NASCAR Power Rankings: Top 20 Drivers Coming out of Talladega

What a wild weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

The Aaron's 499 had some wild moments and surprises.  From close racing, crashes and temperature issues to cars running out of fuel.

In the end, Brad Keselowski got the lead on a green-white-checkered finish and came up with a move coming to the finish to hold off Kyle Busch.

While there were big-name drivers battling for the win, there were a lot of big-name drivers who had problems or were wrecked.  

As a result, there are some big changes in this week's power rankings.

20. Jeff Burton

Previous Week: Not Ranked

Jeff Burton broke his five-race streak of finishing 20th or worse with a 10th-place finish at Talladega.  

Burton needed this good finish badly.  He had fallen from 12th to 20th in points in the last five races. While his Chase chances are not great, Burton needs to build momentum and turn his season around.

The No. 31 car was not much of a factor up front during the Aaron's 499, but he survived and that counts in restrictor-plate racing.

Now Burton and his team have to focus on Darlington this Saturday night.  This could be a good race for Burton to get another top-10 finish.  

He has four top-10 finishes in the last six races at Darlington, although he did finish 33rd in last year's race. 

19. A.J. Allmendinger

Previous Week: 19th

Frustration has to be the best word to describe A.J. Allmendinger leaving Talladega.

Allmendinger was having a great day and looked to be a contender to win.  Then on a restart, he went to block Denny Hamlin and caused a multi-car crash, basically ruined his chances to win.  

Allmendinger was able to get a 15th-place finish and move up to 20th in points.  

The key for Allmendinger is to keep his composure and move on from this race.  He was obviously frustrated when the race ended.  In order for Allmendinger to be taken seriously as a contender, he needs to stay focused and get good finishes.

It could be tough for the No. 22 team next week in Darlington.  Allmendinger has never finished in the top 15 in five career races at Darlington.  This team finished 27th in last year's race with Kurt Busch.

18. Joey Logano

Previous Week: 17th

I keep saying this every week.  How is Joey Logano still as high as he is in the points standings?

Once again, Logano had a bad race.  He was caught up in wrecks on Lap 141, Lap 175 and Lap 184 that severely damaged his car.  Logano finished 10 laps down in 26th, his fourth finish of 20th or worse so far this season.  

Logano has only two top-0 finishes this season and he is still 15th in points.  Logano has had the good fortune to have his competitors struggling for points almost as much as he has.  

The Connecticut native needs top-10 finishes and he needs them now.  I don't think he'll be getting one at Darlington on Saturday night.

While Logano finished ninth at Darlington in his rookie year, he finished 27th and 35th in the last two races there.

17. Juan Pablo Montoya

Previous Week: 15th

Another rough day for Juan Pablo Montoya.

While Montoya was up toward the front for a good portion of the Aaron's 499, he became one of the victims of a crash.  He was caught up in the crash on Lap 141 and finished 32nd. 

Montoya dropped to 17th in points after working his way up to 16th over the first nine races.  

In my opinion, this finish cripples Montoya's Chase hopes.  He is someone who I believe can get easily frustrated and let his frustrations get the best of him.  

The only way I see Montoya making the Chase is going on a prolonged streak of great finishes.  

Darlington may not be the place where he starts that streak.  He has one top-5 finish in five races there, but he's finished outside the top 20 in the other four. 

16. Jamie McMurray

Previous Week: 18th

I don't think many people noticed Jamie McMurray at Talladega. They should take notice.

After a rough 2011 season, McMurray did not have the start he wanted, with three finishes outside the top 30. But he is slowly turning things around.

McMurray finished 11th at Talladega, his fifth straight top-20 finish.  

Since finishing 32nd at Fontana, McMurray has climbed from 24th in points to 16th.  McMurray and his Bass Pro Shops team are building momentum and are still in the hunt for the Chase in my eyes.  

I fully expect McMurray to keep the momentum going into Darlington.  He has finished in the top 10 in the last two races there.

15. Ryan Newman

Previous Week: 11th

Since he won at Martinsville, Ryan Newman's season has been falling apart.

He blew his motor on Lap 44 of the Aaron's 499 and finished 36th.  Newman fell out of the top 10 in points, dropping to 13th.  

Newman has three finishes of 20th or worse in the last four races since he got his first win of the season.

Newman is lucky that a lot of the top drivers also struggled at Talladega.  Newman has plenty of time to make up 16 points and get back into the top 10 in points. 

Darlington could be the place where Newman makes his move.  He has seven top-5 and nine top-10 finishes in 13 career races at Darlington, including a fifth-place finish last season. 

14. Kasey Kahne

Previous Week: 16th

Kasey Kahne and his team have found the "magic" they have been missing at the start of the season.

Kahne earned his second straight top-5 finish with a fourth on Sunday at Talladega.  This was also Kahne's fourth straight top-10 finish.  He even got to lead some laps for the first time this season.  

Kahne is on a run where he's changing my mind about his chances to make the Chase.  In the last four races, Kahne has move from 32nd in points to 19th. 

He still has 16 races to either get to the top 10 in points or even get a few wins.  He looks strong enough to get a win or two before the Chase, like everyone expected him to do.

He could keep the momentum going next weekend at Darlington.  He has struggled at times at Darlington, but he did finish fourth in last year's Southern 500 after starting on the pole and leading 124 laps.  

13. Paul Menard

Previous Week: 14th

Paul Menard is looking more and more like a mid-pack driver every week.  After starting the season with three top-10 finishes in four races, he has finished in the top 15 once in the last seven races.

Menard was caught up in a crash on Lap 184 and ended up finishing 17th.  Menard stays 14th in points and he's only 25 points out of the top 10.

I'm very surprised Menard has kept it that close based on his mediocre finishes.  I don't see Menard and his team having the strength to make the Chase.  

It doesn't help that Darlington is next on the schedule.  Menard has never finished better than 15th in his five career Sprint Cup races at Darlington.  That includes finishes of 30th, 31st and 36th.

12. Carl Edwards

Previous Week: 10th

While Roush drivers Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle were running up in the front of the pack, Carl Edwards could never make a charge and his day ended in the garage area.

Edwards was in the crash on Lap 141 and finished 31st.  Edwards had nowhere to go in the crash and was just a victim.  With this bad finish, Edwards slipped out of the Chase.  He went from ninth to 11th in points, but he is just two points out of the top 10.

Edwards should have no problem getting back into the top 10 in points next weekend at Darlington. He has five top-10 finishes in eight career races at Darlington, including a second-place finish in last year's Southern 500.

11. Clint Bowyer

Previous Week: 13th

Clint Bowyer represented the University of Alabama well at Talladega.  With the Crimson Tide paint scheme, Bowyer worked his way through the wrecks to a sixth-place finish.  

This is Bowyer's fifth top 10 of the season and it moves him into 10th in points, but not by much. Bowyer is ahead of Carl Edwards by two points and Brad Keselowski by three points.

Bowyer has bounced back well after blowing his motor at Kansas.  With two straight top-10 finishes, Bowyer is going to need to carry as much momentum as possible into Darlington.

He has finished 31st or worst in the last three Southern 500 races.

10. Jimmie Johnson

Previous Week: 5th

Restrictor-plate races have not been too kind to Jimmie Johnson so far in 2012.  

After crashing early in the Daytona 500, Johnson's motor went bad on Lap 65, which ruined his day at Talladega and left him with a 35th-place finish.  This is already Johnson's second DNF of the season (he had only two DNFs in all of 2011).  

This DNF has dropped Johnson from sixth in points to eighth and 54 points behind point leader Greg Biffle.

Even with Johnson's consistent good finishes, he is a prime example of how much DNF can really hurt a driver in points.  

Going into Darlington, Johnson does have two wins.  The only problem is that he has finished outside of the top 10 in three of the last four Southern 500 races.

9. Kevin Harvick

Previous Week: 8th

Kevin Harvick was thought to be a contender to win the Aaron's 499.  Then he ran out of fuel and got caught up in a wreck on Lap 185.  Harvick had to settle for a 25th-place finish.  

Amazingly, not only did Harvick not lose any points positions for finishing 25th, he moved from seventh to fifth.  A lot of the title contenders had tough days in Talladega. Harvick lucked out in a weird way.

Now Harvick has to go to Darlington, where he has struggled at times over the years.  In the last eight races in Darlington, Harvick has finished in the top 10 only once.  

Not a good omen for the No. 29 car.

8. Brad Keselowski

Previous Week: 12th

Matt Kenseth looked like the driver to beat, then Brad Keselowski blew by him on the last lap for victory. Keselowski earned his second victory of the season at Talladega, which solidifies him as a virtual lock for the Chase.

Keselowski got the push he needed from Kyle Busch to blow past Kenseth for the lead.  Then Keselowski tried a movie in Turn 3 to break the draft from Busch, so that Keselowski didn't have to worry about a run by Busch.  It worked well.

Keselowski moves up to 12th in points, but he is just three points out of the top 10.  

The key for Keselowski to be a title contender is to stay consistent.  Darlington looks to be a place where Keselowski can keep the good finishes coming.

In three career Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington, Keselowski has two top-10 finishes, including a third-place finish in last year's race. 

7. Tony Stewart

Previous Week: 7th

Tony Stewart is leaving Talladega upset and frustrated after a 24th-place finish in the Aaron's 499.  

Stewart played it safe until the end. But when he tried to make a move, he got caught up in the Lap 185 wreck.  Somehow, Stewart lucked out in the points standings.

Just like Kevin Harvick, Stewart moved up in points.  He went from eighth to seventh and is 50 points out of first.

After winning two races already this season, Stewart seems to be in a mini-slump.  He has finished in the top 10 only once in the last four races.

Stewart will be looking to turn things around in Darlington.  He finished seventh in last year's race, but he has never won there.

6. Kyle Busch

Previous Week: 9th

Kyle Busch came close to getting back-to-back wins.

On the last restart, Busch gave Keselowski a push to the lead and it came down to the two of them for the win.  Keselowski put a move on Busch to break the draft, which cost Busch the victory.  But he still left Talladega with a second-place finish.

Busch moves up to ninth in points and looks to have answered his critics about his aggressiveness.

Busch looks to be hitting his stride.  He has three straight top-10 finishes, including a win in Richmond, and is in great position to make the Chase.

Going into the Southern 500, Busch does have one win, but he has finished in the top 10 only three times in the last seven races at Darlington.

5. Martin Truex Jr.

Previous Week: 4th

After the last two races, Martin Truex Jr.'s run of good finishes is a distant memory.  Truex was caught up in the wreck on Lap 141 and had nowhere to go.  Truex had to settle for a 28th-place finish at Talladega.

This drops Truex to sixth in points.  He is now 46 points behind leader Greg Biffle. 

Truex has to stop his slide.  Since losing to Denny Hamlin at Kansas after dominating, Truex's luck has run out.

Truex and his NAPA Toyota team need to regroup to take on "The Lady in Black" next weekend.  Truex finished 10th in last year's race and has only two top 10s in six races at Darlington.

4. Denny Hamlin

Previous Week: 6th

It was tough to move Denny Hamlin up in the rankings after he finished 23rd in the Aaron's 499, but who was left to move ahead of him.  A lot of guys in the top 10 crashed or had problems.  

Hamlin was caught up in the crash on Lap 185 after making contact with A.J. Allmendinger.  

Hamlin sits fourth in points, now 27 behind points leader Greg Biffle. He was fortunate that that most of the drivers behind him in points either crashed or had mechanical problems.  

While this was Hamlin's worst finish of the season, he should have no problem recovering.

Going into Darlington, Hamlin has a win and five top 10s in six races at Darlington.  

3. Matt Kenseth

Previous Week: 3rd

Matt Kenseth looked like the guy to beat during the Aaron's 499.  Kenseth led the most laps and looked as strong as he did when he won the Daytona 500.  He made a crucial error and jumped ahead on the final restart too early and that allowed Brad Keselowsk and Kyle Busch to drive right past him for the win.

Kenseth is now up to second in points, just seven behind his Roush Fenway Racing teammate and points leader Greg Biffle.

While Kenseth has to be down about losing the race that close to the end, he has to turn his attention to Darlington.

Kenseth has four top-10 finishes in his last six Darlington races, but he finished 25th in last year's race. 

2. Greg Biffle

Previous Week: 2nd

Greg Biffle leaves Talladega with a fifth-place finish, which allowed him to barely hold onto the points lead.  He waited for the right time to make his moves and they got him up to the front.  Unfortunately for Biffle, he could not work with Matt Kenseth to catch and pass Brad Keselowski for the win.  

Biffle is holding off Kenseth by seven points and Dale Earnhardt Jr. by nine points.

Biffle knows that any mistake he makes will cost him the points lead.  The top three drivers in points are so close right now because of how strong they have all run.  Biffle has six top-5 finishes already this season.

Biffle has to be happy to be heading to Darlington.  He has won the Southern 500 twice and finished eighth in last year's race. 

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Previous Week: 1st

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to be a little disappointed that he did not end up in victory lane at Talladega. Earnhardt had power at times to get to the lead, but toward the end of the race, he just faded.

He made some great moves to keep his car out of trouble and come home with a ninth-place finish. Junior is now third in points, just nine points out of the lead.  

While Earnhardt needs a win badly, his consistent finishes are just as vital right now.  His ninth at Talladega was his sixth straight top-10 finish and he leads all drivers with eight top-10 finishes in 2012.

Junior is going to need to do everything he can to get a good finish next weekend at Darlington.  He has finished outside the top 10 in three straight races.