Kurt Busch backed up his words at Dover on Sunday. After tangling with Jimmie Johnson at Richmond last month Busch said “I'm going to beat him fair and square with my Penske Dodge."

With seven races left in the Chase I think we all have a lot to look forward to.

Driver of Week: Jimmie Johnson – Leads 157 laps and finishes second to put his team back into title contention.

Stat of the Week: 3.3 – Average positions gained the last 10 percent of the race by A.J. Allmendinger which will make him the BEST closer in the sport.

Last Week’s Prediction Results: Jeff Gordon – Finishes 12th in a day where he did not contend at all.

This Week’s Prediction for Kansas: Carl Edwards – We will see if the Ford engines are as strong as they were last year in what could be a prelude for things to come.

Power Rankings
(Rankings will be based off of who is running the best, with an emphasis on the last several races but having respect for the duration of the 36 race schedule. Last week’s Rankings can be found in parenthesis.)
1. (1) Jeff Gordon – He is losing ground in the standings but he is a proven winner and I believe will be in the winner’s circle in the next couple of weeks.
2. (TIE) (4) Carl Edwards – Not a single driver has outscored Edwards the last five races.
(TIE) (2) Brad Keselowski –Not a single driver has outscored Keselowski the last nine races.
4. (6) Jimmie Johnson – Jumps five spots in the standings and is now fifth only 13 points back.
5. (5) Kevin Harvick – He is not flashy but he has been consistent all season as he is first in the Standings.
6. (7) Kyle Busch – Is only 15 points back from first, but he also has seven drivers in front of him.
7. (3) Tony Stewart – 2 wins in the chase and is now nine points back after finishing 25th at Dover.
8. (8) Matt Kenseth – Gains 12 points in the standings at Dover but did not gain any positions as he still sits in seventh.
9. (10) Kurt Busch – Grabs a win but his races before the Chase started keeps him down in the rankings.
10. (9) Ryan Newman – Has been outscored the last five weeks by every Chase driver not named Hamlin
11. (11) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Sits 34 points back but going to Charlotte and Talladega after  Kansas which historically are his better tracks.
12. (NR) A.J. Allmendinger – Has outscored every non-Chase driver the last five weeks as well as Newman, Earnhardt Jr., and Hamlin.

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