Pit Road Week 16: Sonoma

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 16

By Richard Tix

The Toyota Save Mart 350 finish was anticlimactic, yet many fans are once again asking for more road courses, or at least one in the Chase. Carl Edwards may have pulled away late for the easy victory (Gordon looked like he had a chance with about 12 left, but by about 5 left he started loosing ground again) but the race at Sonoma was a lot of fun.

Guys bumped and banged and made there way from the back to the front, or for some there way from front to back. Road courses take some drivers out of there comfort zone and then put some drivers into theirs (Ambrose and Allmendinger).

This year was different though. This year with a win meaning so much more, not many ringers were called in to driver for a team (a trend that has been sliding downwards the last few years). Also, other drivers are starting to take notice and figure something out on these courses. Marcus Ambrose did not have a dominate day (which Watkins Glenn is the track he has done the best at out of the two, but he is no slouch at Sonoma). Dale Earnhardt Jr even was relevant all day (had not finished better then 11th, which was 10 years ago, until Sundays 3rd place finish). 

Whether its luck that drivers found there way up front or the fact that teams are focusing more on these tracks, its a good thing. I predicted this year in my 2014 Chase Predictions, "No, I think Ambrose will be shut out again in 2014 at road courses. Look out for AJ this season though." Obviously, I wont get all my predictions right, but coming into the season I did think it was interesting Ambrose was shut out last year and I do think the new Chase points system will keep changing the road course as we know it.

If a road course race was added to the Chase it would amplify the importance of these types of courses even more. Not to mention how much excitement would be added for fans just because of turning right. I think what gets me excited about road courses in NASCAR is the fact that cars get to beat and bang on each other at these tracks, but you can not do at a 1.5 mile track without ruining your own car (Also why I like short track racing).

If you missed it here are the Toyota Save Mart 350 race results. 

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 16 (Week 15)

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-2)- Alright, JJ didn't really do anything to lose his top spot so Ill take the heat JJ fans. But rather, Jr had one heck of a run on Sunday after never finishing better then 11th at Sonoma. At one point it looked like if we got a caution Jr could contend for the win. Think about that when you are thinking about Jr not being very good at Sonoma.
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-1)- Well, its a tie for 1st this week really. JJ did nothing to lose his spot after a 7th place finish and spending most of the day towards the front. Since Kansas JJ has been on fire and is 2nd in points, behind fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon and in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Jeff Gordon (LW-3)- I thought Gordon was going to pull it off (after all I did pick him to win before the race). He had a strong car on Sunday (though he looked weird in it) and as always he knew how to get his car around the track. He came up just short, but a second place finish will keep the 24 team on a roll.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW-5)- Here is where the rankings become dicey. Harvick had one of the best cars all day and was even fighting through bad timed cautions to work his way back up front time after time. But, as always in 2014, he ran into bad luck and hit Bowyer when Clint was turned around (and may have had a right rear tire down). He still finished 20th which could have been much worse, but don't forget he has been one of the best cars week to week.
5. Clint Bowyer (LW-11)- After a pretty poor start to the 2014 season it seems like Bowyer is getting it together (I still want to see more, but its been a good run). His last four finishes are 4th, 11th, 10th, and 10th at Sonoma. After having a tire go down and getting spun late, the 10th place finish is nothing to be too upset about.
6. Jamie McMurray (LW-7)- This weekends Pole winner, McMurray ran very well all day long. In fact, he has been under the radar since Charlotte. Not being talked about, his worst finish since Charlotte is 13th and he has two top 5's and three top 10's in that time (5 races). He is 19th in points but only 4 points out of the top 16 and with the Firecracker 400 (Daytona) coming up he could lock in a spot with a win. 
7. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- BK's day at Sonoma was a day to forget. His car was flat out awful and he did nothing to help it. He started 13th and fell back quickly. Then he and Kyle Busch got into it early which left BK spun out. BK stated "I deserved that with how bad this car is right now." He did fight his way back to 22nd late in the race, but wine country will be a Sunday for the 2 team to forget.
8. Paul Menard (LW-10)- Speaking of under the radar (McMurray), Paul Menard now has back to back top 5's. Not only that, but he has tied his career best for top 10's (9 in 2012 and 2013) with his 5th place finish at Sonoma. He may get in on points this year because it is now 16, but even in last years points system he is still having a great season.
9. Carl Edwards (LW-NR)- Carl dropped off my rankings last week just to win at Sonoma this week. I still haven't seen the power or speed come out of the Roush team yet this year which has to be concerning for the 99. Carl just hasn't had the cars to compete this year, yet he is 6th in the standings.
10. Kyle Larson (LW-8)- The first half of the race Larson was running most of the day in the top 10. The in the second half things kind of fell apart. Kyle still did spent over half the day in the top 15 and was running an average position of 15th but his 28th place finish was disappointing. 
11. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- When you say Kasey Kahne you can't really say great year after it. But, the 5 team is sticking around. Currently 16th in points the team just seems to be missing something. That said, in the last two races Kahne has shown he isn't near ready to give up. With a 5th place finish at Michigan and a 6th at Sonoma this team may have just gained some much needed confidence. 
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- Kenseth wasn't running his best race of his season, but when Jr hopped a curb and bumped into Kenseth sending him hard into a tire wall it turned it into a horrible day. Luckily Kenseth got out of the car fine, but it ended his day just short and he finished 42nd. Kenseth just hangs on in my rankings purely because for the most part he has had a really good season, yet he is win less. 

• Dropping Out: Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin
• Just Missed: Ryan Newman
• Honorable Mention: Marcus Ambrose, Greg Biffle, and Casey Mears

Well that's it for NASCAR's first road course visit of the 2014 season. I didn't have a single vote for Carl Edwards this week so no Twitter Follower gets a shout out this week. I did have a lot of Jeff Gordon votes, AJ Allmendinger, and even one vote for Paul Menard but no winners. NASCAR heads to Kentucky this weekend which could also be a wild card race. Cup has only been coming here for 3 years so maybe a new team will figure it out before others. As always, thanks for reading and checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall. Look this week for the Kentucky Schedule, Driver Entry List, and a Throw Back Thursday 2015 Hall of Fame addition!