Power Rankings: Phoenix
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
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April 19, 2006
1:25 PM EDT (1325 GMT)
Biggest Gain this week: Denny Hamlin and Scott Riggs, up 10 spots

Biggest Drop this week: Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards, down five spots

New this week: Martin Truex Jr. (19).

Dropped out: Jeremy Mayfield (20).

Week 8 of 36,Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
1 1 Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Truer words were never spoken
PRN said that Tony Stewart was "looming large" in other drivers' mirrors during the Nextel Cup race at Texas.
2 2 Matt Kenseth Matt Kenseth Reiser was going to be in it too, but test audiences balked
Kenseth appears shirtless in Gatorade's new commercial promoting better hydration for drivers in NASCAR.
3 6 Kasey Kahne Kasey Kahne Because he is so dreamy
PRN said that the women were smiling in Turn 4 when Kahne was heading to the checkered flag at Texas.
4 5 Mark Martin Mark Martin He needs the gas money
Mark Martin left open the possibility of returning for select Nextel Cup events in 2007.
5 9 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick He was in a hurry to beat that crazy Nashville traffic
Kevin Harvick spent his off week by going to Nashville Superspeedway and dominating the Busch Series Pepsi 300. Clint Bowyer angrily finished second and left the post-race press conference before it was over.
6 2 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson Jimmie, don't forget the eyebrow band
Forecasters say this weekend at Phoenix will be sunny and extremely hot, with temps reaching 95 degrees.
7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. May-Ling's missing person poster fetches $567 on eBay
This season has seen a sharp decrease in the use of Dale Jr.'s outstanding Enterprise commercials. You know, where his lips don't move.
8 4 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Odds that FOX won't mention it: 1 zillion to 1
Jeff Gordon has never won at Phoenix International Raceway despite 14 separate tries at the 1-mile track.
9 19 Denny Hamlin Denny Hamlin His Lear payments aren't quite so daunting now
Denny Hamlin finished fourth at Texas, moved up to 14th in the points and eclipsed $1 million in 2006 earnings.
10 7 Kyle Busch Kyle Busch He was in a hurry to get his five kids to soccer practice
Kyle Busch was in a Buick Rendezvous when he was pulled over for reckless driving in Richmond last week. Busch said he was "chirping the tires."
11 11 Dale Jarrett Dale Jarrett As he gets older, he'll need a more reliable car
Jarrett is rumored to be one of the drivers being courted by Toyota to drive for their operation in 2007.
12 15 Jeff Burton Jeff Burton This time, he won't have to deal with Casey Atwood
Phoenix always has been and probably always will be Jeff Burton's best shot to win. His victory there in 2001 was his last in the Nextel Cup Series. It was about a billion degrees that day. Tony Stewart fried an egg on the sidewalk, and ate it.
13 23 Scott Riggs Scott Riggs It was the best finish at TMS by a Barney Rubble look-alike
Scott Riggs finished seventh at Texas for his second consecutive top-10 finish. It was the second time in his career he had scored back-to-back top-10 finishes.
14 17 Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte He beat Terry again, too
Bobby Labonte ran 10th at Texas for his second top-10 in the last three races.
15 10 Kurt Busch Kurt Busch At least he can turn to his brother for legal advice
Kyle Busch was pulled over for reckless driving for doing less than 10 mph while trying to get to KFC for dinner. Finger lickin' good.
16 12 Jamie McMurray Jamie McMurray Jamie got the news while tanning
Jack Roush moved Bob Osborne, Carl Edwards' crew chief, to a similar job working with Jamie McMurray.
17 13 Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler "Da mohtah's keelt, Tommy."
Elliott Sadler's engine expired at Texas, leading to his first DNF since last July at New Hampshire.
18 14 Greg Biffle Greg Biffle She also told her that Kurt's dog wouldn't be welcome back on Biffle’s pet calendar next year
Greg Biffle's girlfriend confronted Kurt Busch's fiancée after the two drivers clashed at Texas Motor Speedway.
19 NR Martin Truex Jr. Martin Truex Jr. He earned more than Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
He had a great run at Texas, finishing a season-high eighth and collecting $156,608.
20 25 Reed Sorenson Reed Sorenson Be sure to call Kurt Busch for advice concerning local laws
Reed Sorenson, who had three top-15s in the last four races, will be making his first-ever Nextel Cup start at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.
21 16 Carl Edwards Carl Edwards The Unsinkable Wally Brown
Roush Racing announced last week that lead engineer Wally Brown would replace Bob Osborne as Carl Edwards' crew chief.
22 18 Ryan Newman Ryan Newman All my exes live in Texas, so I hang my hair in Tennessee
Commenting on his crash at Texas, Ryan Newman said, "Something happened in front of us. I saw Casey Mears get sideways, but I'm pretty sure Sterling Marlin's hairpiece just got in his eyes and he couldn't see what was going on."
23 24 Clint Bowyer Clint Bowyer He will testify for the prosecution at Kyle Busch's reckless-driving trial
Clint Bowyer finished on the lead lap at Texas despite a last-lap spin after contact with Kyle Busch.
24 21 J.J. Yeley J.J. Yeley Watch LarryMac explain "shop tempa-ture"
SPEED's program 7 Days is being filmed this week featuring the No. 18 team at the Joe Gibbs Racing's shop in Huntersville.
25 22 Casey Mears Casey Mears The same could be said for Stremme
His 14th-place finish at Texas stopped a downward spiral that marked five consecutive weeks of declining finishes.

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