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Power Rankings: Atlanta
March 4, 2003
1:47 PM EST (1347 GMT)

That little spin that Sterling Marlin put on things -- namely, the No. 48 Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson -- cost Johnson the top spot in the Power Rankings this week.

It's tough to bet against Matt Kenseth, who has gotten better in each race in 2003. If he can avoid the inconsistency of 2002, he will be a title threat all year long.

Biggest Gain this Week: Michael Waltrip, up 11 spots

Biggest Drop this Week: Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin, down 9 spots

Dropped out: Dave Blaney (21), Jeremy Mayfield (23), Greg Biffle (25).

Week 4 of 36, Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Rank Prev Number Driver Comments
 1  9 Matt Kenseth Matt Kenseth My Big Fat Vegas Payoff ($365,875). With that kind of money, he can make his own bad movies. First up: My Big Rainy Atlanta Wedding.
 2  2 Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson The real reason we didn’t see a Marlin-Johnson confrontation on TV? They couldn’t find a translator.
 3  5 Tony Stewart Tony Stewart He finished fifth despite a mid-race problem with his tire. Fortunately, some cops from Florida showed up and fixed the problem, no questions asked.
 4  1 Kurt Busch Kurt Busch He’s from Las Vegas, but he does not gamble. Trying to avoid a Skinner-Wallace accident while your car is not handling well is a gamble in itself.
 5 16 Michael Waltrip Michael Waltrip There’s absolutely no truth to the rumor that he had a restrictor plate on his car at Las Vegas.
 6  8 Sterling Marlin Sterling Marlin Usually after a race, he says: “Coors Light Dodge run good.” After Las Vegas, he said: “Lowe’s Chevrolet spun good.”
 7 10 Ryan Newman Ryan Newman He’s already up to 17th in points, which is pretty remarkable considering that he has zero top-five finishes.
 8 11 Jeff Burton Jeff Burton As his brother Ward enjoys saying: “That’s just what the doctor ordered.”
 9 12 Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte Surprise! It’s not going to rain in Atlanta! No, really! Sunny, 65 degrees! With that forecast, he’s the favorite at Atlanta – rain is about the only thing that slows him down there.
10  6 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon He’s going to have a Sesame Street paint scheme later this year that will appear on diecasts (not on track). It's a good thing it won't appear on-track -- Elmo would have been in some serious pain at Las Vegas.
11  7 Ricky Rudd Ricky Rudd Highlight of his week was visting nearby Nellis Air Force base. He didn’t take off on Sunday – he finished 18th, although he led a lap for the first time this year.
12  3 Dale Jarrett Dale Jarrett When he said, "You've got the same people doing stupid stuff,” he wasn't talking about his crash with Steve Park. He was referring to people dropping the 401k at the blackjack table.
13  4 Mark Martin Mark Martin That was his first last place finish in nearly three years. Only has one first place finish in nearly three years.
14 15 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick He missed the great wreck, so we missed the great quote.
15 22 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr. He will appear on the FOX TV show Fastlane, which is about undercover Los Angeles cops who take down those who break the rules. Rusty Wallace guest stars as an informant – he says the LAPD will be ready come Talladega.
16 20 Johnny Benson Johnny Benson His steady start has been the bright spot for the Pontiac camp.
17 13 Jamie McMurray Jamie McMurray He finished just ahead of Hideo Fukuyama. That ought to slow down the hype for 48 hours.
18 14 Elliott Sadler Elliott Sadler At least he and new teammate Dale Jarrett succeed and struggle at the same time. Sadler was already in the garage by the time Jarrett came in after his tangle with Steve Park. “He (Park) almost got into me too before we had our problems,” Sadler said.
19 NR Steve Park Steve Park He gamely got into a Busch car for the first time since his 2001 accident, and finished in the top 10 in both series. He also finished in the top two in enraging fellow drivers.
20 NR Joe Nemechek Joe Nemechek He was brave to swap sheet metal with Kevin Harvick. That fact alone proves he is worthy of a spot in the rankings.
21 18 Rusty Wallace Rusty Wallace Had to pit under green for gas after his crew only gave him six gallons early in the race. That kind of gas mileage strategy might work, but only if Penske switches from Dodge to Toyota.
22 17 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon The pre-race show showed him falling to earth in a dune buggy. He is doing the same in his Winston Cup car.
23 19 Ricky Craven Ricky Craven He decided to drop by a casino. Conveniently, one was located on the back of Larry Foyt's Dodge.
24 24 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott He’s 31st in points, and there’s still six Dodges behind him in the standings. Kyle Petty, you’re next!
25 NR Casey Mears Casey Mears Rallied to beat Jimmy Spencer in the closing laps. And you thought the Marlin-Johnson battle was tense.
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ARCHIVES
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• Week 1 at Daytona International Speedway
• Week 2 at North Carolina Speedway
• Week 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Week 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Week 5 at Darlington Raceway
• Week 6 at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Week 7 at Texas Motor Speedway
• Week 8 at Talladega Superspeedway
• Week 9 at Martinsville Speedway
• Week 10 at California Speedway
• Week 11 at Richmond International Raceway
• Week 12 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
• Week 13 at Dover International Speedway
• Week 14 at Pocono Raceway
• Week 15 at Michigan International Speedway
• Week 16 at Infineon Raceway
• Week 17 at Daytona International Speedway
• Week 18 at Chicagoland Speedway
• Week 19 at New Hampshire International Speedway
• Week 20 at Pocono Raceway
• Week 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
• Week 22 at Watkins Glen International
• Week 23 at Michigan International Speedway
• Week 24 at Bristol Motor Speedway
• Week 25 at Darlington Raceway
• Week 26 at Richmond International Raceway
• Week 27 at New Hampshire International Speedway
• Week 28 at Dover International Speedway
• Week 29 at Talladega Superspeedway
• Week 30 at Kansas Speedway
• Week 31 at Lowe's Motor Speedway
• Week 32 at Martinsville Speedway
• Week 33 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Week 34 at Phoenix International Raceway
• Week 35 at North Carolina Speedway
• Week 36 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Week 37 at Daytona International Speedway
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
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