1. Carl Edwards: A flat tire might have spoiled Carl Edwards day at Pocono, but his run from 33rd to ninth on the last run of the race has put him in the Power Rankings lead. His finish at Pocono was his fifth consecutive top 10. This weekend's outlook for Edwards looks bright as he is the defending June Michigan winner and the driver ratings leader over the last six races at MIS.

Last Week's Rank: Second

2. Jeff Burton: Burton moved back up into the second slot in the rankings after he scored his first top five at Pocono since 2000. He also used his fifth-place finish to take advantage of Kyle Busch's misfortune to close the gap in the standings to 21 points. This weekend he will need to score his first Michigan top 10 with Richard Childress Racing (seven starts) to try to gain on or maintain his position.

Last Week's Rank: Fourth

3. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch dropped in the rankings to third after he lost 121 champiosnhip points at Pocono as a result of his 43rd-place finish. It marked his first last-place finish since 2005 at Michigan, the site of this weekend's race. Busch will look to rebound at MIS, where he holds an average finish of 20.7, by replicating his top-five effort at the Auto Club Speedway, which was his first start on a 2-mile track in a Toyota.

Last Week's Rank: First

4. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Earnhardt Jr. bounced back from a bad day at Dover to finish fourth at Pocono. The finish was his sixth top 10 of the season and it lowered his overall season finishing average to 11.2, which is third among all drivers. This weekend he will be shooting for his third top five at Michigan when he makes his first track start with Hendrick Motorsports.

Last Week's Rank: Sixth

5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth continues to make a run at the Chase after picking up his fourth consecutive top 10 of the season at Pocono. Now he looks to gain even more ground in both the standings and the rankings at Michigan, which is his best track, based on finishing average (9.7), where he has made more than 10.

Last Week's Rank: Seventh

6. Jeff Gordon: Gordon's top-five streak over the last month came to an end at Pocono after he couldn't successfully defend the June race at the 2.5-mile track. And, although he slipped a few positions in the rankings, Gordon has to like his chances this weekend at Michigan. After finishing third at Fontana earlier this season, Gordon heads to MIS with the most wins on 2-mile speedways among active full-time drivers.

Last Week's Rank: Third

7. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has been starting to return to form over the last two races with two top 10s. But for the two-time defending series champion, top 10s might not be enough considering he had four wins at this time last season. With 14 straight races with the new car now under his belt, Johnson would like to steer his Chevrolet into victory lane for the first time at Michigan this weekend.

Last Week's Rank: Eighth

8. Greg Biffle: A speeding penalty and a loose car in the end put a stop to Biffle's chances of capturing his third-straight top five of the season at Pocono. But, like his Roush fenway teammates, Biffle has got to be looking forward to Michigan, a track where he has two wins and six top-10 finishes.

Last Week's Rank: Fifth

9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin kept his success at Pocono running with a third-place finish Sunday. It was his first top-five finish since Darlington and helped him jump two spots in the rankings and four spots in the standings. Hamlin has also been successful at Michigan. In four starts, he's got an average finish of 10.0, with all starts within the top 15.

Last Week's Rank: 11th

10. Kasey Kahne: After winning the Pocono race, Kahne jumped back into the rankings for the eighth time this season. Kahne was able to overcome a pit road penalty early in the race to win his second race of the season. In half of his appearances at Michigan, Kahne has finished in the top five, including one win in this race in 2006. Last year he struggled at the track, finishing 32nd and 31st, respectively. But he finished ninth at the similar 2-mile Auto Club Speedway earlier this year.

Last Week's Rank: N/R

11. Tony Stewart: Despite leading 14 laps and hanging inside the top-10 for the majority of Sunday’s race, Stewart ended up 35th after being knocked off the lead lap from a speeding penalty on lap 177. He barely remains in the 12th spot in the standings, with David Ragan breathing down his neck, only seven points behind. Hopefully the weekend at MIS will help him maintain his points position. Stewart has finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven Michigan starts and he's a former winner there (2000).

Last Week's Rank: 10th

12. Brian Vickers: Red Bull gave Vickers wings at Pocono Sunday as the young driver posted the team's best finish to date. The second-place finish helped move Vickers into the 17th spot in the standings, within 112 points of the 12th-place spot. Vickers is coming off his best career finish at MIS, an eighth-place finish with Red Bull in the fall event last year.

Last Week's Rank: N/R

13. Kurt Busch: Busch recovered from a wild ride in the grass at Pocono to finish eighth and to rejoin the rankings for the fourth time this season. It was his first top-10 finish this season since his second-place finish in the season opening Daytona 500. Busch has won at Michigan twice, first driving for Jack Roush in this event in 2003, and second driving for Roger Penske in the last race at MIS. Besides his wins, though, Busch only has four other finishes in the top 10 in 14 starts and holds an average finish of 18.9 at the track.

Last Week's Rank: 13th

14. Kevin Harvick: Harvick was able to maintain his spot in the rankings with a solid 13th-place finish in Sunday's Pocono race. He also holds down the 10th spot in the standings. Harvick will have to turn up the heat this weekend at Michigan to keep his spot. He has a 16.0 average finish at the track and hasn't posted a top-five finish there since 2003.

Last Week's Rank: 14th

15. David Ragan: Ragan was able to hold his 13th spot in the standings but slipped considerably in the rankings with his 24th-place finish at Pocono. It was his worst finish after a six-race stretch of finishes of 17th or better. Ragan is making his third start at MIS this weekend, where he has an average finish of 19.5.

Last Week's Rank: Ninth