AFTER TALLADEGA RANKINGS

Gordon, Johnson lead rankings
heading into Charlotte

Monday, Oct. 08, 2007

• Slideshow | Sunday's action from Talladega
• Driver standings | Full list, first through 67th
• Race results | Unofficial scoring from Talladega

That's Racin's David Poole ranks the top 40 teams in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series following the UAW Ford 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

(Rankings based on team performance and potential. Each team's previous week's ranking in parentheses:)

1. (2) Jeff Gordon – car No. 24

Points leader now goes to Charlotte where his average finish in past five races is 34th.

2. (1) Jimmie Johnson – car No. 48

It's tough sledding when you finish second in the race and it costs you the points lead.

3. (3) Clint Bowyer – car No. 07

Escaped RCR/DEI engine maladies at Talladega and hung in for an 11th-place finish.

4. (4) Tony Stewart – car No. 20

Poster child for what could have been after what happened at Kansas and Talladega.

5. (5) Carl Edwards – car No. 99

Said he got “snookered” late in the Talladega race. Snookered is better than wrecked.

6. (6) Kyle Busch – car No. 5

Twice in two weeks he has been KO'd by wrecks that were just plain not his fault.

7. (9) Kurt Busch – car No. 2

He and teammate Ryan Newman played well together for top-10 Talladega finishes.

8. (8) Kevin Harvick – car No. 29

Limped home on the lead lap and could only manage a 20th-place finish at Talladega.

9. (11) Denny Hamlin – car No. 11

Led the most laps at Talladega and got it home in one piece with a fourth-place finish.

10. (7) Martin Truex Jr. – car No. 1

Blown engine at Talladega has team's title dreams teetering on brink of extinction.

11. (10) Matt Kenseth – car No. 17

Simply put, there just isn't much that has gone right for this team in the Chase so far.

12. (14) Casey Mears – car No. 25

Four top-10s in four Chase races for what will be Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team next year.

13. (12) Jeff Burton – car No. 31

14. (13) Greg Biffle – car No. 16

15. (15) Dale Earnhardt Jr. – car No. 8

16. (19) Ryan Newman – car No. 12

17. (18) Reed Sorenson – car No. 41

18. (17) Kasey Kahne – car No. 9

19. (16) Aric Almirola/Mark Martin – car No. 01

20. (21) Juan Pablo Montoya – car No. 42

21. (20) Jamie McMurray – car No. 26

22. (25) J.J. Yeley – car No. 18

23. (22) Robby Gordon – car No. 7

24. (23) David Ragan – car No. 6

25. (24) Bobby Labonte – car No. 43

26. (27) Tony Raines – car No. 96

27. (28) Jeff Green – car No. 66

28. (26) Elliott Sadler – car No. 19

29. (31) Dave Blaney – car No. 22

30. (29) David Stremme – car No. 40

31. (33) David Reutimann – car No. 00

32. (30) David Gilliland – car No. 38

33. (32) Mike Wallace/Ricky Rudd – car No. 88

34. (37) Johnny Sauter – car No. 70

35. (36) Ken Schrader – car No. 21

36. (38) Brian Vickers – car No. 83

37. (34) Paul Menard – car No. 15

38. (39) Kyle Petty – car No. 45

39. (40) Michael Waltrip – car No. 55

40. (35) Scott Riggs – car No. 10

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