and finds himself in a sizable hole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver should have his eyes set on a rebound this weekend as the spring Talladega winner. He tends to start high in the field -- 5.1 average start -- and his only poor finishes there were the result of an issue or wreck.

10. Joey Logano (-4)

Comment: Same verse, same as the first two. Logano had a crummy day at Dover and is suddenly on the wrong side of the bubble. He's perhaps the best positioned of the three to win, though, as he's been dominant at times at Talladega lately, with three wins since 2015.

9. William Byron (+1)

Comment: Talladega tends to be streaky for all drivers, and Byron's career at the track has started off on a bad one. That doesn't mean it won't turn around this weekend (he's certainly capable of winning Sunday), but his first three trips there all netted finishes of 20th or worse.

8. Clint Bowyer (--)

Comment: Bowyer is all of a sudden in a much better position than it looked like he was going to be in come Talladega, and he's actually a strong bet to be a threat to win. The Stewart-Haas Racing veteran is one of three playoff drivers with multiple victories there, was P2 in this race last year and has finished in the top 10 in nearly half (13) his 27 career starts.

7. Alex Bowman (+2)

Comment: Bowman's on a roll, man. Already looking like it's a real possibility he advances, if he can keep it clean Sunday, and another strong finish could be in store. He's notched a pair of top 10s in his last three trips there, with a runner-up behind his teammate this spring.

6. Brad Keselowski (-1)

Comment: Keselowski continues to march along in these playoffs, just enough under the radar that he's not making much noise at the front of the field, yet he's likely to advance. The 2012 champ surely has another run left in him this season, and with a series-best five Talladega wins, it could come as soon as this weekend.

5. Kyle Larson (+6)

Comment: Larson has just a pair of top 10s in 11 career starts at Talladega -- but he's probably not too worried about that. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver can relax this weekend knowing he's already locked into the Round of 8 with his Dover win and can focus on his run to Miami.

4. Kyle Busch (-1)

Comment: Another week, another race where the No. 18 just doesn't look its once-dominant self. Still, a P6 is a nice stabilizer before things get nutty at Talladega. The 2015 champ tends to get caught up in the frenzy, with just eight top 10s in 28 races, though he did win in 2008.

3. Denny Hamlin (+4)

Comment: Hamlin very well could've won at Dover on Sunday if certain, um, cars were in different places than they were, but he still had an excellent afternoon. The momentum could build this weekend at Talladega, where Hamlin has 302 laps led, a 2014 win and had a nice five-race run going before wrecking out this spring.

2. Kevin Harvick (--)

Comment: Harvick doesn't have the fastest car every weekend these days ... but he typically has a top three car. As long as he can get through Talladega -- where he led 46 laps last year in this race -- I expect he'll look dominant at times over the remaining four races on his road to racing for a title in Miami.

1. Martin Truex Jr. (--)

Comment: Truex certainly would've liked to have capitalized with a win at Dover, but came up just short. It's a good thing he's in as good a position as he is -- and that he's so strong at Kansas -- because his Talladega history is spooky. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has yet to win there in 29 starts, with a 21.3 average finish and just two top fives.