by JORGE A. MONDACA, FOXSports.com

Updated: May 7, 2008, 6:56 PM EST 473 comments

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Just when you thought things were beginning to fall into place in the Power Rankings for the Sprint Cup Series, this week's edition has exactly zero drivers in the same position as last week.

Where does your driver stack up? How will they do this coming week at Darlington Raceway? Check out this week's rankings and let us know what you think below.

Power Rankings after the Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway

1. Kyle Busch — 109.4 driver rating (No. 2 last week): A lot has been written and said about Kyle Busch in recent days as fans and pundits look to pick apart everything he did during the final laps in Saturday night's Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.

Here's the Cliff Notes version of things: Busch is both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Ask any owner in the garage, "Which driver would you want in your car today?" No doubt the most common answer would be Kyle Busch -- two Sprint Cup victories as well as seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts this season are all the numbers I need to prove my point (although the seven combined victories in Cup, Nationwide and Truck competition this year can't hurt either).

Which driver would you least want standing outside of your car today? As odd as it is to say, the answer to this question is also Kyle Busch. He puts it out on the line and runs as hard as he can everywhere he goes, but is aggravating race fans, particularly after his racing tactics resulted in fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecking just miles before he could finally snap his two-year winless mark last weekend at Richmond.

Which Kyle Busch will appear at Darlington? Well, he only has a 22.3 average finish in three career starts at the "Track too tough to tame," which might make it fun for fans who really want to see him falter. But if Mr. Hyde emerges like he has all year long, I can envision at least a small shift in feelings as people realize this driver is accomplishing something really special this season.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — 108.7 driver rating (No. 1 last week): What can I say that hasn't already been said about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s weekend at Richmond.

Oh yeah, here's one: Quit complaining, Junior fans.

Last year at this time, Earnhardt's rabid fan base was up in arms as Dale Jr. was not nearly as competitive as he is now -- particularly as he endured two blown engines by this time in 2007.

Lost amid all of the Earnhardt/Busch drama is the fact that Earnhardt was still able to rebound and finish 15th on race day, keeping him third in the standings.

Looking for better news? Dale Jr. could run well again this weekend as he enters the event with three straight top-10 finishes at Darlington.

The victories will come, Junior fans. For now, enjoy the ride as your favorite puts himself in line for a much bigger trophy at the end of the season.

3. Denny Hamlin — 104.2 driver rating (No. 4 last week): In the blink of an eye, Denny Hamlin went from on top of the world to wondering what just went wrong.

Guess what? He'll bounce back.

Earlier this year, he was strong at Daytona and showed potential at California but earned less than expected results (17th and 41st, respectively). After that, he came back to score seven straight finishes of 15th or better. He'll be back in contention sooner than you think.

And with an average finish of sixth in his two Cup Darlington starts, his bounce back may start as early as this weekend.

4. Carl Edwards — 104.0 driver rating (No. 3 last week): The first week back at the track for crew chief Bob Osborne since he was suspended after Las Vegas was a success as Carl Edwards had a quiet day en route to a seventh-place finish.

How will the reunification work out in week 2? Well, three of Edwards' four Darlington starts have resulted in top 10s. A quiet top 10 could be a likely outcome, but I think the full-strength No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing crew is ready to make noise again.

5. Tony Stewart — 100.0 driver rating (No. 6 last week): Richmond weekend turned out to be a good one for Tony Stewart. Not only did his contract questions take a backseat as a result of all the hoopla, but he also managed to snatch a top-five finish at a track which historically hasn't been his best.

Darlington has been a much friendlier locale for Stewart -- even though he has yet to win at "The Lady in Black." Look for him to make his way back into the headlines, unless his teammate decides to get involved in a late-race crash for the lead again.

6. Jimmie Johnson — 96.0 driver rating (No. 5 last week): Race day at Richmond turned out to be a bit of a speed bump for the recent resurgence of Jimmie Johnson and Co. Being involved in the multi-car wreck is one of the major reasons Johnson didn't match his form, so let's call that his mulligan for the year and move on.

If it happens again at Darlington, I won't be sounding the alarms, but I could see frustration return to that camp.

In nine career starts at Darlington, he has eight top-10 finishes, including five top fives and two wins.

More than anybody, he may be primed for Saturday night.

7. Kevin Harvick — 94.2 driver rating (No. 9 last week): To help me with this one, I'm summoning my inner Bill Engvall.

Here's your sign that Richard Childress Racing is back: All three of their drivers, capped by Kevin Harvick, are in the top five in the championship.

8. Jeff Burton — 93.7 driver rating (No. 7 last week): Another race, another week completing all laps in competition and another top-15 finish. Jeff Burton may have lost the championship lead, but guess what NASCAR fans? Ten straight top-15 finishes is not a fad, it's a sign of great things taking place.

Unfortunately, it's not the sign competitors like to see.

9. Jeff Gordon — 93.6 driver rating (No. 8 last week): It's definitely been a rocky start for the No. 24 team this season, but Gordon took another baby step to getting back on track with his ninth-place finish at Richmond.

If he can take a BIG step this weekend at Darlington, where he is not only the defending race winner but also has seven career victories and has a an active string of four consecutive finishes of third or better, we may be able to quit having all the "slump" talk like we did for his teammate Jimmie Johnson a few weeks back.

10. Clint Bowyer — 90.4 driver rating (Outside of top 10 last week): Yes, sometimes it pays to be lucky instead of good. But Clint Bowyer proved Saturday night that it's always better to be lucky and good. Just remember, especially those of you who say he "lucked" his way into a victory at Richmond, there were 40 other competitors that could have won the event -- but it was Bowyer who put himself in position to take advantage of the luck that fell into his lap with just a handful of circuits remaining.

Dropped out: Greg Biffle

To check out where all the Sprint Cup drivers rank, read the complete list here.

2008 Power Rankings: Post Daytona | Post California | Post Las Vegas | Post Atlanta | Post Bristol | Off Week 1 — Owners | Post Martinsville | Post Texas | Post Phoenix | Off Week 2 — Crew Chiefs | Post Talladega

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, by looking at the point-paying races this season. As a result, it offers a much clearer explanation as to how they are currently performing.

The statistics used to determine the final numeric value are: Wins, finishes, Top-15 results, 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. Drivers must have raced in 75 percent of scheduled point-paying races to be included in this rating.