Grading the top 12 after Indianapolis

Here's our weekly grading of the top 12 drivers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points standings. All race and performance references are from Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

1. Jeff Gordon, A; 3,076 points. Jeff Gordon finishes a "stealth" third. Then, after the race, he responds to the challenge of Tony Stewart's resurgence. Bring on the Chase.

2. Denny Hamlin, F; 2,705. Remember our rule after Team 11's fiasco in the pits at Michigan? Doesn't matter who is at fault -- 70 seconds is 70 seconds.

3. Matt Kenseth, A; 2,699. Classic Matt Kenseth, making something out of nothing: "We had probably a 25th-place car and finished 10th with it, so, somehow, we were able to steal some spots and finish it," Matt Kenseth said. "But we ran just terrible."

4. Jeff Burton, A; 2,633. Speaking of steady, Jeff Burton started seventh, was fifth after 80 laps, sixth with 16 laps to go and finished eighth. To make the afternoon more interesting, he had issues with Kyle Busch on a restart late in the race. What happened? "That is between me and Kyle," Jeff Burton said. OK.

5. Tony Stewart, A; 2,599. Any fan who isn't listening to a scanner channel during a race is missing out big-time. Tony Stewart's "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" as he reeled in Kevin Harvick is an instant classic. Oh, and Tony Stewart won his second Cup race in a row.

6. Carl Edwards, C; 2,582. In honor of Edwards' ability to slip in his sponsor so seamlessly, I will declare that the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion just didn't have it. Or, as Carl said, "It wouldn't go all day." He finished 18th. Bring on Pocono.

7. Kevin Harvick, A; 2,488. Kevin Harvick finished seventh but will be remembered for his duel in the closing laps with Tony Stewart. The damage his car sustained when he and Tony Stewart made contact running side-by-side cost Kevin Harvick a higher finish. It also left him angry. But it doesn't diminish his great run Sunday.

8. Kyle Busch, A; 2,479. Nice job by Kyle Busch. He made amends with his teammates on Saturday and went out Sunday and finished a strong fourth, leading 17 laps. That's two top fives in the past three Cup races. His average finish in the past seven Cup races is 7.4.

9. Jimmie Johnson, F; 2,469. The bad news: Johnson posted a DNF. The good news: He was able to escape his flaming car. Johnson was caught up in a wreck on Lap 46, and despite extended time in the pits, his crew was unable to get the fender all the way off the front left tire. The tire disintegrated on Lap 61, Johnson hit the wall and the car caught fire. No one is falling faster in the top 12 than Johnson.

10. Clint Bowyer, B; 2,405. Bowyer was all over the place Sunday, after being forced to start 43rd because of an engine change. He drove well, but two incidents on the Brickyard's narrow pit road (Denny Hamlin during the second caution; Kurt Busch on the seventh) were costly as was an extended stop on Lap 127. The entire day was a battle for track position. The 13th-place finish was hard-earned.

11. Martin Truex Jr., B; 2,335. Truex had to overcome a lot Sunday, including two pit-road penalties. He also was caught up in the Lap 46 wreck. Just like Bowyer, Truex, who started 33rd, was all over the place, and when the day was over, he finished right next to Bowyer in 12th. Small world.

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr., F; 2,217. The only reason Junior is still in the top 12 is because Ryan Newman went out even earlier than he did. But now Kurt Busch is on Junior's tail. One more repeat of the past three weeks, and we won't be talking about Junior next week. Sunday's kerplunk: Blown engine. On the bright side, at least he led 33 laps. But did that lead to the engine's demise?

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