Power Rankings: Time to start from scratch again

Updated Feb. 11

I've been doing these Power Rankings for a few years now, and the preseason editions are always the hardest.

Do I base it off last year's final rankings and simply tweak it based on offseason changes? Or do I completely throw out last year and start anew, in essence predicting the final rankings of 2008?

Don't expect much of a slip from Daytona pole sitter and two-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. (AP)

I prefer the latter. So the first edition of the 2008 Power Rankings is how I foresee the season ending. Daytona likely will do little to change my order, but over the weeks, I will, of course, adjust accordingly based on driver performance.

A couple of seasons ago I was way off base, picking Tony Stewart to repeat as champion. He failed to make the Chase. Last year, I was right on target, selecting Jimmie Johnson as champion. In fact, I pretty much nailed the Chase field, correctly picking 10 of the 12 Chasers.

The two I whiffed on? Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. In my preseason rankings I had Hamlin 13th and Truex 16th. In their place in the Chase, I had Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahe.

Still, not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

Last year we had the introduction of Toyota and the Car of Tomorrow.

This year, Toyota adds one of the top organizations in NASCAR to its stable of teams: Joe Gibbs Racing. Surely Toyota is bound to fare better than it did in 2007, but how much better? Will Toyota drag JGR down, or is there no holding back Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin no matter what they drive?

The fact the COT goes full-time in 2008 will bolster Toyota's hopes, putting it on an even footing aero-wise with the rest of its competitors. It really boils down to how its engine performs throughout the season.

And then there's that little under-the-radar story of Earnhardt Jr. jumping ship from Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Hendrick Motorsports.

Hendrick drivers crushed the competition last season, winning 18 of 36 races. Jimmie Johnson (10 wins) and Jeff Gordon (six) were particularly dominant, finishing 1-2 in the final standings. Busch, replaced by Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick lineup, finished fifth.

Meanwhile, Earnhardt Jr. wallowed in mediocrity. Parts failures were particularly troublesome, leading to a career-high nine DNFs and a 16th-place finish in the points standings.

Now set for his first season with Hendrick, the fan favorite is eager to prove to naysayers he's championship material.

"I am a great racecar driver; I have won a lot of races," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I have won the Daytona 500, won the Winston as a rookie, I have won at Dover, Richmond, Phoenix, Talladega, several different size and shape race tracks. I have great equipment and I am a good driver and we are going to go at it.

"The odds are better for me to win championships at Hendrick. That is obvious between what they have been able to do already and the track record at DEI. So I am putting myself in that situation. I still had great racecars and a lot of fun and a lot of success at DEI, but statistically, the odds are better at Hendrick. You can't deny that."

So with all that said, here's how I think things will end up at the end of the season. Make sure to clip and save.