NASCAR Power Ratings from CBS Sportsline

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Power Rankings: Stremme coming in to his own

By Brian De Los Santos CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer

Updated April 16 In the first seven races of his rookie season, David Stremme finished no better than 21st, while finishing 33rd or worse five times. David Stremme breaks into the top 10 at Texas. (Getty Images) It took until race 15 until he earned his first top 20. Now with a season under his belt and a hot-shot rookie teammate in Juan Pablo Montoya lighting a fire under the Chip Ganassi Racing organization, Stremme is finding his groove. Through seven races, he has finished outside the top 20 only once. He has finished in the top 15 four times, already matching his total from a season ago. Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway came another breakthrough -- the first top 10 finish of his Cup career. "That was a great top 10, and it's a career best, but I thought we were headed for a better finish," Stremme said of his 10th-place run. "Still, a top 10 at Texas is pretty good and we moved back up to 12th in the series standings. "We've done what we set out to do in these first few races. We wanted to get top 15 finishes and do the best we could in the points. We just need to keep doing what we're doing and we'll be OK." Power Rankings after Texas: POWER RANKINGS Current Driver Previous 1 Jeff Burton 3 Finally nabs the win that kept eluding him. Also has six finishes of sixth or better through the first seven races. 2 Jimmie Johnson 1 It was going to be a long afternoon even before he smacked into Tony Stewart as the engine on his No. 48 car was starting to sour. 3 Jeff Gordon 2 He had a dominant car at Texas until he scrubbed the wall while leading in the late stages. 4 Matt Kenseth 4 During the last run he badly wanted to come in because he thought he had a tire going down, but crew chief Robbie Reiser wisely kept him out on the track; he had come in earlier during the race under similar circumstances and his tire was found to be just fine. 5 Mark Martin 13 Despite his two-race sabbatical, he still has an excellent shot to make the Chase if he reconsiders and runs the rest of the schedule. 6 Denny Hamlin 8 Fought back to grab a top 10 after losing a lap early in the race because of a tire issue. 7 Kyle Busch 6 So was it really a miscommunication that Busch went MIA after his wreck, or is it the fact he remains spoiled and immature? 8 Tony Stewart 5 When told that Juan Pablo Montoya said Chip Ganassi doesn't pay him to race in the back of the pack, Stewart responded, "I guess we'd better get out of his and Chip Ganassi's way then." 9 Carl Edwards 9 His car was a handful, but he was able to wrangle a 12th-place finish at Texas. 10 Clint Bowyer 7 His team was so far off the mark with his car early in the race that it took a yeoman's effort just to salvage 16th. 11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 11 A tough break for Junior, who was likely in for at least a top five run until Kyle Busch got ahold of him. 12 Kurt Busch 12 He had a great car, but a caution one lap after he made his final pit stop doomed his chances to win. 13 Jamie McMurray 14 Looks like he has finally found his comfort zone at Roush Racing with crew chief Larry Carter. 14 Juan Pablo Montoya 15 His all-out aggressive style isn't sitting well with many drivers, with Stewart the latest to fall victim. 15 David Stremme 16 It took 45 races, but he finally finished in the top 10 in a Cup race. 16 Kevin Harvick 10 The 29 team is backsliding big time. Simply put, they were awful at Texas. 17 Greg Biffle 19 Showing signs of coming around with a pair of top 10s in the past three races. 18 Elliott Sadler 17 He's basically getting the same types of results as Jeremy Mayfield did in the 19 car. 19 Martin Truex Jr. NR Only two top 10s, but with a little more luck, his team is capable of battling consistently near the front of the pack. 20 Ryan Newman 18 Received some minor damage in the first wreck of the day, but things really turned sour when the jack broke during his third pit stop.

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