Power Rankings: A world full of unknowns
by JORGE A. MONDACA, FOXSports.com
Play Fantasy NASCAR!
The list goes on and on ...
But once again, a new list of questions will develop.
Yes, the Hendrick Motorsports Juggernaut is still the team to beat — but can the newly minted Joe Gibbs Racing/Toyota combination challenge them? What about Roush Fenway Racing's lineup of drivers?
An influx of open-wheelers have come to NASCAR, but can any of them have the type of impact that Juan Pablo Montoya made in 2007? Better yet, will this year's top rookie actually be Regan Smith, an actual rookie who has never competed in other high levels of Motorsports?
Will the current car — you know, that thing we've called the Car of Tomorrow for 18 months — perform better, the same or worse than the "old car."
All-Star Showdown
 |
Race Trax:
News:
- Busch claims All-Star pole
- Biffle plans to stay at Roush
- Jarrett prepares for farewell ride
- Edwards picked to win All-Star race
Video:
Analysis:
- Spencer: What's next for Busch?
- What makes Charlotte special?
- McReynolds: Family affair
- Owens: The uprising
- Power Rankings: Who's on top?
Photo galleries:
Blog:
Fantasy:
Can you dig it?
But most importantly, who will win in 2008?
Most of those questions will require the entire season to answer, but at least you will know who the contenders are each and every week as the Power Rankings rank the 10 drivers who are at their best form.
Who will win in 2008? The answer should be below.
Power Rankings heading toward this week's Daytona 500
1. Jimmie Johnson — 110.3 driver rating: Nobody enters the season with as much confidence — and pressure — as the driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet. The two-time defending champion was strong in Car of Tomorrow races last year and fast during preseason testing, finishing third in this past weekend's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona exhibition race. However, he is racing against history this season as he tries to become just the second driver in history to win three consecutive Cup titles.
Look for a strong start performance this weekend as Johnson has a victory in the 2006 Daytona 500, fight top fives and eight top 10s in 12 starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
2. Jeff Gordon — 108.6 driver rating: It's hard to believe that four-time Sprint Cup champion Gordon could have a chip on his shoulder, but he has nothing to show for last season despite it being his best in recent years.
But how vital will a good start be for Gordon in his effort to win this year's title? Looking back at his past championship runs, it may be more beneficial for him to have a mediocre Daytona run.
During his four championship seasons — 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001 — Gordon amassed only one victory in the Great American Race and two finishes of 20th or worse. By comparison, the years that Gordon won the 500 — 1997, 1999 and 2005 — has seen him finish first, sixth and 11th, respectively, in the final standings.
3. Tony Stewart — 100.9 driver rating: As good as Stewart has looked in seasons past, he faces a big unknown in Toyota as Joe Gibbs Racing left Chevrolet and joined with the Japanese carmaker. During winter testing, it looked like there would be few problems as Stewart and Co. were among the fastest, but the jury will hold its verdict until at least the first few races are complete.
4. Kurt Busch — 99.7 driver rating: Can Kurt Busch keep his cool? That is the question on everybody's mind this week following his blowup during Budweiser Shootout practice last Friday night.
If he can, he may find himself in contention to win the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Remember, Busch has six top five finishes in 14 starts at the restrictor plate track. But if he can't, he will likely wreck (or get wrecked) and lose another stout vehicle like he did in last year's 500.
Best piece of advice to Busch: Stay out of trouble. You may find success that way.
5. Kyle Busch — 97.8 driver rating: "Shrub" faced unfavorable odds at the end of last season, yet still managed to finish fifth in the championship standings by amassing six top 10 finishes during the 10-race Chase.
How will the change of scenery from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing affect him? Hopefully, it'll help him perform better at Daytona International Speedway where, despite having two consecutive runner-up finishes in the summer event, he has a 20 average finish in six starts.
6. Denny Hamlin — 97.0 driver rating: Every driver has a certain week of the year that they wish would just go as quickly as possible. For Denny Hamlin, that weekend would be this one.
In four career starts at Daytona International Speedway, his best finish is 17th and his average finish is 29.5.
7. Matt Kenseth — 95.9 driver rating: Does momentum carry over from one season to the other? Kenseth sure hopes so after finishing 2007 with five consecutive top five finishes, including a victory in the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
That said, don't look for Kenseth to set the world on fire this weekend at Daytona. In 32 combined starts at Daytona and Talladega, the driver of the No. 17 Dewalt Ford only has four top fives and 12 top 10s. If he can leave with a decent result, look for him to catch fire starting next weekend at California Speedway — where he has won the February race the last two seasons.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — 93.2 driver rating: It must feel good to be a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan right about now. After enduring a year of questions about whether Junior could ever return to Victory Lane, he blasted out of the gate with Hendrick Motorsports and won the Budweiser Shootout.
How does that bode for him as he prepares for the Daytona 500? Five times in the past, the Budweiser Shootout winner has gone on to win the Great American Race.
I wonder how Junior fans will feel if that happens.
9. Carl Edwards — 92.9 driver rating: Has Carl Edwards figured out Daytona? After starting his career at the Speedway with a 12th-place result at the 2005 Daytona 500, he failed to score a top-20 finish the following four races. However, in last July's 400-mile event, he finished fourth.
Like his Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth, Edwards enters the season with momentum after scoring three top-five finishes in the last six races of 2007.
10. Martin Truex Jr. — 90.3 driver rating: One of two "Cinderella" drivers last season, Truex seems to have found what it takes to be a championship contender. If he wants to take it to the next level, he must improve his performance on some of his weaker tracks, one of which is Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona is one of 10 tracks on the circuit where Truex has an average finish of 20th or worse. But if he can recapture his old Nationwide Series form at Daytona, where he raced six times with an average finish of 8.3, he can eliminate it from the list and inch closer to his championship goal.
Editor's Note: Jorge A. Mondaca's weekly power rankings are based on NASCAR's Driver Rating system. Why these statistics and not others? The NASCAR Driver Rating system is based on a formula combining several categories which show how a driver is racing, not only how he is finishing. As a result, it offers a much clearer explanation as to how they are performing on track.
The statistics used to determine the final numeric value are: Wins, finishes, Top-15 finishes, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finishes.
The system has a maximum of 150 points per race. And drivers must have raced in 75 percent of scheduled point-paying races to be included in this rating.
advertisement
