NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 23

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson tagged the wall on lap two, causing right-front damage, particularly a flat front tire. But in true No. 48 Lowe's team fashion, the crew made the necessary repairs and, after a caution a few laps later, Johnson was back on the lead lap. He eventually finished 13th, and while he lost 66 points to race winner Matt Kenseth, Johnson still holds a comfortable 58-point margin in the Cup standings.

"That's definitely not the start to the race we were looking for," says Johnson. "We could have packed it in and given up like Jeremy Mayfield, but we chose instead to push ourselves and make the most of a tough situation. Don't despair, Jeremy. I hear they're hiring drivers ... at Domino's."

2. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth won for the third time this year, leading the final 31 laps to win at Michigan in the GFS Marketplace 400. Kenseth chopped 66 points off of Jimmie Johnson's points lead, and now trails by 58 with three laps remaining until the Chase field is set.

"I saw the No. 24 car of Jeff Gordon behind me," says Kenseth. "I knew I couldn't let him get close enough to wreck me, or as Jeff likes to call it, 'passing.'"

3. Kevin Harvick — A spin early in the race while running second negated any chance Harvick had to win his second-straight race, but good pit work and determined driving resulted in an 11th-place finish for the No. 29 Richard Childress team. Harvick maintains third in the points, 317 out of first.

"You know what really sucks?" asks Harvick.

Let me guess. Spinning.

"No, spinning and not having anyone to blame it on. Are you sure neither one of the Busch brothers were around?"

4. Jeff Gordon — Gordon was unable to catch Matt Kenseth for the win in Michigan, but his second-place finish bumped his points cause from ninth to sixth, where he is 434 behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. Gordon insisted he wanted to catch Kenseth and pass him to prove to everyone that he could race and pass Kenseth cleanly."

"Like I mean that," says Gordon. "I would wreck Matt faster than a second-rate driver can find a new job with a decent team."

5. Tony Stewart — Stewart qualified 33rd on Friday, but quickly turned things around on Sunday and made his presence felt, finishing third for his tenth top-10 of the year and fourth-straight.

"What's this I hear about a 'relationship' between Ray Evernham and Erin Crocker?" Stewart comments. "What's all the fuss about? No one makes a big deal about my relationship with Betty Crocker."

6. Jeff Burton — After winning his fourth pole of the year, Burton's day in Michigan soured quickly, as his engine failed on lap 17. He finished 42nd, and took a big hit in the points, dropping five places to number nine.

"Now I see why I was asked to sit in for Michael Waltrip on Nextel Cup Live on Speed Channel," says Burton. "You have to have a crappy finish before they'll ask you to be on the show. I finished 42nd, which is about where Michael finishes every week. It was an honor to fill in for Michael — however, I refused to wear the flip-flops."

7. Mark Martin — Martin was the second of three Roush cars in the top 10 at Michigan, finishing fifth for his fifth top-five of the year. He moves up two positions in the points to fourth, 395 out of first.

"Yes, indeed, a good day for Roush Racing," says Martin. "And a good day for Evernham Motorsports, as well. Elliott Sadler takes over for Jeremy Mayfield in the No. 19 and brings the car home in 10th. It must have had something to do with the driver."

8. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — Earnhardt's 10th top-10 finish of the year was overshadowed by his win in Saturday's Carfax 250 Busch series race, in which he spun Carl Edwards and went on to victory. Earnhardt finished sixth in Sunday's Cup race and maintained 10th position in the points. He is 484 behind Jimmie Johnson and 49 ahead of Kasey Kahne in 11th.

"I couldn't believe the nerve of some fans booing me in Victory Lane after my Busch victory," says Earnhardt. "They were probably the same ones cheering when I took the lead on Sunday. Do those fans really think booing bothers me? I'm an Earnhardt. All my dad heard were boos. Heck, I even booed my father, and he wasn't even at the race track."

9. Denny Hamlin — The rookie posted his 11th top-10 finish of the year with a ninth in the GFS Marketplace 400. Hamlin held on to eighth in the points, where he sits 445 behind Jimmie Johnson.

"The only thing more certain than me making the Chase," says Hamlin, "is me winning Rookie of the Year honors. However, I didn't win the 'Raybestos Rookie of the Race' award, which, by the way, is made from recycled brake rotors. That went to Reed Sorenson, who finished one spot ahead of me in eighth. He just happens to be a hefty 13 spots below me in the points. He could make the Chase, as well, provided he starts the the final three races and no one else does."

10. Kyle Busch — Busch nailed the wall on lap 43, then hit it again two laps later. Then he ran over a possum on his way to pit road, and ran over a crewman's foot in his pit stall. Actually, he just hit the wall twice, but that was plenty of damage to ruin his day. He competed only 132 laps and finished 39th, and he fell two spots in the points to seventh, 443 off the lead.

"Did you hear that Matt Kenseth visited the Detroit Lions training camp?" says Busch. "I hear he throws a football like my brother Kurt throws a baseball ... badly. But that qualifies him for third string on the Lions' depth chart."