NASCAR Power Rankings: Johnson Well on His Way to a 5th Straight Sprint Cup

Jimmie Johnson took home the Auto Club 500 trophy last Sunday, and is a +400 favorite in the NASCAR sportsbook to win the Shelby American at Las Vegas this weekend, proving that he is indeed the best race car driver in the world.

The 4 time Sprint Cup Champion remains atop my power rankings even though he is currently 12th in the Sprint Cup Standings. Hey, after two races, Jimmie already has a victory. That says a lot about how this season might go down.

Let’s get to the rankings!

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson +300 - - Is Jimmie worth a bet at 3 to 1? Considering the fact that 3 races into the Chase in 2009 his odds plummeted to -600, the answer has to be yes, Jimmie is worth a bet. He has already won a race and will go into Las Vegas with excellent numbers. Johnson is simply the best driver in the world. No question.

2. Tony Stewart +1000 - - Stewart keeps his position in the power rankings because even though he hasn’t won a race or finished in the Top 5 yet in 2010, he does have a Top 10 finish in only 2 races so far this season. Smoke is going to get consistent soon while a lot of the drivers in the Top 12 in the Sprint Cup Standings will start finishing 20th or worse. Keep Tony in mind as a bet to win the Sprint Cup.

3. Kevin Harvick +1200 - - Harvick has been out of this world so far in two Sprint Cup Races with a 7th place finish in the Daytona 500 and a 2nd place finish in the Auto Club 500. He also won the Budweiser Shoot. Harvick and his team are doing better this year than they have in a very long time.

4. Mark Martin +800 - - Martin is ranked 6th in the Sprint Cup Standings. That’s where he wants to be right now after two races. His 4th place finish in the Auto Club 500 came after a 12th place finish in the Daytona 500. It’s a sign that Mark might be able to prevent those 30 + finishes that plagued him in 2009 from happening in 2010.

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5. Greg Biffle +2000 - - Biff followed up his 3rd place finish in the Daytona 500 with a 10th place finish in the Auto Club 500. He hasn’t yet solidified himself as Roush-Fenway’s go to driver, but he could very well do so soon because Carl Edwards just hasn’t started out 2010 as hot as Biff has.

6. Jamie McMurray +5000 - - Maybe, McMurray doesn’t keep his hot streak going, but so far so good for Team McMurray. They won the Daytona 500 and then took the pole at the Auto Club 500. McMurry ended up finishing 17th in that race, but considering what he’s done so far in 2010, the 17th place finish wasn’t all that bad.

7. Kyle Busch +1000 - - Busch is on the cusp of getting into the Top 12 in the Sprint Cup Standings. He finished 14th in the Auto Club 500 and 14th in the Daytona 500. He hasn’t made a big splash so far in 2010 the way he did in 2008 and 2009 when he led NASCAR in Sprint Cup Series victories, but that’s actually a good sign for Kyle. It shows that he’s being more patient in 2010. That patience will pay off down the road.