Power Rankings: A lot back to normal, including No. 1

The normalcy of the regular Sprint Cup Series season kicked in Sunday in Phoenix after the two-week circus of Speedweeks.
But the garage area of Phoenix International Raceway looked more like Daytona with the number of damaged cars that were battered in Sunday's "Big One." In all, 13 drivers were swept up in the melee that rivaled anything seen at the restrictor plate races in Daytona or Talladega.
The pileup swept up several race and championship contenders, with the likes of Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer among the unlucky participants.
Some -- like Harvick and Earnhardt --- were able to rally back from potential disaster for top 10 finishes while others were in the Bowyer and Burton camp, just trying to salvage a decent run before heading to Las Vegas.
The day's fastest car was also knocked out of contention early Sunday when pole-sitter Carl Edwards -- shooting for a third straight non-restrictor plate victory after ending last season with back-to-back wins -- made contact with Kyle Busch and severely damaged his Roush Fenway Ford.
The carnage in Week 2 has put a few behind the 8-ball early in the title race and tightened up the pressure to make the Chase before the calendar even turns to March. There will be more than a few steering wheels with tighter than usual grips when the green flag flies Sunday in Vegas.

POWER RANKINGS
Current	Driver	Previous
1	Jimmie Johnson	4
The guy who has owned Phoenix with four wins in his previous seven starts heading into Sunday might have added to that victory record had it not been for a pit-stop miscue. But after a disappointing Daytona 500, Johnson's third-place finish is more than enough evidence there's nothing wrong with the 48 team.
2	Carl Edwards	1
With clearly the fastest car in Phoenix, Edwards' misfortune in his tangle with Kyle Busch ended any shot at a second consecutive Phoenix win. Look for a rebound on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track Sunday; Roush has dominated there over the years.
3	Kyle Busch	6
Romped to victories in the weekend truck and Nationwide Series races and came up only one position short of turning in another NASCAR national division three-peat. Busch hit the wall and then Edwards early but hung in there to drive a less-than-perfect racecar to a runner-up finish.
4	Tony Stewart	3
Ran upfront Sunday and appeared headed to Victory Lane until finally run down by eventual race winner Jeff Gordon and company. Was still able to post a top 10 finish and has come out of the gate strong with solid runs at both Daytona and Phoenix.
5	Jeff Gordon	10
Talk about a spectrum of generations. One week, 21-year-old Trevor Bayne wins, and the next it's the veteran Gordon in the AARP-sponsored car. Gordon finally got the monkey off his back to end a 66-race winless streak and did it in rather impressive fashion, running down Kyle Busch at the finish. The marriage of Gordon and new crew chief Alan Gustafson has already paid dividends.
6	Kurt Busch	2
A bit of an under-the-radar performance Sunday after his impressive Speedweeks, but Busch was able to stay inside the top 10 and notch an eighth-place finish. Was very fast in practice but lost the car's handling down the stretch when it counted most.
7	Kevin Harvick	14
It looked like Harvick was in for a disastrous 2011 start when, after blowing an engine and finishing 42nd in the Daytona 500, he was involved in the 13-car Phoenix pileup. But crew chief Gil Martin kept the 29 crew together and slowly Harvick made his way to the front with a fourth-place effort to show for the work. Those kinds of performances are what kept Harvick in the title hunt down to the last race of 2010.
8	Ryan Newman	NR
Like his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Newman is off to a solid start in the season's opening pair of races. Followed up his Phoenix spring race victory of a year ago with another strong showing in the desert on Sunday. Seems determined to put together a more consistent season and make a return trip to the Chase in 2011.
9	Matt Kenseth	9
A similar scenario to Harvick's day, Kenseth and Brian Vickers got together to trigger the early multicar accident. But the 17 team also hung together, and Kenseth turned what could have been a day to write off to a 12th-place finish.
10	Mark Martin	8
Martin has a trend going but one he'll probably want to change quickly. The veteran was involved in early crashes at both Daytona and Phoenix only to rebound for respectable finishes. His 13th Sunday was the only of the Hendrick stable not inside the first 10.
11	Clint Bowyer	5
Had no chance to contend when he was swallowed up by the day's big crash. Had a fast car but was never able to show it with the early exit from contention.
12	Jeff Burton	12
See RCR teammate Bowyer. Burton was in the exact same boat as his No. 33 stablemate with an early exit from contention after the multicar crash. Two weeks in a row for the veteran to have a car capable of winning, only for misfortune to strike.
13	Denny Hamlin	13
Finished 11th Sunday for a decent day in the desert but struggled all weekend to find speed, a puzzle after Hamlin was so strong in Phoenix back in November. Surely set some female NASCAR fans' hearts aflutter with his shirtless (and superimposed, by the way) Toyota commercial appearances Sunday afternoon.
14	Kasey Kahne	NR
Not a bad start for the lame-duck Team Red Bull driver. Kahne had a strong car Sunday and kept the No. 4 near the lead pack all afternoon before settling for sixth.
15	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	NR
The classic lemonade out of lemons story. Horrible qualifying effort started Junior 35th but adjustments to the car brought life to the No. 88, until a loose wheel sent him to pit road for an unscheduled stop. Was able to get back on the lead lap with the "Lucky Dog," and with crew chief Steve Letarte cheerleading the effort, Earnhardt wound up in the top 10.