Jimmie Johnson won for the fourth time this season, taking the checkered flag at Martinsville and advancing to the Championship 4, which will be held at Homestead in three weeks.

The victory keeps hope alive for Jimmie Johnson and his crew to bring home a seventh NASCAR championship.

The win – Johnson’s second in four weeks – did little for his overall standing in the latest edition of NASCAR Power Rankings at The Wife Hates Sports.

In fact, Jimmie Johnson moves up just one spot in the latest rankings, from ninth to eighth place.

Meanwhile, the top five remains very much in flux, despite Kyle Busch hanging onto the top spot for the second consecutive week.

Brad Keselowski – the runner-up at Martinsville – returns to second place, jumping up two spots from fourth and sitting just a few ratings points behind Busch.  Denny Hamlin also moves up two spots to third, while Joey Logano drops to fourth place and Martin Truex Jr. lands in fifth.

With their two spot jumps, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin are the biggest movers of the week.

On the flip side, Kevin Harvick (20th at Martinsville) is the biggest loser of the week, falling three spots and out of the top five.  Joey Logano also had a tough week, fading back two slots.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup next heads to Texas for the second race in the Round of 8.

jimmie-johnson-celebrates-advancing-to-nascar-championship

Jimmie Johnson and crew celebrate a trip to Homestead and a chance at a 7th championship

Next Up: AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 6th at 2:00pm ET

2016 NASCAR Power Rankings: Week 33

the-wife-hates-nascar-power-rankings-week-33-2016

The Wife Hates Sports | Write-up by Kevin Paul | Rankings by Bill Schneider

Bill Schneider has pieced together a unique ratings system that differs from all the mainstream rankings.  Along with the data he uses, Bill includes and incorporates recent finishes.  He also ties in the big picture for the entire NASCAR season.