Power Rankings: Watkins Glen

With his aggression at Watkins Glen, runner-up result and entrance into the top 30, "Rowdy" is atop the rankings for the first time this season. His stay may be short-lived, due to his struggles at Michigan, but judging by his impressive drive recently, we anticipate he'll add to those four 2015 wins soon enough.

RELATED: Chase Grid

Harvick just missed the chance to avenge his 42nd-place result at Pocono, running out of fuel on the final lap and losing the win to Joey Logano. But with two wins, eight runner-ups and 15 top-fives, the reigning points leader still has plenty of fire left in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing machine.

RELATED: Harvick has 'best team on pit road'

After a string of near-misses, Logano was finally able to pad his 2015 resume with another Sprint Cup win at the Glen last weekend. With five straight top-10 finishes -- including a 2013 win -- at Michigan, the No. 22 driver could very well be a factor again this weekend.

MORE: Logano's first road-course win

Johnson overcame plenty of adversity at Watkins Glen, somehow managing to salvage a 10th-place result. With four wins, Johnson is locked into the Chase, which gives the No. 48 team a chance to play with strategy and take some risks. Should be interesting to watch.

Back in June, Keselowski came close to earning his first win at his hometown track. A rainout left Kes with a sixth-place finish. Could this race be the one where the Rochester Hills, Michigan, native takes the checkered?

Dale Jr. impressed once again on his former arch enemy road courses, running in the top bracket before earning an 11th-place result while conserving fuel in the final laps. Michigan looks good for the No. 88, as Junior earned a runner-up finish there earlier in the year and is a two-time winner at the Irish Hills track.

Like the much of the JGR flock, Kenseth has been on a strong run the past five weeks, earning five straight results in the top seven, including a win at Pocono. With an average finish of 10.5 at Michigan, the No. 20's forecast doesn't look too shabby.

Busch's seven-race streak of top-10 finishes was interrupted by a 37th-place hiccup at Pocono. But the SHR driver flexed his muscles again at Watkins Glen, earning a solid fifth-place result. Busch won the last race at Michigan in June – could a sweep be in the stars for the No. 41 team?

It's been a rough couple weeks for the No. 78 team. After recording a 19th-place result at Pocono, Truex Jr. looked poised for a top-five result at Watkins Glen until he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for a cut left-front tire with 24 laps to go, leaving him with a disappointing 25th-place result.

After a rough start to his freshman year at Joe Gibbs Racing, Edwards has been riding an upward slope, recording an average finish of 8.4 the past five races. Compared to the 20.6 average in his first five races to open the season, we'd say that's definite improvement.

McMurray was an unfortunate victim in Watkins Glen's accordion-like accident that occurred when Sam Hornish Jr. wasn’t able to get going on a restart. His 40th-place result dropped him one spot in the point standings -- and one in Power Rankings.

Hamlin followed up his solid fifth-place result at Indy on July 26 with a pair of not-so-solid finishes outside the top 20 at Pocono and Watkins Glen. A two-time winner in the Irish Hills, Michigan might bode well for the JGR driver – if his crew can secure the hood of his No. 11 ride.

Another disappointing day for Jeff Gordon & Co., as the Hendrick Motorsports driver recorded a 41st-place result after battling brake issues throughout the day. Gordon is the reigning Pure Michigan 400 race winner, but his recent struggles make a win in the near future seem slightly elusive for the No. 24 team.

Bowyer has been on a roll lately, having recorded three straight finishes in the top eight. Expect that strong run to continue at Michigan, as the No. 15 driver has finished the last nine races in the Irish Hills in the top 10.

Menard has kept in the top-15 range over the past three weeks, recording 14th, 11th and 13th-place finishes at Indy, Pocono and the Glen, respectively. His eighth-place result at Michigan earlier in the year was one of his better finishes of the season, which should give the No. 27 team confidence heading north this weekend.

Not typically the best road racer, Newman posted a decent 15th-place result at Watkins Glen, allowing him to hold onto a spot in the Chase Grid -- for now. Sitting in a precarious 15th out of 16 spots, Newman could be facing trouble should any unexpected winners arise.

Biffle's 14th-place showing at the Glen neither helped nor hurt his 18th-place spot in the standings. But with only four races left, "the Biff" likely must win to make the Chase. Michigan could be his golden ticket, as the No. 16 driver is the all-time winner at the Irish Hills track.