2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Drivers Power Rankings – Top 20 Drivers Poll and Ratings(Updated May 10th): After an upset win by Regan Smith at Darlington in the historic Southern 500, surprise winners and feuding drivers appear to be the theme of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. With the All-Star Race just a few weeks away and the action on the track getting more intense by the week, it’s time to roll out another batch of Power Rankings.
1 Carl Edwards (6.64): Plain and simple, Edwards has been the by far the most consistent driver in 2011. He leads all drivers with eight top-10s, six top-five finishes, and a 7.3 average finish. There is a reason he continues to open up a big lead in the standings.
2. Kyle Busch (6.77): If Edwards has been the most consistent driver, Busch has been the most dominant. He is tied for the series lead in wins with two, and he continues to own the top driver rating. Busch has led more than 700 laps this season, and no other driver has yet to crack the 300 mark. He could easily end up leading the series in win this season.
3. Jimmie Johnson (8.03): He hasn’t found his stride quite yet, but Johnson’s six top-10s and 9.4 average finish are both second in the series. The five-time champ is only going to get better as the season progresses, and the fact that he has remained a top-three driver while struggling a bit should scare everyone else in the series.
4. Ryan Newman (8.24): It is time to recognize that Newman is having an outstanding season. Not only has he been consistently running in the top-10, but he is finally starting to produce top-five finishes on a regular basis. His four top-five efforts this season already tie his total from all of last season. Expect a win or two before the year ends.
5. Clint Bowyer (8.46): Bowyer is a star in the making, and he is realizing his full potential through the first 10 races of the 2011 season. He has been one of the most consistent and clutch drivers since joining the Cup Series, and it is only a matter of time before he takes the next step. Bowyer is a title contender this year.
6. Tony Stewart (9.65): “Smoke” has settled into a good but not great mode for the time being, but for a notoriously slow starter, he is actually ahead of the game. When the temperatures rise and the tracks get slippery, Stewart always seems to jump to that elite level. When June rolls around, bettors need to jump on the Stewart bandwagon.
7. Kurt Busch (10.70): After nearly winning the season opener at Daytona, it has been all downhill for the No. 22 bunch. Busch continues to struggle with the handling of his cars, and the team chemistry has started to suffer. He is done a solid job of damage control this far, but his value is headed in the wrong direction as far as bettors are concerned.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10.88): Consistency has been the key to Junior’s revival in 2011, and his 11.3 average finish ranks third in the series. He still needs to find a way to record more top-five finishes before he can be declared all the way back, but bettors no longer have to view Junior as a complete waste of money each week.
9. Denny Hamlin (12.32): No one can argue that Hamlin is anywhere close to his 2010 form right now, but he is starting to hit his stride. Hamlin’s last two starts have yielded a second-place run at Richmond and a sixth-place effort at Darlington. He has been a disappointment thus far, but Hamlin has plenty of chances left to endear himself to bettors.
10.Matt Kenseth (12.98): It has been a typical year for Kenseth. He is averaging a top-15 finish, and he has been strong at 1.5-mile and 2.0-mile tracks. Kenseth’s win at Texas was an added bonus, and there are several similar tracks on the schedule where he could return to Victory Lane.
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11. Kevin Harvick (13.06): His 12.5 average finish ranks fifth in the series, and he is tied for the series lead with two wins. However, Harvick is a rare statistical outlier when it comes to quantifying driver production. He qualifies in the back, doesn’t run up front all that often, and he rarely leads laps, but he always seems to be in the mix when it counts.
12. Jeff Gordon (13.68): Consistency has been the biggest issue for the No. 24 team in 2011. Gordon won at Phoenix and has three total top-five finishes, but he doesn’t have a single additional top-10 effort. He could easily provide bettors with another win or two this year, but Gordon is going to have trouble contending for the title with these hit or miss performances.
13. Kasey Kahne (14.29): It is safe to say that Kahne is getting comfortable at Red Bull Racing. He has five top-10 finishes through 10 races in 2011, and he has qualified and finished in the top-five in each of his last two starts. If Kahne continues to improve at this rate, his one-and-done year in the No. 4 car could end with a playoff appearance and a couple of wins.
14. Juan Pablo Montoya (15.00): The hot-headed Montoya that drives bettors crazy has resurfaced recently. Despite having fast cars seemingly every week, Montoya has decided to spend his time wrecking the likes of Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson. If he can get his emotions under control, he can be a star. However, his maturation process has stagnated a bit.
15. Greg Biffle (15.13): His slow start is in the past, and Biffle is looking more and more like a driver bettors will want to start backing. He has finished in the top-15 in six of his last seven starts this year, and he has three top-10 finishes in his last four starts. There are plenty of intermediate ovals left on the schedule, and Biffle should finish with his typical two or three wins.
16. Paul Menard (15.56): After firing on all cylinders to open the year, Menard has begun to come back to earth. He has just one top-10 finish in his last six starts and just two top-15 finishes during the stretch. Menard will have some good runs throughout the year, but he just isn’t a consistent threat yet.
17. A.J. Allmendinger (15.58): Although he has just two top-10 finishes and not a single top-five finish, Allmendinger has reason to be optimistic. He is averaging a top-15 finish in 2011, and he has just one finish outside the top-20. The consistency will eventually lead to some breakout performances, and Allmendinger is going to make bettors some money down the road.
18. Martin Truex Jr. (16.40): He grabbed his second top-10 finish of the season at Darlington, but Truex Jr. has struggled to make a consistent impact. His 20.2 average finish tells the tale, and he is still looking for his first top-five finish of 2011.
19. Mark Martin (18.23): It is sad to see Martin struggling at this point in his career. He teased bettors with a five-win campaign in 2009, but he went winless last year and has yet to record a top-five finish this season. Martin is still good for a top-15 run more often than not, but bettors shouldn’t expect to see him in Victory Lane.
20. Jamie McMurray (19.44): He is having trouble living up to the expectations that come from a breakout season. McMurray won three times in 2010, but he has yet to finish in the top-five in 2011. History says that he will have a handful of elite runs during the course of the year, but he doesn’t appear to have what it takes to become a star.