Power Rankings: Daytona likely to have no bearing on season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's dangerous to put too much stock into what happens at Daytona for Speedweeks. The events of the last two weeks at "The World Center of Racing" usually have little bearing on how the rest of the year goes.
However, there are trends to watch for and small things like chemistry and even luck that can give an indication of how a team's fortunes might play out.
We've seen drivers come out of Daytona -- like Matt Kenseth, for instance -- completely fall apart as the regular season wore on. Before his season went south in 2009, Kenseth won the 500 and followed it with a trip to Victory Lane the next week in Fontana.
Conversely, there have been years like Jimmie Johnson's 2010, when he floundered in the 500 with a 35th-place finish only to turn on the afterburners and sail to the Sprint Cup championship.
So you need to keep things in perspective now that the completely different animal of Daytona is in the rear-view mirror for another season. Relish the good performance of your favorite driver if they turned in a solid run, but don't get too low if your guy ended the 500 in the garage a mangled mess.
It's Daytona and those things happen.

POWER RANKINGS
Current	Driver	Previous
Not known for his restrictor-plate prowess, Edwards used the powerful Ford FR9 engine to get to the front and nearly pulled off a run to the checkered flag on Sunday. After ending last season with a pair of wins in Phoenix and Homestead, for Edwards to come out of the box in 2011 with a runnerup finish in the 500 is an indication the Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 team is still hitting on all cylinders.
Came pretty close to pulling off a Speedweeks sweep with the Daytona 500 after winning the Bud Shootout and Gatorade Duel. Wasn't able to seal the deal, but the confidence of Roger Penske's No. 22 Dodge team is palpable.
Had a little mojo going after winning the Daytona Nationwide Series opener for the fourth straight year on Saturday. Carried that into the 500 and was in position to win the race in the closing laps, but couldn't get the right drafting mix to race to the point and take the checkered flag.
Through no fault of his own, was swept up in the 14-car "Big One" that knocked out a slew of contenders. I fully expect the No. 48 team to bounce back in a big way very soon, maybe even as early as this week in Phoenix.
Bowyer was strong all through Speedweeks and a drafting freight train with teammate Jeff Burton for much on Sunday's 500. As his teammates Burton and Harvick suffered engine problems, Bowyer charged on -- and only getting involved in the day's final melee on the backstretch stopped him from challenging for the win.
Rallied from an early race tangle to get back into contention and then miraculously saved his car when he slid nearly sideways in the closing laps. Busch did not lose his composure when he was involved in the first spin, perhaps a sign he may be harnessing those emotions that have till now stood in the way of his being a title contender.
It was no fluke to see the No. 21 car rolling into Victory Lane Sunday and Bayne's maturation process is compelling to watch. Something tells me corporate America is going to come calling and the Wood Brothers may have a full season of Bayne ahead.
Survived the "Big One" to get back into contention and finish in the top 10 on Sunday. Was right in the mix for the checkered flag but got shuffled back at the finish line. Still showed great perseverance in a team-building exercise with new crew chief Lance McGrew.
The new Chase qualifications rule means Kenseth needs to pick up his usual consistency rate and stay in the top 10 in points. Finding wins wasn't easy for Kenseth last year, but he's made a career out of finishing inside the top 10.
Will the new pairing of Gordon with crew chief Alan Gustafson pay better dividends than Gordon found in the Steve Letarte era? Gordon and team owner Rick Hendrick are hoping the new duo take the No. 24 car to the next level after coming so close to winning several times last year.
You would have gotten great odds picking Menard to be the highest finishing Richard Childress Racing driver in the Daytona 500. But as his teammates went by the wayside, there was Menard and crew chief Slugger Labbe with a top 10 finish.
Engine woes KO'd Burton who, like teammate Bowyer, was a powerhouse most of Speedweeks. The next few weeks at Phoenix, Las Vegas and then Bristol will tell the tale of whether Burton will return to that same consistent form that carried him into last year's Chase.
Seemed to be a non-factor in most of the Daytona 500 after sputtering through the early portion of Speedweeks. Then came to life in the late going before the No. 11 Toyota was sucked into the late-race nuttiness.
Engine problems hit Harvick early and he was never able to mount any kind of a charge, settling for 42nd place. Let's give him a Daytona mulligan.
Drafted perfectly with his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing teammate Jamie McMurray and a top ten effort to show for it. Crew chief Brian Pattie has laid out the same plan that got Montoya into the 2009 Chase this season. Will be fun seeing if the Target Chevrolet team can follow through on it.