2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Rankings: Week 12 Edition
It's tighter at the top of B/R's NASCAR Sprint Cup driver rankings than it's been all year.
Who's out front by a nose? Is it Jimmie Johnson, the only Cup driver with three victories this season, including his latest at Kansas in a rain-marred event two weeks ago? Or is it Kevin Harvick, who keeps reeling off wins and second-place finishes at an amazing pace?
And what about Denny Hamlin, who just shot back onto the radar with a win in the non-points Sprint All-Star Race? He actually wasn't the fastest in the event that unfortunately lacked for on-track action, but the pit crew on his No. 11 Toyota team proved to be the difference.
"You want to win the Daytona 500, you want to win the Brickyard, you want to win Coca-Cola 600 and you want to be an All-Star," Hamlin told USAToday.com. "Just a big day. It's just an unbelievable experience. ... We just didn't have a car that could run with some of those guys. But that pit crew, man, what can I say? They got this for me, there's no doubt."
Pit crews, of course, are part of the B/R driver ranking rationale, as are the drivers' relationships with their respective crew chiefs and the ability of the teams they drive for to build fast race cars. Read on, then, to see who graces our top 10 this week, and where they fall within based on this criteria.
10. Martin Truex Jr.
1 of 10
Previous Ranking: 8
Why he's here
While it's obvious Truex Jr. is much higher in the points standings than 10th (he's currently second), he has yet to win a race this season and he couldn't race his way into the Sprint All-Star Race in the Sprint Showdown, although it wasn't for lack of trying. He did, in fact, make one of the most daring three-wide moves of the entire race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Key 2015 Moments
His ninth-place finish at Kansas in the last points race was bittersweet, only because crew chief Cole Pearn's decision to pit late in the race when eventual winner Johnson and others stayed out proved costly. He still led 95 laps on the day, more than he had led in the previous 10 races combined (32). It also was his series-high 10th top-10 finish in the season's 11 races.
What's Next
For Truex and his team to take the next step and start actually challenging for more wins and finishing the job at least occasionally, they still need to find just a little more speed in the car. Without a doubt, this is one of the most improved teams of the year and Truex is doing a fine job, but driver and team need to turn some of the top 10s into just a little bit more to become truly elite. One of his two career wins came at Dover back in 2007, so Truex probably has the Monster Mile circled on his racing calendar (but first must race at Charlotte, where he has never won and often struggled).
9. Jeff Gordon
2 of 10
Previous Ranking: Not ranked
Why he's here
Gordon is coming on in his final full-time Sprint Cup season. Yes, there was the hiccup at Talladega where he started from the pole but finished 31st mostly because of a last-lap wreck, but that can happen to anybody at the unpredictable 2.66-mile track. It's the only time in the last eight races that he hasn't finished in the top 10.
Key 2015 Moments
Even at 'Dega, he led 47 laps before the troublesome finish that was brought on in large part by a mistake of his own accord: a pit-road speeding penalty that forced him back in the pack of charging cars at the end instead of up front where he should have been. It's the second time this season a pit-road speeding penalty proved costly, as Gordon also was guilty of one at Martinsville with less than 50 laps to go in another race where he led his fair share of laps but was fortunate then to finish ninth. His best finishes are third at Bristol and fourth at Kansas, so he's sniffing around for a win and there is a general feeling that crew chief Alan Gustafson is going to help him get one sooner rather than later. As strange as it seems to say, Gordon might just need to quit pressing for it so hard, which might be leading to the uncharacteristic mistakes he's making on pit road.
What's Next
Gordon has won five times each at Charlotte and Dover, the next two stops on the Sprint Cup circuit. It will be no surprise if he wins at either place.
8. Matt Kenseth
3 of 10
Previous Ranking: 7
Why he's here
Kenseth has one win, three top-five and six top-10 finishes, and is coming off solid performance both at Kansas (sixth) and in the All-Star Race (fifth). He's down one slot in the rankings more because of what others did to pass him on the track than anything he did wrong.
Key 2015 Moments
He won at Bristol. But what may be most encouraging most to him is the way he ran in the All-Star Race on the 1.5-mile layout at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, earned the win. The JGR Toyotas have struggled to keep up with the Chevrolets of Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing at the bigger tracks, so perhaps that's a sign that the tide is turning toward a more level playing field there.
What's Next
He's won two times each in his career at Charlotte and Dover, where he also has a combined total of 28 top-five finishes. It will be interesting to see of the speed he found in the All-Star Race translates to the longest race in NASCAR, next Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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7. Brad Keselowski
4 of 10
Previous Ranking: 6
Why he's here
Keselowski was in position to challenge for the win in the Sprint All-Star Race when he was caught speeding coming off pit road before the final restart. You might say it was a $1 million speeding ticket, but BK was unapologetic for it afterward. "I swung and missed," he told FoxSports.com.
Key 2015 Moments
Keselowski further explained his reasoning for trying to hustle off pit road ahead of eventual All-Star winner Hamlin, also telling FoxSports.com: "Whoever gets the clean air with this format and this rules package is going to drive away. I knew when I came out of my pit stall and the 11 (of Hamlin) was pulling out with me that I either beat him to that line or lose the race, and the penalty was I was three-tenths of a mile an hour over the speed limit. But I told my crew chief (Paul Wolfe) I'd rather go down swinging than take a strike and wonder what might have been." It's indicative of Keselowski's aggressive driving style, which already has earned him a win this year at Fontana when he led the only lap the mattered, the last one.
What's Next
With one win each at Charlotte and Dover, plus a combined six top-five finishes in just 21 career starts at the two venues, he's likely to be a factor in both races.
6. Kurt Busch
5 of 10
Previous Ranking: 5
Why he's here
Busch was fast in the All-Star Race before finishing third behind Hamlin and runner-up Harvick. His No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing machine has been bad fast ever since he returned from a NASCAR-mandated suspension for alleged domestic abuse that cost him the first three races of the season.
Key 2015 Moments
Despite making only eight starts so far this season, Busch already is up to 14th in points and has led 541 laps. Only Harvick has led more. Busch won at Richmond, in fact, after leading 291 laps, more than he had in any other race in his career. Obviously, then, he is clicking with crew chief Tony Gibson and it appears, at least for now, that he's really focused on making the most of this latest chance at redemption.
What's Next
He has one win each at Charlotte and Dover and a total of 12 top-five finishes in his career at the two venues. Dover, however, is the site of his alleged domestic abuse against his former girlfriend. Even though the state of Delaware eventually elected not to pursue criminal charges against Busch after investigating the alleged incident, returning to Dover might prove a distraction.
5. Denny Hamlin
6 of 10
Previous Ranking: 9
Why he's here
Hamlin earned the largest leap in the rankings by virtue of his win from the pole in the Sprint All-Star Race. While it wasn't a points race, it was his second trip to Victory Lane this season and made his 41st-place finish after crashing out early at Kansas forgettable and inconsequential in the big picture.
Key 2015 Moments
While Hamlin did a great job driving to win both the pole for the All-Star Race and then the event itself, he should give his pit crew an even larger share of the $1 million won than normal. The unique qualifying and race formats both included pit stops under pressure, and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing crew stepped up every time. Crew chief Dave Rogers, in his first year atop Hamlin's pit box, deserves much of the credit for this. Although the jury is still out on the seemingly odd chemistry between the introspective, cheer-leading Rogers and his sometimes mercurial driver who has ideas of his own, they won at Martinsville earlier in the season and have lots of time to build on the momentum they now seem to be creating.
What's Next
It should be noted that Hamlin is in a contract year. Could he leave Joe Gibbs Racing for another team? It's too soon to tell, but he could help his cause for a better deal either at JGR or elsewhere if he continues to run well (which will be a challenge at both Charlotte and Dover, where he has never won).
4. Joey Logano
7 of 10
Previous Ranking: 3
Why he's here
Logano finished fifth at Kansas and has started from the pole in two of the last three points races. He's led 19 or more laps in eight of the 11 races this season, which began for him with a trip to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500.
Key 2015 Moments
He has qualified sixth or better nine times already, and finished in the top 10 each time. In this era where track position and getting out front in clean air mean everything, he seems to be the driver who has grasped the importance of qualifying well and capitalized on it the most. His crew chief, Todd Gordon, deserves a large portion of the credit for his consistent qualifying efforts, as each track places different demands on the qualifying setups. Gordon not only has been able to meet those, but then has been able to make the adjustments necessary to keep the No. 22 Team Penske Ford fast in race trim, too.
What's Next
Logano has yet to win at either Charlotte or Dover in his career. But if he continues to qualify well, he's proven that he can stay up front for the whole race when he starts there no matter what track it is.
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 of 10
Why he's here
Earnhardt won at Talladega to thrill Junior Nation and followed that up with a third-place run at Kansas, giving him four third-place finishes already this season. Taken on the whole, only Johnson and Harvick have been better over the first 11 races.
Key 2015 Moments
Obviously, the victory at 'Dega will be tough to top. But Earnhardt proved at Kansas that he's not going to let off the gas this season, his first with crew chief Greg Ives. In addition to his four third-place efforts (the others came at Daytona, Atlanta and Texas), he also registered a fourth at Las Vegas and a sixth at Fontana. So he and Ives have found speed in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy at several of the bigger tracks.
What's Next
In a combined 60 career starts at Charlotte and Dover, he has one win. And it came at Dover. Strangely, he's never won in 30 tries in points races at his hometown track, and wasn't much of a factor in the Sprint All-Star Race, which doesn't bode well for his chances in the Coke 600.
2. Kevin Harvick
9 of 10
Previous Ranking: 1
Why he's here
For the first time in several weeks, Harvick has fallen from the top spot in the B/R rankings. And it's a very close call. He finished second to Hamlin in the All-Star Race and second at Kansas after leading 53 laps. But Johnson won his third race of the season by finishing one spot in front of him at Kansas and Harvick has won only two, so that serves as the tie-breaker.
Key 2015 Moments
Harvick won back-to-back early in the year at Las Vegas and Phoenix, and has finished second the incredible total of six times in the first 11 races. He's led 1,006 laps, nearly twice as many as anybody else in Sprint Cup. His chemistry with crew chief Rodney Childers is off the charts. The only thing that rates as a bit of a surprise is that they haven't won more than the two races, but odds are they will be getting to Victory Lane several more times before this year is out. It's very obvious that the Chevys being built for Harvick and Kurt Busch at the Stewart-Haas Racing shop are consistently fast, and that the 2015 Cup car and rules suit those SHR drivers far more than they do driver and team co-owner Tony Stewart.
What's Next
Harvick used to struggle at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but no more. He's won three of his last eight starts in points races at the track, including two Coke 600s, and also won a non-points All-Star Race. Throw in the fact that he and Johnson have combined to win the last seven points races at 1.5-mile layouts, and he's sure to be a factor this Sunday. Dover, where he has never won and has an average finish of 19.2 in 18 career starts, figures to be more of a challenge.
1. Jimmie Johnson
10 of 10
Previous Ranking: 2
Why he's here
Johnson's win at Kansas in the last points race sealed his spot at the top, even though he uncharacteristically struggled in the Sprint All-Star Race on the Charlotte track where he usually runs well. No other driver can match the six-time champion's series-high three wins at the moment.
Key 2015 Moments
His other wins came at Atlanta and Texas. The victory at Texas Motor Speedway, in fact, kicked off a string in points races of five in a row in which he won twice, finished second twice and third once. That's an indication that Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus are clicking like the old times of, you know, like two years ago. It's probable that the only reason the No. 48 Hendrick Chevy wasn't great in the All-Star Race is because this year they've tended to come on later in the long runs of longer races, and they just didn't have time to dial it in in the shortened event.
What's Next
With a combined 16 career wins at the next two tracks (seven at Charlotte and a record nine at Dover), Johnson isn't likely to give up this top spot anytime soon. More wins are on the way, and possibly very soon.
Unless otherwise noted, all information was obtained firsthand.
Joe Menzer has written six books, including two about NASCAR, and now writes about it and other sports for Bleacher Report as well as assisting in coverage of NASCAR for FoxSports.com as a Digital Content Producer. Follow him on Twitter @OneMenz.
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