Fanhouse Power Rankings: It's Bristol, Baby!

Racing under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway is always exciting, but having missed the last two races, I'm especially looking forward to Saturday night. A new track surface promises side-by-side racing and unpredictability in this high-stakes race on the road to the Chase.

1. Denny Hamlin - Pressure's off, desire to drive the wheels off still on.

2. Kurt Busch - Junior Nation really needs Busch to hit a points wall over the next three races to help our driver out. That's probably not going to happen in Thunder Valley, where Busch is tied with Jeff Gordon for most wins by a current driver (5).

3. Matt Kenseth - He ranks first at Bristol Motor Speedway in Driver Rating, Average Running Position, Fastest Laps Run, Green Flag Speed and Laps in the Top 15. Twice in the last four races here, he's been the first to cross the finish line.

4. Tony Stewart - He led the most laps here in March but couldn't find victory lane. He's getting better directions these days.

5. Jeff Gordon - "We really don't care where we finish, unless it's first. I'd rather be ahead by 10 or 20 points than tied."

6. Kyle Busch - His only win this season came here in March. A repeat would greatly improve his seed position for the Chase.
7. Kevin Harvick - An RCR victory would break the three-way owner tie for most wins between Childress, Jack Roush and Roger Penske..
8. Jeff Burton - Calling all sponsors. Eh ... better not use an AT&T phone.
Long Shot. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Been there, done that. But not lately: "It was only a few years back (2004) when we were struggling after I got burnt (in a sports car crash), and we came in here and won the Busch and the Cup races that weekend. That was a great boost for the whole team, and it meant a lot to me personally to win at Bristol. Maybe we can do it again Saturday night."

Maybe? I would've rather heard a "Hell yeah we can do it again!"