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Week 3 of Power Rankings1. 
For the 3rd week straight, the points leader is #1 in the Power Rankings. Robson tamed the 'track to tough to tame' as he took the victory Thursday night in Darlington. Robson extended his Chase points lead to 25 over team mate Jake Poulin.
2. 
Jake Poulin is again 2nd this week in the rankings.. Nobody has finished 2nd this season more so than Poulin. Hes 2nd in the power rankings, 2nd in points and finished 2nd Thursday night in Darlington. Its a good thing this guy won the Cup title last season or he might have a huge chip on his shoulder by now.
3. 
Shawn Taylor dominated the Coca-Cola 200 last night, leading 30 of the 92 laps. However he could not come home with the win. Taylor would end up finishing a solid 3rd place on the night and also moved up to 3rd in points.. So where does that land him in this weeks power rankings? 3rd of course.
4. 
Tyler Ellery moves up to 4th this week after yet another top 5 run. Ellery was not much of a factor during the Coke 200 but he was there at the end when it counted. Ellery now has 3 consecutive top 5 finishes and will be a threat in Talladega. This marks a new record for the Solstice Racing power rankings, Two canucks in the top 5! Canada would be proud.
5. 
5th this week is Chris Wetz. Wetz was 3rd last week in the rankings but after the strong runs from Ellery and Taylor I had no choice but to move him back a few spots. Wetz is currently 4th in Cup points and is a long shot at the title. But next week is Talladega where anything can happen.
6. 
This week marks the first time Brett Lawrence has made his way onto the Power Rankings. Lawrence, the previous Darlington Cup race winner decided to come out on Thursday in hopes of going back to back. The #68 Mello Yello Toyota was fast but not fast enough on Thursday. Lawrence led 17 laps and was inside the top 3 all night. But after late race pit strategy he would end up finishing 5th. But after a long absence from the series Lawrence has to be proud of that run. Will we see him in Dega next week where he is always a contender? Lets hope!
7. 
Nick Baker had one of his strongest runs of the season in Darlington. Nick left FOM earlier in the week and decided to run for his own team once again. (Nick Baker Motorsports). The night started off great as Baker won his 2nd pole of the season and led the first 7 laps of the race. After he lost the lead it became an uphill battle from then on for the former Solstice Daytona 300 winner. He ran into a several problems in the pits and it cost him dearly. A top 5 car would end up finishing in 7th. Baker obviously frustrated had no desire to talk to media members afterwards. However to run as strong as he did I'd say he has something to be happy about.
8.
Brandon Lambert may have had the toughest night of anyone in Darlington. Lamberts race started off rough as he would find trouble in the early goings of the race. Brandon would go 2 laps down midway through the race and he spent the rest of the event trying to get back on the lead lap. He would finish 8th 1 lap down. Lambert, like Brett Lawrence is always a strong competitor on the Superspeedways. Look for him to be the favorite next week.
9. 
Adam Codol came into this weeks race 5th in points and came out 7th. Like Lambert, Codol had one hell of a rough night at the lady in black. The former Proline Series Champion finished 9th on the night 2 laps back. While racing for 4th with about 40 laps to go Codol got into the turn 2 wall hard. He would spin down the backstretch and no caution came out. He would fall 2 laps down and was not able to make them up. Codols championship hopes are all but over now that he is 46 points out.
10. 
Austin Grams signed a new deal to again drive for JR Motorsports this week. Grams would make his first start this week at Darlington. The #31 US Army chevy was fast all night long but on lap 45 the header blew up and forced him to retire. It looks like JR Motorsports has some work to do this week at the shop! Needless to say Grams was frustrated. However he excepts to rebound next week in Talladega. Can he put JR Motorsports back in victory lane? Find out next Thursday night at 7:30 EST to see who can come away with a huge win in Alabama.
lol