Power Rankings: Dover

Johnson was No. 1 at Dover last weekend and he’s back to No. 1 in the rankings. The No. 48 driver’s win at the Monster Mile put him at four victories for the season — twice the amount of reigning Cup champ Kevin Harvick. If “Six-Time” keeps up this trend, he may be contending for his seventh title.

Like his runner-up finish at Dover, Harvick just couldn’t quite hold onto that top spot in the rankings. But with the most top fives of any driver this year and impressive consistency, the 2014 champ is definitely a frontrunner for the title.

Truex Jr. showed his aggression again at Dover this week, increasing his laps led in the past three points races to an impressive 357. This, along with his 2015 consistency, insinuates it’s only a matter of time before Truex finds Victory Lane this season.

While he just missed a top-10 result at Dover, Logano has recorded solid finishes for most of the year, posting nine of 13 finishes in the top 10. He is likely to put on a strong performance at Pocono, where he’s nabbed top 10s in three of the past four races.

A 14th-place showing at Dover wasn’t stellar, but Earnhardt Jr. does deserve a hat tip for his fight from starting from the rear to the front. And with Junior having swept Pocono in 2014, we’ll be looking for him and crew chief Greg Ives to make some magic on Sunday.

After his win at Auto Club back in March, Keselowski has been on-and-off depending on the week. He couldn’t do too much at Dover, but still managed to lead 28 laps. As the runner-up in this Pocono race last season, this week might be a good one for Kes.

Busch spent much of Dover running in the top 10, but couldn’t avoid a late-race wreck that left him with a 31st-place result. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver could bounce back at Pocono, as he’s recorded third-place finishes at two of his past three races there.

Kenseth’s 39th-place finish at Dover may have looked very different if his No. 20 ride hadn’t experienced a mechanical problem that took him out of the race. He showed speed throughout the weekend, and we expect that to be the case for the remainder of the year for the JGR team.

The Monster Mile polesitter took quite a beating Sunday, as he was caught up in a late-race wreck after leading 118 laps. Expect him to make up for it this week, as Hamlin is a four-time winner at Pocono. And with a win under his belt, he can afford to take chances.

What was poised to be a promising final season for Gordon has turned into a year of heartbreakers and struggles with the new rules package. Could Pocono be the place to turn Gordon’s season around? The stats look good — he’s the all-time winner with six victories and Hendrick Motorsports has nabbed five straight Tricky Triangle wins.

Edwards proved his move to Joe Gibbs Racing was a good one by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. His follow-up at Dover was ruined by two key pit road mishaps, but what’s important for the No. 19 driver is he’s confident again. And confidence is key.

Making a quiet run to the front, Kahne surprised everyone by contending for the win at Dover. While he wasn’t able to get it done, the No. 5 team has showed speed for the most part this season and could bring home a victory at Pocono — a track where Kahne has won twice.

Busch’s return to the track was met with anticipation and curiousity of how he would bounce back. So far, so good as far as endurance and competitiveness goes. But after wrecking while running in the top bracket last week at Dover, Busch bumps down a bit.

Newman has been consistent this year, having an average finishing position of 11.9. But the Richard Childress Racing driver has yet to really contend for a win and his 18th-place finish at Dover sets him back in the rankings.

A seventh-place finish at Dover matches McMurray’s current seventh-place ranking in the point standings. Considering he doesn’t have a win yet, this is a mark of consistency, which bodes for a bright season and possible Chase bid if it continues.

Almirola impressed at Dover by earning not only his first top-10 of the season, but also his first top-five. A good weekend or premonition of a stronger second half to his season? Only time will tell.

Having struggled to find his groove this season, Larson earned some stripes at Dover with a third-place result. The No. 42 driver has a long way to go if he wants to make the Chase, though. Third-place won’t cut it — he needs a win.

While the leader of the Roush Fenway Racing cars this year, Biffle’s season has been mediocre with flashes of success. His runner-up finish was strong at Charlotte, but his follow at Dover (17th-place after involvement in a wreck) wasn’t too impressive.

Hopes were high for Bowyer at Dover, as it is one of his strong tracks in recent years. And while the Michael Waltrip Racing driver didn’t grab a win or top-five finish, he did manage a ninth-place result, a far cry from the trio of 20th-place-or-worse finishes he posted in the three points races before his Monster Mile result.

Menard has quietly recorded top-15 finishes in seven of the last 10 races, making him another poster child for consistency. While he doesn’t run inside the top 10 often, his strong eighth-place finish at Dover last week keeps him in the rankings.