| 1 |  With back to back victories Kenseth is developing a firm grip on the #1 spot. After his impressive performance at California the 17 team will definitely be a championship contender in 2009. The upcoming schedule is also extremely friendly to Kenseth. |
| - | Matt Kenseth |
| 2 |  Kyle had an impressive weekend but only Sunday counts. Busch finished 3rd and ran in the top ten all day. Expect the Las Vegas native to dig deep and put on a good performance at his home track. Busch has an average finish of 13.2 at Las Vegas and he won the pole last year. |
| +1 | Kyle Busch |
| 3 |  Johnson had a mediocre performance at California. He finished 9th, led 74 laps, and started second. Something was wrong with the 48 car at California; he just seemed to lose the handle on the car in the later phases of the race. At Las Vegas Johnson has 3 wins and has an average finish of 9.3 |
| -1 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 4 |  Jeff Gordon is inching closer and closer towards getting back into victory lane. Gordon does have a win at Las Vegas, but statistically speaking it is his second worst Intermediate track. Last year he was running in the top 5 until a late horrific accident relegated him to a 35th place finish. |
| +1 | Jeff Gordon |
| 5 |  Tony Stewart had an excellent showing with his new team at California. Having good performances at Intermediate tracks are crucial for any driver’s championship aspirations. Perhaps his car really is a Hendrick car. |
| +2 | Tony Stewart |
| 6 |  The 99 team just lacked something at California. A 7th place finish isn’t bad, but Carl Edwards fantasy owners expect more from him at this type of track. He is the defending champion at Las Vegas and has an average finish of 11.8. |
| - | Carl Edwards |
| 7 |  Kevin Harvick had a good day at California until his tire cut down. I knew the constant talk about his non-DNF streak would result in something bad. He did have a 4th place finish last year at Las Vegas but RCR as a whole needs to improve their Intermediate program. |
| -3 | Kevin Harvick |
| 8 |  Greg Biffle had a 4th place finish at California but a late pit mishap put his team back in the pack. His charge through the field at the end of the race was impressive, but this team shouldn’t be back there in the first place. |
| +3 | Greg Biffle |
| 9 |  Mark Martin is a savvy veteran who suffered engine problems at California. The engine problem appeared to be a Hendrick B (Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr.) motor problem. At Las Vegas Martin scores a top ten finish 81% of the time. |
| -1 | Mark Martin |
| 10 |  Denny Hamlin finished 6th at California and is ready to build on the 11 teams momentum. At Las Vegas in 3 races he has 3 top tens. His average finish of 7.3 isn’t something to be overlooked by fantasy players. |
| +4 | Denny Hamlin |
| 11 |  In 2008 Kurt Busch really struggled at the Intermediate tracks. At California he finished 5th and it appears those problems might be solved. With good performances at Las Vegas and Atlanta Busch will be a big mover in the power rankings. |
| +4 | Kurt Busch |
| 12 |  Richard Childress Racing was by far the weakest super power team at California. A 19th place finish at the first Intermediate track in 2009 should be a wake up call for RCR’s Intermediate track engineers. |
| -3 | Clint Bowyer |
| 13 |  David Ragan had a good day going for him until he hit the wall. His car was never the same after this incident. The UPS car finished a lap down in the 17th position. |
| -3 | David Ragan |
| 14 |  Dale Earnhardt Jr. started in the back of the pack and worked his way up to the top 10. Then the 88 car suffered engine problems. In 2008 Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd at Las Vegas, but his average finish there is a miserable 18.7. |
| -1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 15 |  Jeff Burton is on shaky ground in the power rankings this week. His performance at California is something he would like to forget about. Burton finished 3 laps down in the 32nd position. Burton is one of three drivers at Las Vegas who has multiple wins there. |
| -3 | Jeff Burton |
Nascar Power Rankings: Las Vegas
February 24, 2009 by