ONMC POWER 10: Clock is Ticking Toward Miami

By Ron Lemasters Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. always wanted a grandfather clock of his own from Martinsville, since his dad had a warehouse full of them. He got it Sunday, and immediately, it started ticking down on the eight drivers left in the Chase.

Junior won the race over Jeff Gordon, which makes Gordon happy even though his ticket remains unpunched for Homestead. For Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick, however, they're wearing Cinderella slippers from here to the checkered flag at Phoenix.

The blue-ribbon ONMC Power 10 panel (me) has its work cut out for it this week, to be sure.

How it works is simple: we tell you who the 10 best drivers are after each race this season, and you can agree, disagree or improve on them by commenting on the article itself. Remember, this is a family ranking, so keep that in mind.

Sound good?

Let's go to the rankings.

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly. Freed of Chase constraints, Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte swung for the fences and hit a home run. Last week: not ranked

2. Jeff Gordon: The acknowledged Duke of Martinsville--some other guy's the King--nearly ran Junior down in the closing laps, but came up just short. He'll take it. Last week: 4

3. Ryan Newman: It's almost like he's planned this from the beginning, becoming the first driver to win the Chase without a victory to his name. He's got a shot, believe me. Last week: 3

4. Matt Kenseth: Though he stuck his Toyota into a hornet's nest by wheel-hopping and ruining KEvin Harvick's day, Matty Ice is following the Newman Plan to perfection. He's got a shot too. Last week: 4

5. Joey Logano: Not a Martinsville master, JoLo still managed a solid day and improved his chances to advance. Texas is coming, Last week: 5

6. Denny Hamlin: A Martinsville magician at times, Hamlin was up to his old tricks again Sunday. Fell short, but he's in a good points spot and runs well at Texas. Last week: 7

7. Carl Edwards: Never a big Martinsville guy, Edwards didn't have a great day. He's 20 points out with two to play. Needs to win at Texas. Last week: 8

8. Brad Keselowski: Apparently, he likes this Hail Mary stuff. Finished 31st with a broken rear differential, buried 31 points back. What, him worry? Last week: 1

9. Kevin Harvick: Got wheel-hopped by Kenseth and battered the Outback Steakhouse car into a chopped steak. Vowed that Kenseth wouldn't win the title, but later qualified that. What did you expect? Last week: 6

10. Tony Stewart: Martinsville is one of his best tracks, and he went for broke on the final caution and nearly made it stand up. Finished fourth, and that's great to see for Three-Time. Last week: not ranked

Dropped out: Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill

Close But No Cigar: 

Kyle Busch and AJ Allmendinger had good runs at Martinsville, as did Kurt Busch until an oil line fitting scraped off and fired him up.