NASCAR Recap and Power Poll - Brad Keselowski takes Talladega

The Aaron’s 499, run at Talladega Super Speedway this past Sunday, ended with one of the biggest surprises in possibly NASCAR history. 

The winner of the Aaron’s 499 wasn’t Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards or Kyle Busch.  It was Brad Keselowski.  Keselowski, who was easily one of the longest shots in the BetUS online sportsbook, if odds were offered on him at all, found a way to hang on while the rest of his competitors couldn’t stay away from the wall at Talladega or each other.

In other words, Keselowski won because he didn’t crash.  Right place at the right time for Keselowski who still isn’t ranked in the NASCAR Power Rankings.

Let’s take a look at the rankings.

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Jeff Gordon - - Gordon deserves a wager to win the Sprint Cup at odds of +500 or higher in the sportsbook.  He had no chance at Talladega when crashing with Matt Kenseth early on in the race, but that doesn’t drop the Sprint Cup points leader from the top spot in the Power Rankings.  No big time driver did well at Talladega this past Sunday.  Gordon is still the best.

2. Jimmie Johnson - - Johnson is in second place in the Sprint Cup point standings.  Jimmie finished 30th at Talladega and no doubt underperformed, but he’s still worth a wager in the sportsbook at odds of +500 or higher.  Like Gordon, Johnson will begin to turn it on the sooner we get to the actual Chase.

3. Tony Stewart - - Smoke had been turning it on lately, finishing in the top five, before his 23rd finish in the Aaron’s 499.  He’s 4th in the Sprint Cup standings and no doubt will bounce back next week.   All of the talk about Stewart having trouble because he changed teams, he used to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, should be put to bed at this point in the NASCAR season.  At odds of +800 in the sportsbook the last time I looked, Stewart is a definite play to win the Sprint Cup.

4. Kyle Busch - - Busch is still a favorite to win his first Sprint Cup because he has won two races this season.  He looked to be on his way to winning at Talladega for the second straight time when he spun out towards the end of the race and ended up finishing 25th.  Busch’s odds might float up after his lackluster finishes in his last four races.

5. Kurt Busch - - Kyle’s older brother is definitely a guy to watch.  His odds are decent in the sportsbook, he’s 3rd in the Sprint Cup point standings, and he finished 6th at Talladega.

6. Denny Hamlin - - Hamlin is still a long shot to win his first Sprint Cup but he’s been outperforming his driving mate, Kyle Busch, lately.  Hamlin finished 21st at Talladega but he’s ranked 5th in the Sprint Cup Chase standings.  Like everybody else, Denny’s going to have to forget all about this past Sunday.

7. Clint Bowyer - - Bowyer had a terrible Aaron’s 499 finishing 39th.  That shouldn’t take away from the fact that he’s ranked 6th in the Sprint Cup standings and has been driving rather well overall this year.

8. Jeff Burton - - Burton had a much better time at Talladega than most of the others in the power rankings by finishing 10th in the Aaron’s 499.  It might move him up some in the Sprint Cup Chase which is a good thing because at huge odds Burton has a shot to win the championship.

9. Carl Edwards - - Edwards is still one of the favorites to win the Sprint Cup Championship this year but like most races this season, Edwards hasn’t done all that well.  He is yet to win a race and has had trouble breaking into the top ten.  At Talladega, Edwards finished 24th.  He’ll need to start stepping it up or at least maintain some consistency in order to make the Chase. 

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - - Jr. is ranked 19th in the Sprint Cup standings right now, but his second place finish at Talladega could be a sign of things to come.  If Earnhardt Jr. can start to turn his form around by winning a race or two before the Cup Chase begins, then he might have an outside shot at the championship.