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NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings

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NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings

NASCAR Power Rankings Kenseth win
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Matt Kenseth jumped up a full four spots with a big win in Bristol late Sunday night while chaos gobbled up a lot of big contenders.

10. Jamie McMurray

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jamie McMurray
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10. Jamie McMurray

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jamie McMurray
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Jamie McMurray makes his way into the countdown for the first time on the strength of a 14th-place finish at Bristol on Sunday. He was probably better than that, but just surviving on Sunday was an accomplishment. McMurray has a pair of top fives and five top-10s in 24 career races at Richmond.

9. Denny Hamlin

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Denny Hamlin
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9. Denny Hamlin

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Denny Hamlin
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It was quite the weird week for Denny Hamlin, who was replaced by Erik Jones after the first lengthy rain delay. Jones did admirably, bringing the No. 11 home in 26th but Hamlin will be back this week after a minor neck injury kept him out last week. That's good news for the Virginia-native who has a pair of wins at Richmond to go with seven top-fives and nine top-10s in 17 races there.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Dale Eanhardt Jr.'s 18th-place finish at Bristol was also a bit lackluster but like McMurray, he at least saw the end of the race. Junior earned top-five finishes in each of the first three races of the season but has just two top-10s in the five races since. A trip to Richmond could be the right medicine though as Junior has a trio of wins with nine top-fives and 13 top-10s in 31 races at the 3/4-mile track.

7. Jeff Gordon

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jeff Gordon
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7. Jeff Gordon

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jeff Gordon
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Jeff Gordon's steady ascent up the power rankings continues this week as he's up another spot with an impressive third-place finish at Bristol on Sunday. Gordon is hot, with a string of five-straight top-10s and now finally, a top five. Could Richmond be where Gordon finally breaks through? He has a pair of wins to go with 18 top-fives and a whopping 28 top-10s in 44 races there.

6. Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Matt Kenseth
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6. Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Matt Kenseth
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Up to sixth from 10th this week after another win at Bristol, Matt Kenseth continued to prove that Joe Gibbs Racing has perhaps the best short-track program in the sport right now. Best of all, Kenseth punched his ticket into the Chase, meaning he and the No. 20 team can focus on improving elsewhere. Kenseth won at Richmond way back in 2002 and five top-fives and 13 top-10s in 30 tries.

5. Brad Keselowski

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Brad Keselowski
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5. Brad Keselowski

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings
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It's tough to read too much into the crash between Keselowski and teammate Joey Logano at Bristol on Sunday, which happened just a few laps into the marathon race. Was the track still wet? Maybe. But rest assured Keselowski and Logano each had speed on Sunday. Keselowski won the last race at Richmond in the fall of last season and has a pair of top fives and four top-10s in 11 races there.

4. Martin Truex Jr.

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Martin Truex Jr.
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4. Martin Truex Jr.

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Martin Truex Jr.
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Martin Truex Jr. finally had his season-long top-10 streak broken after running into some trouble at Bristol on Sunday, but he was far from the only one. Truex is still seventh in points and has shown major speed at Richmond all week in practice. As usual, his past numbers aren't great with just one top five and four top-10s in 18 races at Richmond.

3. Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jimmie Johnson
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3. Jimmie Johnson

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Jimmie Johnson
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A second-place finish at Bristol was a big finish for Jimmie Johnson who has shown most of his speed at 1.5-mile tracks so far this season. Johnson figures to be one of, if not the biggest threat to defending champion Kevin Harvick and he will need more consistency to get it done. Sunday was a good start. Johnson has three wins at Richmond but just five top fives and nine top 10s in 26 races.

2. Joey Logano

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Joey Logano
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2. Joey Logano

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Joey Logano
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See Brad Keselowski. Joey Logano was a tough-luck victim to Keselowski's early spin and never even got a chance to get going on Sunday. It was a rare hiccup in an otherwise great year so far for Logano. He won this race last year and has three top fives and four top-10s in 12 races at Richmond.

1. Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Kevin Harvick
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1. Kevin Harvick

NASCAR Week 9 Power Rankings Kevin Harvick
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You know it was a chaotic race when even Kevin Harvick got swept up in a wreck. Of course before that crash, Harvick was the dominant car, leading a race-high 184 laps. He's hardly a slouch at Richmond, with three wins, eight top fives and 17 top-10s in 28 races there. The view from here is that if Harvick doesn't bounce back in a big way it would be extremely surprising.

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