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Power Rankings: Championship mindset at Atlanta
by JORGE A. MONDACA, FOXSports.com Updated: March 5, 2008, 6:45 PM EST
Is it too early to start talking about the championship?
As ridiculous as that question may sound, since the "regular season" portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar is a grueling 26-race marathon — and this week's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is only race number four — a look at past versions of the title-deciding Chase for the Sprint Cup shows that if a driver starts the season on a hot streak and puts themselves in a Chase spot after the Atlanta race weekend, they will likely end up battling for the title at year's end:
2007: Following last year's Atlanta Motor Speedway race, nine drivers in the top 12 went on to qualify for the NASCAR playoffs (excluding then championship leader Mark Martin, who only ran a partial schedule beginning last season).
2006: Seven drivers in the top 10 after the Atlanta race weekend went on to compete in the Chase.
2005: Eight drivers in the top 10 post-Atlanta spring race made the Chase that season.
With that fact in mind, this weekend's 500-miler could quickly become a classic. Heading into the race 19 drivers are within 102 points of 12th place Kurt Busch in the standings, meaning we could see a lot of teams and drivers gambling throughout the weekend.
Who will possibly secure one of those coveted top spots in the standings this weekend? Here's a look at the top drivers so far this season.
Power Rankings heading into this week's Sprint Cup race at Atlanta
1. Kyle Busch — 119.9 driver rating:
2. Carl Edwards — 114.8 driver rating:
3. Jeff Gordon — 105.0 driver rating:
4. Greg Biffle — 103.3 driver rating:
5. Matt Kenseth — 101.5 driver rating:
6. Kasey Kahne — 98.1 driver rating:
7. Kevin Harvick — 95.9 driver rating:
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — 94.6 driver rating:
9. Ryan Newman — 94.1 driver rating:
10. Jeff Burton — 90.4 driver rating:
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.
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