Power Rankings: Dover

Power

Rankings

Dover:

Two weeks gone in the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup and you could say that not a whole lot of action has happened. Sure, Gordon had a stuck throttle and finished 35th at Chicgoland, but he still sits in the same points position he started the Chase in. And sure, Denny Hamlin ran out of gas on the last lap at Chicagoland, but he's still in the thick of things. We're still waiting on one driver's Chase to completely implode, but will that happen at Dover? Who knows, but let's take a look at where the top-12 stand after two races in the Chase.

1. Jimmie Johnson (+2, from last week)

Ol' Five Time is look like a pretty strong contender to notch title number six, even though it's only been two races. He finished second with arguably the best car at Chicago and then finished second at New Hampshire with clearly the second best car. Did I mention Johnson is outstanding at Dover?

2. Brad Keselowski (+2)

He's solidified himself as one of the biggest threats to Johnson after the first two weeks of the Chase by edging him out for the win at Chicago on late strategy and took a so-so car at New Hampshire to a sixth place finish. He hasn't shown much at Dover so far in his young Sprint Cup career, but he and crew chief Paul Wolfe seem like they can put themselves in a winning situation no matter what track NASCAR goes to. 

3. Denny Hamlin (-2)

Running out of gas at Chicago and finishing 16th has probably kept Denny from being on top of the points. At least he came back with the most dominant car anyone has ever seen at New Hampshire, coming from 32nd to win easily. Dover has trouble Denny, but this man is also a legitimate threat to challenge Johnson.

4. Tony Stewart (-1)

Stewart has shown O.K. speed in the first two races, but I'm just not sure that he's going to repeat last season's feat. If he was going to do that, he would've run much better at Chicago and New Hampshire. Still, there's plenty of time for late season fireworks, but for Stewart, they won't come until after Dover where he struggles mightily.

5. Kasey Kahne (+6)

Kahne's run well all season, but most didn't think he'd have a shot to challenge for the title starting 11th in the Chase. Well, Kasey has already vaulted up to 5th in the points in two races and he runs pretty darn good at the remaining tracks in the Chase.

6. Clint Bowyer (No Change)

Clint is doing what he always does in the Chase. He runs strong and steady, but can't break through enough to take command of the points lead. The good news for him is that he doesn't get caught up in the pressure of the Chase and likes to have fun throughout the ten week playoff run, which could help him greatly when other drivers start to falter.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No Change)

This was my worry all season for Junior when NASCAR reached the Chase, that he wouldn't have enough to step up and win. He's kept up the consistency he had all season, but it just won't be enough if he can't put together a string of top-5's soon.

8. Kevin Harvick (+1)

Yeah, Harvick is in the Chase, but its as if he's not really there. He's been invisible all season and it seems like things will stay that way for him in the Chase. If he does somehow win this thing, it might be crazier than when Stewart won it all last year.

9. Greg Biffle (-4)

Where did all of that speed and consistency go that Roush-Fenway Racing had all year? I mean they did lead the points standings for the majority of the regular season and now their cars have severely underperformed in the Chase. If they can't speed soon, Biffle and Kenseth will surely wind up at the bottom of the Chase standings.

10. Martin Truex Jr. (No Change)

Truex hasn't found much success to start the Chase either, but there's still that feeling about him that he'll finally get that second career win soon. If he does, that momentum could greatly help him be a contender or at the very least in the top-5 of the Chase. If that win doesn't come, expect to see him right about where he is now. Oh, and his only career win to this point did come at Dover.

11. Matt Kenseth (-3)

See Greg Biffle above.

12. Jeff Gordon (No Change)

If it weren't for that stuck throttle, Gordon looked to be on his way to a sure fire top-5 at Chicago. It helped that he won the pole at New Hampshire and finished a solid third, but he only managed to gain two points on the leader. However, with how strong his cars have been as of late, a win or two to help him rise up out of the cellar isn't out of the question.

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