2015 Chase Power Rankings: Second Addition

By Richard Tix

Unlike NASCAR Behind the Wall's Pit Road Power Rankings, this years 2015 Chase Power Rankings will include ONLY drivers with a win. These rankings will not only take into account how they have done so far, but what NBTW things there Power Ranking is for winning the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship.

Last time around we looked at the rankings after 15 races. We now have finished 24 of 26 regular season races with only Darlington and Richmond left on the schedule. We had 10 winners after 15 races yet we have only added one winner in the last 9 races, Kyle Busch.

2015 Chase Power Rankings

LT=Last Time (Ranking during the last Chase Power Rankings)

1. Kevin Harvick (LT-1)- Yes, Harvick is still the favorite. Keep in mind that last year he went into the Chase as an underdog because his team was having issues on pit road or bad luck week after week. This year he hasn't been notching the wins in the regular season (just like 2014), but is reeling off runner up spots. Those finishes will be enough to get him to Miami and could even see him winning back to back Championships.
2. Joey Logano (LT-5)- Last time around JoLo was 5th on this list and had 11 top 10's in 15 races...That was probably good enough to be in the top 3 on these rankings. Yet, Penske seemed to be under the radar a bit. Since then JGR has made a huge pass by Penske and HMS, but Penske cars have been standing strong right next to them. Joey just finished up winning 2 of the last 3 races and looks like a true title contender.
3. Kyle Busch (LT-NR)- The only new driver to this list, Kyle came back from his injury at Daytona on fire. He has 4 wins, 5 top 5's, 7 top 10's, all just in 13 races. Consistency in the Chase has always been his achilles heel, but last year he showed signs of reversing that. If it wasn't for bad luck at Talladega where he was slowing down for a caution and got hit from behind, he would have moved on.
4. Jimmie Johnson (LT-2)- You can't count JJ out of any title hunt, but something has been a bit off at Hendrick Motor Sports. They have lost there edge as of late. Maybe it has more to do with JGR getting stronger and Penske staying with HMS, but they don't look bullet proof anymore. JJ is still tied for a Cup lead with 4 wins, and also has 16 top 10's in 24 races, so he knows how to get it done. 
5. Brad Keselowski (LT-7)- BK is starting to show consistency that he lacked to start the year. Those kinds of finishes are going to come up big during the Chase. When you look at BK's wins and top 5's it looks a lot like his poor 2013 season, but then you notice his top 10's and average finish. His average finish of 11.8 is the closest it has been to his Championship year in 2012. Maybe the consistency will pay off?
6. Matt Kenseth (LT-9)- Last time around Kenseth was an after thought in the Title talks. Man, what 9 races can change. He had some bad luck at Bristol (engine), but before that he has two wins, four top 5's, and 6 straight top 10's. Kenseth and JGR are on a roll at the right time and if they carry it into the Chase they will move up the favorites list. 
7. Denny Hamlin (LT-8)- Through 15 races JGR made up the final three spots (8th, 9th, and 10th). This time around they added the fourth driver and all started to make a climb. Hamlin is a curious case to crack this year once again. He hasn't been dominate in almost any race for a long period of time, but has stuck around for some quality finishes. That is the making of a driver getting through rounds and into the Finale (like he did last year). Once at Miami, Hamlin has shown he is one of the best recently including a test practice this week. So, he is an underdog to watch.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LT-6)- Jr has been good in 2015, but it just seems like something is missing with HMS right now. The same can be said about many of Jr's finishes lately. The plus side is he has been pushing through and getting quality finishes despite HMS shortcomings, but at this moment it doesn't seem like enough to win a Championship.
9. Carl Edwards (LT-10)- Carl rounds up all four JGR cars in the 2015 Chase Power Rankings. He also happens to be the lowest in the points standings, but that wont matter when the Chase rolls around. Right now he is showing hope as a title contender with six top 10's in his last seven races (the other was 13th at Indy). That kind of consistency could see him moving on for a ways in the Chase.
10. Kurt Busch (LT-3)- No one fell or gained as much as Kurt Busch in these standings (side note: congratulations on the engagement!). Last time these rolled out he was on fire and had locked himself into the Chase with a win. In his last seven races he only has two finishes better than 10th. True, he still has four top 10's in that time, but he is no where near the front.
11. Martin Truex Jr (LT-4)- Martin has actually lost just as much ground in the rankings as Kurt did. It seems like as soon as JGR came around and got better that the #78 team started to find some struggles. Lucky for this small team they have a win and are locked in (would have got in on points anyways), but they will need to find "it" again before the Chase to have a chance.

It is crazy how 9 races changes the look of the 2015 Sprint Cup Chase. Earlier this year it looked like Kurt Busch was almost on the same level as Harvick, and now its hard seeing him winning the title. Last year Harvick went into the Chase as an underdog and became a first time Cup Champion. So, these rankings are not set in stone and that is why you have to tune into the remaining races before the Chase!