It should have been no surprise to anybody when Jimmie Johnson picked up the win at Dover last week. After all, the driver of the No. 48 car had dominated at that track over the years and he was even more motivated to bounce back following an embarrassing finish in Charlotte.
The drivers will now head to Pocono Raceway this weekend for the Axalta presents the Pocono 400 before moving on to the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway next week and wrapping up the month of June with the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
Johnson remains atop the NASCAR top five power rankings again this week with the Monster Energy Cup Series headed to Pocono for the Pocono 400 this Sunday. Here is a look at the NASCAR top five power rankings for this week.
1. Jimmie Johnson
Last Week: 1
NASCAR Champion Odds: +600
One week after running out of fuel over the final couple of laps and blowing his chance at victory in Charlotte, Johnson absolutely dominated with his 11th-career win at Dover. Johnson now has three wins and five top-10 results so far this season and there is a good chance he stays hot in Pocono this weekend. He has three-career wins at Pocono and is the laps-led leader at this track. Johnson’s 27 lead-lap finishes at Pocono are second only to his 28 at Martinsville. Look for Johnson to be at his best on Sunday and move one step closer to another potential Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title.
2. Kevin Harvick
Last Week: 2
NASCAR Champion Odds: +700
Harvick posted his eighth top-10 finish in 13 starts this season at Dover last week. Consistency has been the key to his overall success so far this season but he is still looking for his first win. It likely won’t happen this week as Dover is one of just four tracks where Harvick has never won before. Another top-10 finish isn’t out of the question this week at Dover but eventually Harvick is going to need to start winning if he wants to win a title.
3. Kyle Busch
Last Week: 3
NASCAR Champion Odds: +700
Busch is in a similar position to Harvick this week in that he hasn’t figured out how to win at Pocono. Busch has no wins there and his average finish is just 18.5. Busch is also still looking for his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points win. He did win $1 million for placing first in the All-Star Race at Charlotte but that win won’t count towards winning a title. He has come close with runner-up finishes at Martinsville and Charlotte so maybe Busch is close to breaking thorugh.
4. Brad Keselowski
Last Week: 4
NASCAR Champion Odds: +700
Keselowski is coming off a pair of awful performances at Las Vegas and Charlotte in which he placed outside of the top-30. That said, he is eventually going to start getting some good breaks and it won’t be a surprise if it happens soon. Keselowski already has a pair of wins to his name this season and he has finished in the top-10 in nine of his 13 starts. The driver of the No. 2 Ford should bounce back with a better effort at Dover this weekend.
5. Martin Truex Jr.
Last Week: 5
NASCAR Champion Odds: +700
Truex continued his outstanding season at Dover where he placed third after leading 102 laps and winning a pair of stages. Truex has recorded nine top-10 results in 13 starts this season including a pair of wins. He could be in line to contend for the victory again this weekend at Dover, where he won back in 2015. There is no doubt that Truex has been the most dominant driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this season and it will be interesting to see if he can move one step closer to a championship title with a strong performance this week at the Tricky Triangle.
Updated NASCAR Standings
Martin Truex Jr. #78 – Toyota 545
Kyle Larson #42 – Chevrolet 536
Kevin Harvick #4 – Ford 429
Kyle Busch #18 – Toyota 416
Jamie McMurray #1 – Chevrolet 415
Jimmie Johnson #48 – Chevrolet 414
Brad Keselowski #2 – Ford 410
Chase Elliott #24 – Chevrolet 398
Denny Hamlin #11 – Toyota 361
Clint Bowyer #14 – Ford 349
Click here to get all of the latest NASCAR betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each NASCAR and NASCAR Xfinity tournament!
