Pit Road Week 13

Dover International Speedway: Autism Speaks 400

We entered the week heading to Dover and every Tony Stewart fan wondering what it was going to take to get his name back in the Chase talks. Well Nascar is now on it's way out of Dover for the first time this year and that question has been answered, a Win at the Monster Mile.  Mid way through the race I tweeted a notice saying that Smoke was in 12th but I didn't think that by the end of the race he would sneak up on everyone and steal the win.

Stewart did get some help along the way on Sunday by ways of Toyota engines blowing up. Matt Kenseth's JGR #20 blew up while he was a front runner and favorite to win. Martin Truex Jr also had the same fate when he looked to have a top 5 car all day. Jimmie Johnson started the day struggling but in normal fashion figured it out for the end of the race and then fell off again (17th place finish). Anyways most fans coming here watched the race but if you didn't check the race results out here. Let's get onto the Rising, Coasting, and Falling drivers after Dover International Speedway.


Rising, Coasting, and Falling Drivers

Rising:

• Tony Stewart- There is no one else better to start this list off with than Smoke. On the pre race "Grid Walk" Smoke was asked if he liked being a driver or owner better? He replied, "Driver." I think maybe that question sparked something and he just went out and drove. For once he stayed on the lead lap, didn't fade at the end of the race, and was a quiet contender. He now has a shot at the Chase and a fresh start.
• Jeff Gordon- Gordon has had an up and down season but he is still in the mix. He sits in 11th spot right now but that is a WC spot that will most likely be taken by a guy who has a win or two (like Stewart). Its hard to think Gordon won find a win this year but he has yet to be a front runner in many races. 3rd place finish gives him a breath of fresh air for one week.
• Juan Pablo Montoya- Not every week the top 3 finishers are the top 3 risers but this week at Dover each of these drivers needed there finish. JPM's 2 top 5 this season and his 3rd top 10 but he sits outside the top 20 in points (22nd).
• Brad Keselowski- Well he has had bad luck following him around a lot this season after becoming a Sprint Cup Champ last year. A 5th place finish at Dover will help him get back but he is in desperate need of a win in 2013.

Coasting:

• Kevin Harvick- Harvick has been one of the hottest drivers as of late. He has yet to get a win at Dover but does seem to find a way to get a quality finish out of it. This Sunday he posted another top 10 (8th) which is the kind of finishes that look good and help entering the Chase.

Falling:

• Ryan Newman- He was making strides to be a threat at the Chase but after becoming impatient with David Gilliland and wreaking both of them he slipped all the way back to 20th in the points (38th place finish). Newman now looks to be where Smoke was before this week and in need of a win to save his season and Chase hopes. Not only that but he needs to run well to either get sponsors or a new ride somewhere.
• Denny Hamlin- Making this list because he had a car to contend on Sunday. He is also in need of good finished and most importantly wins.
• Martin Truex Jr- You hate to see this out of the guy, he was having such a good day running up front and then blew and engine. Not only that but he was the big mover of the week, moving down 5 spots out of a Chase spot into 14th. I was pulling for him to find his second career victory at Dover and snap his win less streak.

Pit Road (Week 13 Power Rankings)

1. Matt Kenseth (LW-1)- Honestly, I am not sure what to do at the top. Both #1 and #2 from last week had poor finishes, while they both had flashes of still being dominate during the race. So I went with no change. Kenseth had the car to beat until his engine blew up while he was up front.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- Same goes here. JJ started poorly, then found his grove and looked to be the guy to beat. He finished up in 17th but is still the guy to beat on the season.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick was the only guy I could see taking one of the top 2 spots. He has been on a roll and finished 8th on Sunday. He has still never won at Dover so I am sure he will settle with another top 10 and move onto Pocono
4. Clint Bowyer (LW-5)- He wasn't a Toyota driver to succumb to an engine failure. He also was quiet but 6th on the day and still looks good for the Chase this year. He could be a guy to make a move when the Chase starts.
5. Carl Edwards (LW-3)- Carl has been the guy sitting behind Kenseth and JJ for weeks now but never made his move. Unfortunately he has now made a move and it was down. A 14th place finish wasn't terrible but it isn't enough to keep Harvick away.
6. Kyle Busch (LW-9)- Along with Bowyer, Kyle was a Toyota that ran through the gauntlet and won. Unfortunately for him he has a winning car to start the race and fell off towards the end. Typical story as of late but he did manage a 4th place finish which is what he needs when it comes Chase time.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-7)- Did anyone even talk about him all day? How about for the past month? Jr is still 6th in points but hasn't been making too much noise, maybe he likes it that way and he is putting it together for the Chase? Lets just hope he has it in him because it is always more entertaining when he has a fighting chance. 10th place finish isn't too shabby at a place he has struggled with as of late.
8. Kasey Kahne (LW-6)- Well Kahne seems to be the big faller this week even though he had a good car for most of the race. He eventually just got too loose and spun up into the wall leaving him scrambling to salvage the day. He did finish 23 (or one place better then Danica) on the day.
9. Kurt Busch (LW-10)- Moving up one spot this week, Kurt had an ok car that he was running the wheels off of all day. He was sliding all over the place and putting JPM back in his place from time to time and eventually wound up 12th.
10. Joey Logano (LW-NR)- JoLo fins his way back into the Power rankings with back to back top 10's. Last week he finished 5th and this week 7th, and if you include the ASR (which I have not) he has 2 top 5's and 3 top 10's in the last 3. He is 18th right now but he has been a factor in a few races for the win so he could be a contender and fight with Smoke for a WC spot/
11. Martin Truex Jr (LW-11)- I just couldn't move Truex out of the 11th spot or out of the rankings completely. I gave him a pass this week for having his engine go out which was out of his control. I really thought he had a top 5 car and it was very unfortunate that he had to take it behind the wall. Tough way to go down this week at Dover.
12. Brad Keselowski (LW-NR)- BK dropped out of the rankings for the first time last week and answered with a top 5. He didn't seem to have a car to contend for the win but he did what he had to do to get past some of the bad luck and bad finishes he had been having. Is he back? I'm not sure but he better post another good finish because Smoke and Gordon are waiting.

Dropping Out: Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman
Just Missed: Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon

Well that's it for this weekend! Back to another week of the daily grind so we can enjoy our Nascar race on Sunday! Check back in for the race preview for next week at Pocono. Also check up on some Driver Spotlight articles that will have current updates on the drivers and how they have done since they were posted.