NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 28

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson silenced the critics who doubted his Cup title chances with a win at Dover that propelled him five places to the top of the points. Johnson led 134 of 404 laps, and held off teammate Kyle Busch for the win.

"But my toughest battle was getting by the No. 01 car of Joe Nemechek,” says Johnson. "He's a lap down and holding up traffic. Anyway, how does the Army have money to sponsor a car? Shouldn't they be spending money on more important things? Anyway Nemechek, here's fair warning: on the race track, Lowe's supercedes the Army, so get out of the way.”

Johnson finished 20th at Talladega earlier this year, and 37th there last fall. Expectations are much higher for the No. 48 Lowe's squad that is now hitting its stride.

2. Ryan Newman — Newman backed up his round one victory with a pole and a fifth-place finish at the Monster Mile, which holds him steady at number three in the points. Previously trailing Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle, Newman now is behind Jimmie Johnson and Rusty Wallace.

"I'm sure Rusty's getting a big kick out of being in front of me," says Newman. "I can't wait for him to give up that No. 2 car, so I can have a brand new teammate to dislike."

Restrictor plate racing has never been Newman's strongest suit, but now would be the time to make it. The goal is to avoid the accidents and score a top ten.

3. Rusty Wallace — Wallace powered to a third-place finish at Dover, and he's now second in the points, the highest he's been in the rankings all year. The third-place was Wallace's eighth top five of the year, and was his third-straight in the top six.

"Maybe I should rethink this retirement," says Wallace. "The older I get, the better I get. You know what they say about fine wine? It's not as good as an ice-cold Miller Lite. And, oh yeah, and it gets better with age. Sorry, just had to plug my sponsor."

Wallace's last top-10 at Talladega came in 2003. It's time for another if he hopes to maintain the two spot in the points.

4. Tony Stewart — Stewart's string of top-10s came to a screeching halt, as he qualified 31st and finished 18th, two laps down. His last finish of 18th or lower occured way back in early June at Pocono. After that 29th-place finish, Stewart began his streak that put him on top of the points.

"Hopefully, my finish of 18th will be the start of another hot streak," says Stewart. "I think it's about time for me to climb another flag stand."

Three of Stewart's last four starts at Talladega have resulted in top-10s, including a second this May. Expect Stewart to be near the front, if not leading, at the end.

5. Greg Biffle — Biffle finished a disappointing 13th, his first finish out of the top 10 in six races. It dropped him four places in the points to sixth, 23 points off of Johnson's leading pace.

"Hey, it's like Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman says, 'What, me worry?'" says Biffle. "I'm 23 points down. That's chicken feed. I'm right where I want to be."

Biffle has never recorded a top-10 finish in six tries at Talladega. This race could be the key to Biffle's Cup hopes, as anything beyond the top 20 will put him in the hole.

6. Mark Martin — On a rough day for Roush Racing, Martin was the only member to finish in the top five. His fourth-place result moved him from seventh to fourth in the points, 21 out of the lead.

"In times like these," says Martin, "it's up to the veteran to keep the team together. That would be me. I've got to keep the youngsters from pouting when the chips are down. In blunter terms, I'm the one to give 'em a good old boot in the tail if necessary."

Martin has 21 top-10s and two wins at Talladega in his career. He is always consistent, so expect him to add to his top ten tally.

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth's streak of five straight top-10s ended in the wall at Dover when a cut right front tire sent him crashing on lap 367. The No. 17 DeWalt Ford suffered serious damage, and Kenseth finished 35th, completing only 58 laps.

"What can you do?" asks Kenseth. "It's totally beyond my control. Maybe it's fate, karma, destiny, if you believe in that crap. I believe that I ran over some useless piece of debris put on the track by anti-Matt Kenseth conspirator."

Kenseth fell four places to ninth in the points, 124 out of first. He will need a career-best at Talladega to get back in the hunt.

8. Kurt Busch — Despite leading a race-high 192 laps, Busch finished 23rd, three laps down, and fell further back of the points lead. Busch was in the pits when a caution came out on lap 366, putting him a lap down. A few laps later, he came in to correct a tire problem, and was caught speeding on pit lane.

"I guess I can get rid of this useless rabbit's foot,” says Busch. "But look on the bright side. I can't have any more bad luck. Can I?”

Not unless Jimmie Spencer shows up outside your driver's side window.

Busch is usually strong at restrictor plate races. In his position, 170 points, down, he has to go for the win.

9. Jeremy Mayfield — With a solid seventh-place finish at Dover, Mayfield improved one position in the points to seventh. More importantly, he knocked 14 points off his deficit from the lead, now only 81 behind Jimmie Johnson after trailing Tony Stewart by 95 after New Hampshire.

"Now, if I could just knock that many strokes off my golf game,” says Mayfield, "I might be ready to challenge on the celebrity golf tour.”

Mayfield's best finish at Talladega came this spring, when he finished fourth, and he has three poles at the 2.66-mile Alabama track. Mayfield is fast there, and, if he avoids the accidents bound to happen, he could land in the top-five again.

10. Carl Edwards — Edwards raced to a ninth-place finish, owing much to the luck of being in the right place at the right time when cautions came out. Edwards improved one spot in the points to eight, 103 behind leader Jimmie Johnson. The No. 99 car only took two tires on a pit stop on lap 281, which allowed the car to gain track position that made a top-10 possible.

"Sure, my Cup hopes may be slim,” says Edwards. "But I'm hoping for a huge 42-car pileup at Talladega, leaving me as the only car running. That would improve my chances dramatically.”

In his two trips to Talladega in a Cup car, Edwards has recorded finishes of 32nd and 42nd, which are certainly not Cup-worthy.