Power Rankings: Sonoma shakes up standings, increases urgency

Updated June 23

While in theory every race is equally important, urgency grows as the races wind down ahead of Chase.

Kasey Kahne leads the pack early at Sonoma, but it doesn't last for long. (US Presswire)

Sonoma's Infineon Raceway was the 16th race on the schedule and had a huge impact on the standings. Of the 12 drivers who entered Sunday's race in the top 12 in points, seven finished outside the top 10.

The biggest losers were Kasey Kahne (33rd) and Kevin Harvick (30th).

Kahne had been on a pretty good roll since Charlotte with three finishes of first or second in the four races prior to Sonoma, but he dropped like a rock after starting from the pole and leading the first four laps Sunday.

"It just wasn't our day," said Kahne, who slipped two spots to ninth in the standings. "The car was extremely loose. I was pretty much spinning my tires everywhere on the track. It's just unfortunate given the fact that we started on the pole. I really can't explain what happened today."

Harvick, on the other hand, had a great car, but a late mistake proved costly, not only to him, but Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart as well. Running in the top-five with three laps left, he overdrove his car trying to overtake McMurray for position.

"I made a mistake late in the race and drove the car in too deep and wheel-hopped it," Harvick said. "I feel bad for involving the No. 26 (McMurray) and the No. 20 (Stewart). Hopefully we can turn things around next week at Loudon."

Harvick's error dropped him to 13th in the standings, two points behind Matt Kenseth, who finished eighth and rejoined the top 12 for the first time since the fifth race of the season.

"I don't know if it's ever too early to look at [the point standings]," Kenseth said. "You always look at it on the way home, especially if you're moving up to see where you're at and see what happened.

"But, the bottom line is really you do the best you can every week, and try to finish as high as you can and try to lead laps and do all that and the points take care of themselves -- the higher you finish, the more points you get. So, really, it's not a strategy, when you race hard and try to be smart and do the right things and hopefully get some good finishes and get back in it."

The revolving door at the rear of the top 12 is likely to continue over the coming weeks, which will include another road-course event (Watkins Glen). Only 173 points separate Kahne in ninth from Martin Truex Jr. in 17th.

Power Rankings after Sonoma: