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Power Rankings: Tire issues don't leave many contenders flat - Sprint Cup, NASCAR Sports News
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Power Rankings: Tire issues don't leave many contenders flat

 

Updated July 28

As big as the debacle was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, the impact on Chase contenders was minimal, with just two -- Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth -- taking major hits, only one because of the tire issues that plagued the event.

Harvick was the first of the two to suffer misfortune at a track at which he had excelled over the years (he won from the pole in 2003 and had five top 10 finishes in seven starts).

A blown tire ruined Matt Kenseth's chances of victory Sunday at Indy. (Getty Images)  
A blown tire ruined Matt Kenseth's chances of victory Sunday at Indy. (Getty Images)  
But he never had much of a chance Sunday. On Lap 14, Kurt Busch lost control of his car and collected Harvick.

"I was just trying to hold position waiting for the competition yellow to fly when I got loose and just overcorrected into the 29 car," Busch said.

Harvick, who entered the race ninth in points, had to spend several laps in the pits for repairs. He finished the day 12 laps down in 37th and dropped out of the top 12 in the standings, two points behind his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer.

"My guys did a great job getting me back out there after the accident so early in the race," said Harvick, who was able to extend his streak of races without a DNF to 64. "I want to thank the fans for supporting us and the other cars and staying out here today to watch despite the situation that we had out there. We will just go on to Pocono. Hopefully we will be good and I think we will be fine for the Chase."

Kenseth, who had four top fives in his eight previous trips to Indianapolis, had high hopes of winning his first Brickyard after qualifying 10th and putting his car toward the top of the charts in practice. But his afternoon took a turn for the worse on Lap 46 when he became a victim of the blown tires everybody was so concerned about.

"It's a really, really, really disappointing situation," said Kenseth, who finished 38th and dropped three spots in the standings to 11th, just six points ahead of Harvick.

"This one of the two biggest races of the year, and to never have this tire here before and not come and do an open test and to work on these things and work on the tires, it's pretty darn disappointing. We had a great car today."

Power Rankings after Indianapolis:

POWER RANKINGS
CurrentDriverPrevious
1Tony Stewart1
It's only fitting that he won the race after hogging the lead most of the night.
2Jeff Gordon2
He was having issues with blistering tires before getting tangled up in the big mid-race wreck.
3Jimmie Johnson3
Earns his first top five and just his second top 10 in seven races at Daytona since winning the Daytona 500 in 2006.
4Kurt Busch4
Continues to knock on the door for a win at a restrictor-plate track. He has finished fourth or better in four of his past five trips to Daytona.
5Carl Edwards6
No doubt he was having flashbacks to Talladega. "It was a crazy, crazy finish," Edwards said. "I thought I wanted to be up there racing with those guys, then I saw that [Kyle Busch wrecking] and I was just fine with where I was at."
6Juan Pablo Montoya7
He now has eight top 10s on the season with five coming in the past seven races.
7Denny Hamlin11
He and Stewart were the class of the field. But with Stewart snagging the win, Hamlin had to settle for his third top-five finish in the past four races.
8Mark Martin5
Since picking up his third win of the year back at Michigan, Martin has followed with finishes of 35th, 14th and 38th.
9Ryan Newman8
He has hit a little bump in the road with four consecutive finishes of 17th or worse.
10Kyle Busch10
Wreck in the last lap left him with his fifth finish outside the top 10 in the past six races.
11Greg Biffle9
Never a factor at any point, spending just 14 laps in the top 15 all night.
12Kasey Kahne12
The sensational image of his collision with Kyle Busch notwithstanding, Kahne was able to leave Daytona with a 15th-place finish and move up one spot to 12th in the standings.
13David Reutimann13
After starting at the rear of the field because of an engine change, he had managed to work his way into the top 15 before being collected in the mid-race big one.
14Matt Kenseth14
Gets a much-needed top 10 after four consecutive finishes of 16th or worse had him tumbling down the standings.
15Clint Bowyer15
He had just joined the top 10 when he became a victim of the mid-race carnage.
 

 
 
 
 
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