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Heavy favorite

After finishing second in 'Dega, Stewart looks tough

Posted: Tuesday May 2, 2006 4:57PM; Updated: Tuesday May 2, 2006 6:11PM
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NASCAR Power Rankings
Rank Last Week   Driver
1 1
Tony Stewart
If you ask 10 people in the garage right now who's the favorite to win the championship, nine will throw Stewart's name at you. On Monday in the rain-delayed Aaron's 499 at Talladega, Stewart again was spectacular, coming in second behind Jimmie Johnson. It was the third straight race at 'Dega in which the 20 team finished runner-up.
2 3
Jimmie Johnson
JJ won his second straight restrictor-plate race on Monday. Like he did at the Daytona 500 earlier this season, Johnson patiently bided his time for much of the afternoon, happily running in the back of the pack. Then, with about 50 laps to go, he made his move to the front and was able to hold off a hard-charging Stewart by less than a second. Johnson is now back in the points lead.
3 2
Matt Kenseth
Kenseth, who isn't known as a strong plate-racer, ran with the leaders for most of the race on Monday and finished sixth. He's now second in the points and looking more and more like he'll be the bellwether driver for Roush Racing this season. He should again be fast this Saturday at Richmond; he finished second there last September.
4 4
Kasey Kahne
After Kahne got caught up in a Big One early in the race, a rumor flew around the track that he'd been seriously injured and taken to the hospital. The rumor proved to be false, but Kahne was so banged up that Hermie Sadler had to pilot Kahne's No. 9 Dodge once it was repaired and race-ready. Kahne will be able to drive on Saturday night at Richmond, where he won last season.
5 5
Mark Martin
How does Martin feel about racing at Talladega? "This was one of the most fun places I ever came to in 1982," said Martin as he stood next to his crumpled Ford after being involved in an early accident that took out 13 cars. "But in today's day and age, it's hard to have fun when you know the pin is out of the grenade and it's just a matter of time until it goes off."
6 7
Jeff Gordon
Gordon led a race-high 62 laps on Monday and clearly had one of the three best cars in the field, but he lost ground on the last lap when he got blocked by Brian Vickers. He was shuffled out of the draft -- something that rarely happens to Gordon, a draft master -- and he fell from second to 15th, which is where he finished. It was yet another disappointing finish for a team desperate for some good luck.
7 6
Kevin Harvick
Like many cars on Monday, Harvick's No. 29 Chevy sustained damage in the Big One early and was the never the same. Harvick was able to get back out onto the track and limp around Talladega, eventually finishing 23rd. Still, he climbed one spot in the points standings to seventh and should be good at Richmond, where he had two top 10 finishes last season.
8 8
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It certainly appeared that Little E, driving a car decked out in the black paint scheme his father made famous, would be in the lead pack on the last lap at Talladega. But after leading much of the race, he blew an engine with 37 laps to go and wound up 31st. "We honored my father this weekend and I wish we could have had a better finish," Earnhardt said. "But the day's over with. It was a tough day, but oh well."
9 9
Kyle Busch
A lot of drivers were pointing fingers at Busch on Monday afternoon, saying he caused the big wreck early in the race. But replays of the accident showed that Busch, who doesn't have many friends in the garage, got nudged by Carl Edwards, which wound up triggering the wreck. Expect Busch, who finished 32nd, to rebound this weekend at Richmond, where last season he was the only driver to record two top-five finishes.
10 -
Carl Edwards
Edwards is slowly creeping back up the standings. After finishing eighth at Talladega, Edwards is now 15th in points. Edwards got off to such a slow start this season that his Chase hopes appeared dashed just three weeks ago when he was 22nd in the standings. Now he looks as though he'll be able to race his way into NASCAR's second season if he can keep his momentum going.
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