Sorry Pepsi, but it looks like a Miller Lite. (ASP, Inc.)

1. Jimmie Johnson   Although a flat tire foiled Johnson’s hopes for a second straight victory, it’s pretty obvious who the best team on the circuit is these days. Last week: 1

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.   See: Johnson, Jimmie, then substitute “second best” for “best” and “transmission” for “flat tire.” The Pocono troubles won’t derail this bunch much, if at all. Last week: 2

3. Matt Kenseth   Said Kenseth of the final, fateful restart: “He (Johnson) just drove in incredibly far and spun out. Maybe he had a flat, but I am not so sure about that.” Not a happy camper. Last week: 3

4. Brad Keselowski  Played the off-cync pit strategy game for a second straight week. And for a second straight, came up short. But hey, when you have three wins, you’re free to give it a go. Last week: 6

5. Denny Hamlin   Was on his way to a third consecutive top-10 finish until Kenseth took a hard left directly in front of him. Was later released from the infield car center on Sunday after experiencing abdominal pain. Last week: 4

6. Tony Stewart  Drove from 28th to fifth at Pocono, which is no easy feat. Has advanced to sixth in the standings on the strength of four consecutive top 12s. Last week: 5

7. Jeff Gordon   When the circuit last visited Pocono in June, Gordon sat 22nd in points with zero wins and three top 10s. After its return trip, he sits 13th in points with a win and nine top 10s. Last week: 9

8. Greg Biffle   Lined up fourth for the final restart at Pocono which, in hindsight, wasn’t a good place to be. Although he was shuffled back to 15th, he now finds himself only six points out of the championship lead. Last week: 8
 

White is slimming. (ASP, Inc.)

9. Kasey Kahne  Things are tight in this area of the rankings, where Biffle, Kahne, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer have jockeyed back and forth. Kahne’s runner-up at Pocono was fortuitous, but he’ll take it. Last week: 7

10. Martin Truex Jr.  Truex’s third at Pocono was his best finish since a runner-up at Kansas in April. Using consistency over flash, he’s remained in the top 10, currently slotting in safely at fifth. Last week: 11

11. Clint Bowyer  Like Truex, Bowyer has held fast to his top-10 spot. Unlike Truex, he actually has a win (Sonoma). Last week: 10

12. Ryan Newman  Riding a streak that includes consecutive showings of fifth, 10th, seventh and sixth. Last week: 13

13. Kevin Harvick  Harvick better hope he has a Stewart-esque Chase run in him, cause it ain’t pretty right now. Last week: 14

14. Kyle Busch  The ability is there — as the Indy runner-up proved — but mechanical issues are killing this bunch. Last week: 12

15. Carl Edwards  Squeaks back into the top 15 after a decent seventh at Pocono. Now needs two wins in five races. Last week: Not ranked

Just off the lead pack: Marcos Ambrose, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Regan Smith

by Matt Taliaferro
Follow Matt on Tiwtter: @MattTaliaferro

"Hey, watch the hair, Chad!" (ASP, Inc.)

1. Jimmie Johnson (—)  Johnson has had two crashes in 2012, resulting in 42nd- and 36th-place finishes and one engine failure, leading to a 35th-place run. Otherwise, he’s been 12th or better every week.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (—)  Junior has been nearly as good as his Hendrick teammate through 20 races, with 17th- and 23rd-place runs the only blemishes outside of the top 15.

3. Matt Kenseth (—)  Even before a crash ended his day in Indy, Kenseth wasn’t having a banner performance. How will this team handle its driver’s lame duck status down the stretch?

4. Denny Hamlin (+1)  Hamlin is certainly back to his contender status, with two wins on the season and three finishes of sixth or better in the last four races (including a near-miss in Loudon).

5. Tony Stewart (-1)  Stewart somehow snuck into the top 10 by day’s end at Indy despite being a non-factor throughout the race. In fact, it was his worst showing (10th) at IMS since forming his own team — or a team being handed to him. Whatever.

6. Brad Keselowski (—)  Along with Hamlin, Keselowski seemed the only driver with anything for Johnson on Sunday. A slow pit stop doomed his chances and the three-time winner in 2012 settled for ninth.

7. Kasey Kahne (—)  Front-end damage to Kahne’s Chevy forced the team to play catch-up all day in Indy. A popular pre-race pick, Kasey persevered to a 12th-place showing.

8. Greg Biffle (—)  After a quiet three-race stretch where Biffle was all but invisible, he burst back onto the scene at the Brickyard with a confidence-building third-place finish. Keep an eye on him at Pocono.

9. Jeff Gordon (+1)  Time is running out for Gordon, who finds himself a distant 15th in the point standings with zero wins. Try as they might, the 24 team has been a fifth- to sixth-place car the last six weeks. Still, if he can cash in just once...

10. Clint Bowyer (-1)  Rebounded from what appeared to be some ugly sheet metal damage prior to the halfway mark at Indy to post a respectable 15th. It could’ve been worse.

They're not the King's cowboy boots or Marcis' wing tips, but hey, whatever works for ya, Carl. (ASP, Inc.)

11. Martin Truex Jr. (+1)  Indy was a typical run for Truex in 2012: Qualify in the mid-teens and finish about eighth.

12. Kyle Busch (+3)  Up to 11th in the standings and currently a wild-card qualifier after a runner-up at the Brickyard.

13. Ryan Newman (—)  Fifteen points behind Busch in the wild card standings with a single win. It can be done.

14. Kevin Harvick (-3)  Averaging an 11.7-place finish — which Harvick has thus far — won’t win him a title.

15. Mark Martin (Unranked)  Had he started every race this year, Martin would slot in around 13th or 14th in the point standings.

Just off the lead pack: Marcos Ambrose, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard

by Matt Taliaferro
Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattTaliaferro