NASCAR Top 10 Power Rankings: Week 33

Note: the quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Jimmie Johnson — Johnson's day in Atlanta started with an early pit lane speeding penalty, but with his usual late-race surge, boosted by a four-tire pit stop 12 laps from the end, the points leader finished second. Johnson now leads Carl Edwards, who won the race, by 183 points.

"Hey, I was kind of surprised I was behind Carl, too," says Johnson. "It's funny that he didn't see me in his rear-view mirror. I know when I stand atop the standings and look out my rear-view mirror, I can't see a darn thing for that 183 points blocking the view."

2. Carl Edwards — Edwards took the lead with 15 laps to go in Atlanta and held on to win the Pep Boys Auto 500 for his seventh win this year. After his celebratory back flip in victory lane, Edwards had his elation tempered with the news that Jimmie Johnson finished second and Edwards only shaved 15 points off of Johnson's points lead.

"I guess I should look (at the scoring tower)," says Edwards, "before I leap."

3. Greg Biffle — Handling issues plagued Biffle and the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford throughout the day on Sunday, leaving him unable to challenge for a much-needed win. Biffle finished 10th and now sits third in the points, 185 behind Jimmie Johnson.

"I'm not out of championship contention yet," says Biffle, "for the 2009 Sprint Cup. And, mathematically, I'm still in the 2008 title hunt as well. No matter how you add it up, for anyone to have a chance to catch Johnson, we're going to have to see the numbers '48' and '43' in the equation."

4. Jeff Gordon — Gordon finished ninth in Atlanta, as handling issues and track position woes left him unable to make a late charge and kept him winless on the year. Gordon did advance one spot in the points to sixth, 312 behind Jimmie Johnson.

"I was quite inspired by seeing 'Go 24' written in the sky prior to the race," says Gordon. "However, it was even more disappointing to know that, even with the Lord cheering me on, I still couldn't break my winless streak. What? That was written by a skywriter? Great! My faith in Jesus has been restored, but not my faith in winning."

5. Kevin Harvick — Harvick battled an ill-handling car all day as the No. 29 team struggled to find the right balance, and was later hit with a pit lane speeding penalty. Harvick still managed to work his way to a 13th-place finish, which improved his point standing to fifth, where he is 307 out of first.

"As long as Carl Edwards is physically nowhere near me," says Harvick, "I'd like to stick my neck out and make a bold prediction: Jimmie Johnson will win the Sprint Cup title. And the only choking Edwards will be doing is adjusting the choke on his lawn mower."

6. Jeff Burton — Burton suffered front-end damage when he slammed the slowing No. 22 Caterpillar car of Dave Blaney on lap 302, triggering a multi-car crash. He remained on the lead lap and finished a disappointing 18th, which dropped him from third to fourth in the points, where he trails Jimmie Johnson by 218.

"Trust me," says Burton, "I'd much rather hit a bird than the car of Dave Blaney. Apparently, I just couldn't wait to get into that Caterpillar sponsorship."

7. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth was fast in both of Saturday's practice sessions and led a race-high 128 laps on Sunday, but three late-race cautions shackled his chances of winning. The No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford was quick in clean air, but lost the lead to Denny Hamlin and never could challenge for the win thereafter. Kenseth's third top-five finish of the Chase moved him up one spot to ninth, 413 out of first.

"These new cars run best in clean air," says Kenseth. "I'd go so far as to say Michael Waltrip could even hold a lead if he was running up front. Sometimes, however, 'air' is all it takes for Waltrip to have a spin."

8. Denny Hamlin — Hamlin registered his strongest result of the Chase, leading 56 laps in Atlanta and finishing third in the Pep Boys Auto 500. Hamlin now has back-to-back top-fives, and is currently 11th in the points, 425 out of first.

"Joe Gibbs Racing drivers are 8th, 11th, and 12th in the points," says Hamlin. "When the Chase started, the prevailing sentiment for JGR was that anything other than first would be a disappointment. Now that's changed. It's anything but last in the points would be a victory."

9. Tony Stewart — Like many other drivers, Stewart wrestled with handling issues on the abrasive Atlanta Motor Speedway track. After a day's worth of adjustments that just didn't work, Stewart ended a tough day at the track with a 17th, which kept him eighth in the points, 401 out of first.

"Unlike my success fishing for floozies after races at my hauler," says Stewart, "we just couldn't find that 'race trim.'"

10. Clint Bowyer — Bowyer and Juan Montoya made contact during a late-race pit stop, a setback that exacerbated the already difficult handling of the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet. Bowyer finished 20th, his worst result of the Chase, and fell two places to seventh in the point standings.

"It's never good to have a Colombian angry with you," says Bowyer. "Sure, I may have caused some harm to his car, but JPM needs to chill out. As long as I didn't damage the 'merchandise,' everything should be cool. The last thing I want to do is change the perception that Jack and Coke mix well together."

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