NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 21

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart realized a lifelong dream, winning the Brickyard 400 for his first win at Indianapolis, in a stock car or an Indy car. Stewart also wrested the points lead from Jimmie Johnson convincingly, and now holds a 75-point lead after trailing by 66 heading in to Indy.

"Check. And checkmate," says Stewart. "A win in Indy and the points lead. There's just no stopping the No. 20 Home Depot Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet. I guess you could call me the 'Depot Inferno.'"

Out of respect for The Tramps, artists of the disco super-classic "Disco Inferno," I won't call you that. But I will call you the hottest driver in auto racing, and a clear favorite to win your second NASCAR points title of your career.

Life could get even better for Stewart with the upcoming road course race at Watkins Glen, which Stewart won last year. Stewart should extend his points lead as he goes for win number five in the last seven races.

2. Jimmie Johnson — With 15 laps to go, and eyeing a sure top-10 at Indy, Johnson's fortunes changed dramatically when he blew a right front tire and slammed the turn four wall hard. As a result, the No. 48 Chevy was finished for the day, in 38th, and Johnson paid a visit to the infield care center for evaluation. He was fine, but his points lead's prognosis was much worse — Johnson lost the lead to race-winner Stewart, only the third week in which J.J. was out of the points lead.

Before the crash, Johnson and crew seemed to have reversed a disastrous start to the weekend. On Saturday, their car failed two inspections before qualifying, and eventually were unable to qualify. As a result, Johnson started last in the 43-car field.

"It's one thing to fail one inspection," laments Johnson. "But two? That's unheard of. I think we failed more inspections than the local Waffle House. But, apparently, they can still serve food. Why can't I qualify after failing my inspections?"

Johnson's crash broke a string of four consecutive top-15 finishes, and he now faces a crucial stretch in which he must build momentum for the Chase. Last year, at Watkins Glen and the following race in Michigan, Johnson finished 40th after qualifying on the pole in both instances. Assuming that Stewart cools off, Johnson will need to be in top form to capitalize.

3. Greg Biffle — Biffle's 21st-place finish at Indy was not what he was looking for, but, all things considered, it could have been worse. The No. 16 car was penalized for crossing the pit road commit line and then not pitting. The penalty for doing that is, get this, a pit stop. After serving his "penalty," Biffle returned to the track in 33rd, but cleared 12 cars in the remaining laps to place 21st.

"The good, old 'pit road commit line' penalty," says Biffle. "The 'misdemeanor' of the NASCAR penalty world. I honestly didn't even know there was a line there. Answer me this, NASCAR officials: if I decide to just take a joyride down pit road, and not pit, is there a penalty for that? Is there a penalty for racing with a Subway sub in your lap? Well, lock me up and throw away the key! I'm guilty!”

Biffle stands third in the points, 111 behind Stewart. While he's likely to lose a little more ground to Stewart at Watkins Glen, Biffle can look to the August 21st race in Michigan for confidence. He won the second Michigan race last year, and took the checkers earlier this year at the Batman Begins 400.

4. Kurt Busch — Busch was the fourth of five Roush cars in the top 21, and his 18th-place finish maintained his hold of fifth in the points. Busch is currently fifth in the points, 277 off of Tony Stewart's lead.

"Yes. That calls for a celebration," says Busch. "And I think I'll celebrate by signing to drive for Roger Penske in 2007 and asking Jack Roush to free me from my contract for next year. You know, it's true what they say: it's harder to get out of a cell phone contract than it is to void a NASCAR contract.”

Busch will take over the No. 2 car of Rusty Wallace, and become the teammate of Ryan Newman. Maybe it's me, but I just can't see those two getting along. Anyway, it will be interesting to see whether Busch's decision affects his performance and championship hopes. Will Busch's concentration be exclusively on making a charge for the championship, or will thoughts of the prestige and money inherent in the No. 2 Miller lite car seep into his head? Only time will tell. Suffice it to say that car owner Jack Roush is none too happy.

5. Rusty Wallace — Wallace's run of consecutive results in the top 12 (a streak he began in at Charlotte in late May) ended with a 25th-place finish in a race that Wallace called the team's "worst of the year." Still, Wallace is fourth in the points, and, with five races left to the Chase, is a lock to be a participant.

“I was hoping to say 'farewell' to Indy with a win,” says Wallace, “but it was not to be. Instead, the Brickyard kicked me to the curb. I'm hoping things will be a little different at Watkins Glen this Sunday. August 14 is my birthday, and an appropriate gift would be a win at the Glen.”

That would be nice, but wouldn't it be even cooler if Kurt Busch popped out of a giant birthday cake and announced he'll be driving your car, possibly as soon as next year?

Wallace is one of the all-time masters of road courses, and backed that up with a fourth at Sonoma earlier this summer. He's won twice at the Glen, but not since 1989 — this may be Wallace's best chance for a win in his final year. He will find challengers, such as other road course wizards like Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Stewart, in his way.

6. Mark Martin — Martin's second consecutive top-10, and 11th of the year, moved him up one spot to sixth in the standings, 287 points behind Stewart. Martin and the No. 6 Viagra Ford were consistently good all weekend, qualifying 10th on Saturday and racing in the top 10 most of the day Sunday.

“That's all very well and good,” says Martin. “But let's talk about a little thing called 'loyalty.' My teammate, Kurt Busch, who's under contract to Roush through 2006, signs to drive for Roger Penske in 2007, and now Kurt wants out of his Roush contract. Can't a driver stay with a team, especially one whose team led him to the Cup championship? And where does Roger Penske get off raiding the Roush stable for drivers before their contracts have expired?”

Good points, Mark. But didn't Jack Roush do the same thing with Jamie McMurray?

“Oh yeah, I guess you're right. Now, I bet there's no way Jack will let me retire. Thanks Kurt and Jamie, for showing no honor and asking out of a contract early.”

Despite all the shake-ups at Roush, Martin remains the steadying force behind the team. Always consistent, and always willing to honor a contract, and then some. Martin finished third in this race last year, and is always steady on road courses. Expect no less than a top-10 finish for the No. 6.

7. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield's fourth-place accented a huge day for Ray Evernham Racing at the Brickyard, as teammate Kasey Kahne challenged Tony Stewart for the win before settling for the runner-up spot. Mayfield and Kahne represented two of the four Dodges in the top 10, and Mayfield solidified his eighth-place standing in the points, now only 369 under Tony Stewart.

Mayfield qualified the No. 19 Dodge in second, behind only pole-sitter Elliott Sadler, and ran in the top five for a majority of the day, placing as high as second. In the end, his car tightened a bit, and he settled for fourth, his best finish ever at Indy. The result left Mayfield firmly in eighth-place in the points, with a substantial 67 points between he and 10th-place.

Mayfield and crew now head to Watkins Glen, where they hope to ride the momentum of their Indy result and claim a high points-producing finish. Mayfield finished seventh last year at the Glen, and scored the same result at Sonoma earlier this year. Expect Mayfield to tighten his grip on his points position.

“And don't forget to check out 'Mayfield's Map to Watkins Glen” on NASCAR.com,” says Mayfield, “where I'll clue you in to where to find the nicest public restrooms in the area.”

8. Ryan Newman — After a strong qualifying run on Saturday that placed him sixth on the grid, Newman was looking like a contender for the Brickyard crown in his home state of Indiana. Instead, fellow Indiana native Tony Stewart took the win, while Newman finished 34th, two laps down, after enduring severe handling problems that the No. 12 Alltel team could never solve.

"My guys were under my hood more than Pamela Anderson's plastic surgeons are under hers," a frustrated Newman states. "We never could quite get our hands on the problem, or problems, though."

At Watkins Glen, Newman will look to grab his first career road course win. Three years ago at the Glen, Newman finished second, and in June of this year, he scored a ninth-place on the road at Sonoma.

9. Dale Jarrett — Jarrett battled handling issues all day at Indy, falling as low as 40th in the running order before recovering to post a respectable 14th-place finish. D.J. now stands ninth in the points after gaining one spot, and trails Stewart by 430 points.

“It's a very precarious position to be in,” adds Jarrett. “If I'm out of the top 10 and still 430 behind, I'm out of the Chase. So, I've got to watch my back."

Indeed, only 30 points separates Jarrett from the 12th-place in the points, and that position happens to be held by teammate Elliott Sadler. Also looming are Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick, who are both less than 100 points behind Jarrett.

"So you're telling me a good finish at Watkins Glen is imperative?" asks Jarrett. "Tell me something I don't know."

In his last five starts at the Glen, Jarrett has two seventh-place finishes sandwiched between three results of 27th or worse. He will need a result much like the former to improve his Chase standing.

10. Jeff Gordon — Gordon seems to be back on track, with and eighth at Indy to follow up his 13th in Pennsylvania, and picked up a spot to claim 14th in the points. Still, to make the Chase, Gordon will need to improve on those finishes, and will probably need a win somewhere in the next five races to qualify for the Chase.

"As if I needed more pressure in my life," complains Gordon. "But I've got ice water in my veins, and my Magic 8-Ball told me that I will make the Chase. So, worry not. I will be there when it counts."

Gordon has five races to make up four places in the points standings, or 123 points to reach the 400-point window to qualify for the Chase. He has four career wins at Watkins Glen, but his best finish there in his last three starts is a 21st. That won't cut it in Gordon's current position. It's do-or-die time for the No. 24 Chevrolet.

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