Final Sporting News Power Poll

Final Sporting News Power Poll


By the Sporting News NASCAR Service

Not surprisingly, Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is atop the season’s final Sporting News Power Poll. Johnson won his fifth straight championship Sunday with a second-place finish at Homestead. Johnson closed out the season with nine straight top 10s, including a win and seven top fives. Carl Edwards, who won the final two races of the season, is second. The weekly poll is a collaboration of Sporting News and Rowdy.com.

1. Jimmie Johnson (Last week: 1st) When do we start asking ourselves if Jimmie can win 100 Cup races? After all, who thought anyone could win five titles in a row.
2. Carl Edwards (4th) With wins in the final two Cup races, Edwards didn’t have to leave Johnson a note to announce that he’s a rival for the title in 2011.
3. Kevin Harvick (3rd) Major props for finishing eighth or better in nine Chase races. That backed up what he did all year, and it capped a remarkable RCR turnaround.
4. Denny Hamlin (2nd) His car was never the same after his spin. It’s a reminder of the importance of qualifying. But kudos for pushing Johnson harder than he’d ever been pushed.
5. Matt Kenseth (7th) The good news: Kenseth finished an uneven season with three straight top 10s. The bad news: He went winless for the third time in his career.
6. Greg Biffle (8th) Biffle ended the season with his 19th top 10, the second most in his eight full seasons.
7. Clint Bowyer (10th) Bowyer will be remembered most for two Chase wins, even if the first one cost him a shot at the title.
8. Mark Martin (6th) 2009: 5 wins, 14 top 5s, 21 top 10s, 7 poles. 2010: 0 wins, 7 top 5s, 11 top 10s and 1 pole. The speed just wasn’t there this season.
9. Tony Stewart (15th) Stewart ended the season with a top 10, but his sophomore season as a car owner was a disappointment.
10. Ryan Newman (14th) For only the second time in his career the Rocketman failed to record multiple poles in a season. His lone P1 came in the May Charlotte race.
11. AJ Allmendinger (23rd) Ended the season with a top five at Homestead. Just his third in a 116-race career.
12. Joey Logano (5th) Logano’s 39th-place finish was a disappointment but not the five straight top 10s that preceded it. He’s one to watch for 2011.
13. Jamie McMurray (12th) Despite missing the Chase, McMurray had a 2010 to remember with wins in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.
14. Kasey Kahne (NR) Kahne finishes 2010 with a pole, a top 10 and a couple of new knees.
15. Kyle Busch (9th) Busch has plenty of talent but is in need of more good will if he’s ever going to win a Cup title: He was wrecked intentionally at least twice in the 10-race Chase.
16. Martin Truex Jr. (19th) Even though it was ultimately thwarted by a blown tire, a super-strong run at Homestead will give Truex some hope for a strong 2011.
17. Kurt Busch (18th) Busch was running at the finish in 34 of 36 races this year. That is a career best.
18. Jeff Gordon (11th) Gordon lent Johnson his crew for the last few Chase races. Why? Because Gordon was out of the running. He’ll need a stronger effort in 2011.
19. Paul Menard (20th) Menard overperformed for Richard Petty Motorsports this year. The expectations will be very different at Richard Childress Racing in 2011.
20. David Ragan (17th) Ragan had a strong close to the season because of a Roush Fenway resurgence coupled with the good chemistry he discovered with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.
21. Jeff Burton (22nd) Teammate Bowyer even spotted him 150 points in the Chase, and Burton still couldn’t finish out of the basement. Tragic end to what was a strong season.
22. David Reutimann (16th) Reutimann wrapped things up on a pretty sour note with a 38th-place finish, his second worst of the season.
23. Juan Pablo Montoya (13th) Montoya fell from an eighth-place finish in the 2009 standings to 17th in 2010.
24. Aric Almirola (NR) Almirola capped a memorable year Sunday with his first Cup top five. He was runner-up in points in the truck series with two wins.
25. Regan Smith (24th) Smith closed out the season without a top 10, but he showed some strength in the Chase, twice tying a career best with 12th-place finishes.