Road warriors flex Power Rankings

With just five races remaining before the Chase for the Nextel Cup, it's the road warriors among the tour regulars that will solidify their position in the standings at Watkins Glen.

The most well-rounded racers that have embraced road-course competition and worked it into their repertoire, because the NASCAR championship favors consistency on all types of race tracks.

Eds. note: Lee Spencer's weekly Power Rankings column is meant to be a snapshot look at the current trends in NASCAR, taking into account the previous week's race and the upcoming event.

1. Jeff Gordon: Scored an incredible 15th top-five for the season at Pocono. Strong record at the Glen, where Jeff Gordon has four career wins but has only scored two top-15s in his last five starts. Only Tony Stewart beats his average starting position of 7.4.

2. Denny Hamlin: Bad brakes limited Denny Hamlin to a third-place finish at Pocono. Prefers the Glen over Sonoma, where he started and finished 10th in his rookie start. Still, the sophomore sensation has never finished worse than 12th on either course.

3. Jimmie Johnson: J.J.'s first top-five in the last four races enabled him to swap positions with Kevin Harvick in the standings. While he has an average starting position of eighth at the Glen, Johnson's finishes are a lot less consistent.

4. Tony Stewart: Gained 18 positions from where he started at Pocono, but like the four cars in front of him no one had anything from victor Kurt Busch. Best qualifier and scored three wins in the last five races at the Glen.

5. Kurt Busch: Ended 51-race winless streak and regained a position in the Chase zone for the first time since he was docked 100 points at Dover. Great Glen qualifier (9.7) but has a hard time closing the deal.

6. Clint Bowyer: Despite consecutive engine change, scored top-10 and extended his points lead by 115 over Truex. Bowyer finished 14th as a rookie at the Glen. Marked improvement at Sonoma from 16th as a rookie to fourth in June.

7. Kyle Busch: Led two laps but wasn't strong enough to spark on-track sibling rivalry. The Shrub has showed continued improvement on road courses. Scored top-10s at Sonoma and the Glen in his last starts.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Second place felt like a win to the current Bud man, but it wasn't enough to maintain a Chase spot. Digs the road courses. Junior has scored two top-fives and three top-10s in his last four Glen starts.

9. Matt Kenseth: Led a lap at Pocono, but the Blue Ovals had nothing for the top Dodges and Chevys. Matt Kenseth has not benefited from a top road course program. He's scored just one top-five and three top-10s in seven Glen appearances.

10. Kevin Harvick: Not a factor at Pocono, but momentum from Montreal win will carry over to Watkins Glen where Happy is the defending champ. Credited Robby Gordon with improving Childress' road course program. Finished 2nd at Sonoma.

11. Jeff Burton: Finished 11th, but Smoke should pass him for fourth in the standings after the Glen. Jeff Burton is consistent, but missing the spark he had earlier this season. Has two top-fives and three top-10s in 13 Glen starts.

12. Ryan Newman: Consistent seventh-place finish at Pocono but didn't gain on the drivers standing between him and the Chase. Newman has an average start of 7.6 at the Glen. His best finish was second at his track debut in 2002.

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