Weekly Review and Power Rankings
Week 7
By Richard Tix
Rain, rain, and more rain. That is what NASCAR, drivers, and fans saw all day Sunday. Texas never got a big enough window to dry the track and get the cars out there Sunday so the race was moved to Monday.
Let me tell you, strange things happened once cars finally got out onto the track. NASCAR ran some laps under caution to get the track rubber going a bit, and the Air Titans were still working. Many drivers had problems with there hoods but NASCAR allowed them to pit without losing spots in the field. Dale Jr went down early after he hit the infield grass and tore up his car. Then when green flag racing started Kevin Harvick went from a strong run to the front all the way to the garage while missing the pits the first time around. (Jimmie Johnson also had trouble early).
So another week of rain followed by some strong contenders going down early. This has seemed to be a trend in NASCAR this season, and the new "win and your in" points system will help a lot of these drivers down the stretch.
About the halfway point Jeff Gordon was leading the pack with a fast car and we finally knew that the race would be official even if rain set in. Some other front runners were Kyle Busch who had held the lead and at the halfway point and Brad Keselowski who had lead the second most laps (43 to that point, second to Stewart). Tony Stewart had lead early but after the first set of pit rotations fell off for awhile. Denny Hamlin also had a strong car early, but served a drive through penalty for pit road speeding when he was found to be going .004 over.
After about three quarters of the race Joey Logano took the lead from BK after he held the lead for awhile. JoLo started off slow but eventually found a set up that worked. This all happened after Kurt Busch had a tire go down and continued more bad luck for the SHR team. (Interesting to note, winning drivers do have to be in the top 30 to count for the Chase. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch will not have to worry about this with the caliber of team they're with, but this could be a concern if a driver with a lower team steals a win somewhere. Had to note because it seems some people still do not realize this).
For most of the remaining lasp Joey held the lead followed by Brad Keselowski his Penske teammate. Just when it looked like Joey had it locked up, a caution flew right before the white flag. Gordon and Vickers only took two tires and started front row for a GWC. But Joey later took the lead with four fresh tires and crossed the finish line the leader, and 7th different winner in as many races.
So Joey Logano makes it 7 for 7 to start the season. He also joins his Penske teammate as almost locks for the Chase. Fans may want to keep up with the points race though, because at this pace we will either have a lot of 1 race winners and points will matter, or there will be a huge points chase for the last few spots who don't have a win. Anyone who thinks points don't matter at all maybe surprised when the Chase rolls around.
Lets get on with it and check out the latest Power Rankings. If you missed it, which I feel like a lot of people may while at work or school, here is the full race results to the Duck Commander 500.
Pit Road: Power Rankings Week 7 (Week 6 Power Rankings)
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After about three quarters of the race Joey Logano took the lead from BK after he held the lead for awhile. JoLo started off slow but eventually found a set up that worked. This all happened after Kurt Busch had a tire go down and continued more bad luck for the SHR team. (Interesting to note, winning drivers do have to be in the top 30 to count for the Chase. Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch will not have to worry about this with the caliber of team they're with, but this could be a concern if a driver with a lower team steals a win somewhere. Had to note because it seems some people still do not realize this).
For most of the remaining lasp Joey held the lead followed by Brad Keselowski his Penske teammate. Just when it looked like Joey had it locked up, a caution flew right before the white flag. Gordon and Vickers only took two tires and started front row for a GWC. But Joey later took the lead with four fresh tires and crossed the finish line the leader, and 7th different winner in as many races.
So Joey Logano makes it 7 for 7 to start the season. He also joins his Penske teammate as almost locks for the Chase. Fans may want to keep up with the points race though, because at this pace we will either have a lot of 1 race winners and points will matter, or there will be a huge points chase for the last few spots who don't have a win. Anyone who thinks points don't matter at all maybe surprised when the Chase rolls around.
Lets get on with it and check out the latest Power Rankings. If you missed it, which I feel like a lot of people may while at work or school, here is the full race results to the Duck Commander 500.
Pit Road: Power Rankings Week 7 (Week 6 Power Rankings)
- Jeff Gordon (LW-5)- Not that Gordon doesn't deserve this after his really good run on Monday, but who else would go here anyways? Gordon has been on of the most, if no the most, consistent drivers of 2014.
- Matt Kenseth (LW-3)- Not a great run Monday, but again he finishes top 10 (that is three straight if you're counting). Yet, Kenseth hasn't been a threat to win in many of his top 10 runs this season. Something is still a little of with the #20 team.
- Kyle Busch (LW-6)- A win, a Pole, and a 3rd place finish in his last 3 races. Kyle lead some on Monday and also ran towards the front, but didn't have enough time on the GWC to get up to Logano.
- Joey Logano (LW-9)- As I said in the last Power Rankings, "If he keeps it up, he should join his Penske teammate with a win in 2014." Well I wasn't calling the win this week (I picked Kenseth), but I was on a hunch. I had the same hunch before the MIS race last year. People need to watch out for JoLo in 2014 if Penske stays ahead of the learning curve.
- Carl Edwards (LW-4)- I'm going to be honest, it starts to get crammed with guys who are all over the board from here on down. Carl didn't have a great day but finished 14th after getting his lap back during the last caution.
- Paul Menard (LW-12)- 3 straight top 10's and 4 in his last 5. Not too bad for Menard. Do remember before you get on the bandwagon, he had 3 top 10's in his first 5 races last year, and 4 in his first 8. But, ride him while he is hot I guess.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-1)- Big drop for Jr as he took himself out almost before the races started on Monday. No worries, he will just get to Michigan for testing early.
- Tony Stewart (LW-7)- After one week out of the top 10 (actually two top 5's), Smoke finishes 8th. It was a bit disappointing because he took the Pole at Texas. After the first round of pits he never seemed to find it again.
- Jimmie Johnson (LW-2)- Yes, that is Jimmie Johnson on 9th. He has run well in parts of the last 4 races but just check out how he has finished (hint, only one top 10 and only two top 20's).
- Brad Keselowski (LW-11)- Rough day for the Blue Deuce as it seemed BK dropped the ball late in the race. He and JoLo were up front coming into the last caution before a GWC and Brad got caught speeding on pit road. He had a fast car and legit shot at winning the race. He still finished 15th and good enough to keep a spot, for now.
- Brian Vickers (LW-NR)- Look who is in the top 10 in the points standings, yes Brian Vickers. BV has 3 top 10's in the last 4 races. The #55 team took a gamble with 2 tires before the GWC and it worked out to a 4th place finish.
- Kyle Larson (LW-NR)- Well one rookie into the standings and one out. Larson boots Dillon this week in the rankings. Larson now has two top 5's on the season and 3 top 10's in his last 4 races. He is flashing some sign's of being great.
Dropped Out: Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch
Just Missed: Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, and Aric Almirola
Honorable Mention: Kasey Kahne (11th) and Trevor Bayne (19th)
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