NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 36

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Tony Stewart — Stewart's 15th-place finish at Homestead was plenty to clinch the points and his second Nextel Cup title. Stewart virtually clinched on lap 125, when closest pursuer Jimmie Johnson blew a tire and hit the wall. He finished the year as the series' leader in top-fives (17) and top-10s (25).

"That made my day much easier," says Stewart. "After I saw Jimmie wreck, I hit that cruise control button to '15th place' and got comfortable."

Stewart joins a list of six other drivers with two championships, and, next year, will look to place his name alongside David Pearson, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip, and Cale Yarborough as winners of three.

2. Greg Biffle — With his second consecutive season-ending win at Homestead, Biffle charged to second from fourth in the points and finished 35 points behind Stewart. Biffle edged teammate Mark Martin at the finish for his sixth win of the year, a series-high, and led a Roush sweep of the top four spots.

"Second place in the standings is nothing to sneeze at," says Biffle. "I'm not even sure I know what that means, but it sure doesn't make me feel better. Does second-place mean I have to introduce Tony Stewart at the NASCAR awards banquet?"

Biffle will be one of the favorites for the title next year in what should be a wide-open race.

3. Carl Edwards — Edwards completed his improbable run at the title with a fourth-place finish at Homestead, and remained third in the points. Edwards started on the pole and led the most laps, but took four tires on the final pit stop while all of the other leaders took two. He passed eight cars in the remaining laps, but was unable to run down his three teammates ahead of him.

"Maybe I didn't win the title this year," says Edwards, "but I am one of People magazine's '50 Hottest Bachelors' and my signature backflip will be one of the hottest upcoming marketing tools."

Edwards won't sneak up on anyone next year, and, with a full year of experience under his belt, will again be a player in the Chase for the Cup.

4. Mark Martin — Martin captured his fifth top-five finish of the Chase, finishing second behind teammate Greg Biffle by just inches at the tape to cap his year fourth in the points. Martin moved up a spot in the points, 105 behind champion Tony Stewart.

"Man, I never would have expected the Viagra car to come up short," says Martin. "But we had a great year. Maybe after next year, Jack Roush will let me retire."

Next year, probably his last as a full-time driver, Martin will shoot for the Cup one more time as the most senior driver of a strong Roush team.

5. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson's dream of a Nextel Cup title came to an abrupt end near the midway point of the Ford 400 at Homestead. After losing a tire, Johnson slammed the wall on lap 125, and his day came to a disappointing end.

"It happens," says Johnson. "Not only does 'it' happen, but ... I better not say it. NASCAR could be listening. Anyway, at least I didn't finish second in the points for the second straight year. That would have been really heartbreaking."

Johnson will certainly be a contender for next year's Cup, but, as was the case this year, anything less than a championship will be disappointing.

6. Ryan Newman — Newman finished the Chase on a high note, finishing seventh to maintain his points position of sixth. After qualifying second behind Carl Edwards, Newman recorded his sixth top-10 finish of the Chase. For the year, he started on the pole eight times, but only collected one win.

"That's what we'll be looking into this off-season," says Newman. "Why is it that I'm the fastest in qualifying, then, when the race starts, I'm not? Is it me, or is it the car? I've got to have the worst start-to-finish ratio in racing."

Next year, maybe Newman's team will have a working relationship with new teammate Kurt Busch and share information. Newman had only eight top-five results last year, well below those of the drivers ahead of him in the final standings.

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was the third driver in a Roush 1-2-3-4 sweep at Homestead, a result that allowed him to hold on to seventh place in the final Cup standings. He finished his year with 17 top-10 results and one win, at Bristol in August.

"It easily could have been a Roush one through five finish," says Kenseth, "but Kurt Busch ruined that notion. He didn't get a 'DWI' all right. Except it wasn't 'driving while impaired,' it was 'driving while idiot.'"

Kenseth and his Roush teammates will welcome Jamie McMurray into the fold next year, who takes over the wheel of the No. 97 car.

8. Rusty Wallace — Wallace concluded a disappointing second half of the Chase with a 13th at Homestead to finish eighth in the final Cup standings, 393 behind Tony Stewart. After three top-10s in the Chase's first four races, Wallace had none in the remaining six races.

"With a tear in my eye," says Wallace, "I've got three words for everybody who's been a Rusty fan: I'm outta here."

Wallace ends his Nextel Cup career, and will hand over the famous No. 2 car to Kurt Busch.

9. Jeremy Mayfield — Mayfield finished the Chase with a tenth at Homestead, one of the few positive moments of his Chase experience. He logged only one other top-10 in the Chase, with four of his last five results 24th or worse.

"Hey, at least I didn't finish last in the points," says Mayfield. "It may have taken me two more races to do it, but I finished higher than Kurt Busch."

Mayfield has finished 10th and ninth in the Chase, and hopes next year to make more of an impact.

10. Kurt Busch — Kenny Wallace took over for the suspended Busch in the No. 97 car and drove to a 21st-place finish.

"All within the limits of the law," says Wallace. "It's funny, though. I had to blow into some tube before I could start the darn car."

Busch will start anew in 2006 as driver of the No. 2 Penske Dodge, with the added bonus of being Ryan Newman's new teammate.