Horsepower Rankings: California

1. Carl Edwards Cousin Carl has four straight top 10s and finishes of first and second in the last two weeks. He’s also up to fourth in the point standings, leading the Roush contingent. 

2. Kurt Busch  Another comer, Busch hasn’t finished worse than 11th since the July Daytona race. In that time, the team has notched two wins and moved from 15th to 11th in points.

3. Kyle Busch  The third-place run at California — where he looked dominant at times — was his 12th-straight top-15 run.

4. Matt Kenseth  His top-15 streak broken at Bristol last weekend, Kenseth began anew at California with a solid seventh-place showing.

5. Tony Stewart  Tony and Zippy went for broke at Cali and busted out. Props for going for the win... and hey, a 13th-place finish is nothing to hang your head about.

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Junior is driving his heart out every lap. In the last six races he has four top-12s (three of those top 5s) and two blown engines.

7. Martin Truex Jr.  He isn’t giving his teammate any Chase help: Truex has finished 11th or better in four consecutive races.

8. Jimmie Johnson  The field doesn’t want to see this: J.J. and Team Lowe’s take checkers in SoCal. If they heat up heading into the Chase they could be very dangerous.

9. Bobby Labonte  Three starts with new crew chief Doug Randolph, three runs of 11th or better. It seems the 43 gets hotter as the year goes on.

10. Casey Mears  Mears has three top-15 runs in the last four races. Maybe the new digs will help his cause next season.

11. Kasey Kahne  Evernham seems to have finally found something: Kahne has consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time all season.

12. Jeff Burton  First in the California Busch race, fourth in the Cup show. Not a bad weekend for the Cingular...uh...AT&T...uh...No. 31 Richard Childress Chevy.

13. Denny Hamlin  Not a stellar two weeks for the FedEx bunch, but they’re third in the point standings and closing in on a contract extension for the driver.

14. Jeff Gordon  It’s been four races since Gordon’s last lap spin at Watkins Glen. Since, he has failed to record a top 15. Still, this bunch is capable of putting up a win at any point.

15. Brian Vickers  Two eighth-place runs in the last three weeks for this Red Bull team. Problem is, they failed to qualify at Bristol. They are making strides regardless.

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