Weekly Review and Power Rankings
Week 30
By Richard Tix
I'm going to start off by saying this, Kyle Larson is on one heck of a run. It's too bad the 2014 rookie didn't make the Chase this season because he would be giving the veterans a run for there money. His 2nd place finish at Kansas made it four top 10's in four Chase races (3rd, 2nd, 6th, and 2nd). He was already gaining a following all season at the Cup level, but if he was in the Chase I think he would have a full on bandwagon going.
Back to the Chase, Sunday at Kansas was one of two huge races in this three race segment. Why? Because these two winners (Kansas and Charlotte) will have a stress free Talladega. So, when Joey Logano won the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday a huge weight dropped of his shoulders, he is on to the final 8 after Dega.
That brings us to Charlotte. Depending on how the race sets up, it should be an exciting race when it comes to story lines. Brad Keselowski (36th), Dale Earnhadrt Jr (39th) and Jimmie Johnson (40th) all favorites entering the 2014 Chase had troubles on Sunday which put them in a hole. That puts them -39, -42, and -44 behind in points respectivly. As we saw at Kansas with these guys, it can happen to anyone in the Chase so they still have a chance (especially with the win and you advance rule). Thats why Charlotte will be such a huge race, because no one wants to count on Talladega to move on.
Also, when you think of rough days, Dega is a track that comes to mind. Anyone can have a bad day there just because of a wreck that involved someone else and caught them in the process. All that drama will come in the next few weeks, so lets focus on now; Week 30 Power Rankings.
Pit Road Power Rankings Week 30 (Week 29)
- Joey Logano (LW-2)- The first three races in the Chase couldn't have gone better for JoLo and now an even more important round of races has started off with a bang. The win at Kansas means way more then any win in the first three races (as will a win in the next round). But this round is really only two races and then a wild card (Talladega). Huge weekend for JoLo.
- Kyle Busch (LW-6)- Was that Kyle Busch finishing 3rd at Kansas? Rowdy's 3rd place finish at Kansas is almost as big as JoLo's win (other then Joey locked in a ticket to next round). Why is that? Because he has been notoriously off at Kansas in the past and this was his first top 5 in 15 attempts.
- Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick finished 12th after leading 61 laps (second only to Joey Logano). He has been fast all year and should bounce back at Charlotte.
- Carl Edwards (LW-10)- Opposite of JoLo, Carl's first three Chase races couldn't have gone much worse (well he could have missed the cut, but you get the picture). This time around he starts his round off with a 5th place finish, which was the third best Chase Contender.
- Jeff Gordon (LW-3)- Not the starts Gordon wanted, but a 14th place finish wont kill him this round. He finished 7th at Charlotte last time after starting 27th.
- Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Hamlin finished 7th on Sunday after starting 25th. DH just got through last round but the round reset may have him staying towards the top and advancing.
- Ryan Newman (LW-9)- The guy everyone counts out because he doesn't have a win in 2014 is still doing his thing. A 6th place finish on Sunday, he is proving that it is possible to stay in contention without winning and racing on points. His day may come to an end before he wins, but he is fighting.
- Matt Kenseth (LW-7)- Matt Kenseth hasn't been the front runner he was during the regular season, but he is hanging in there. a 13th place finish on Sunday wont kill his chances of moving on but he will need to turn it up at Charlotte so he doesn't have to worry at Dega.
- Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- BK had a rough day after a great first three Chase races, In the mean time he watched his teammate win and advance. BK finished 13th at Charlotte earlier this year after starting 3rd, so look out for a fast Penske Ford at CHA.
- Jimmie Johnson (LW-5)- Nothing was fun for JJ at Kansas when it came to on track performance. He qualified 32nd and then went out early on Sunday and finished 40th (lowest of any contender).
- Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-8)- The second lowest finisher of the Contenders, Jr also made his way into the wall and a hard luck day. Jr started 8th so he had a lot of opportunity to start. On to the next one for the #88 crew.
- Kasey Kahne (LW-12)- Yes, Kasey finished ahead of BK and JJ (22nd), but he hasn't shown this season that he will be a constant threat to win week to week. Charlotte will be a big race for Kahne as he has done well there in the past.
- Kyle Larson (LW-13)- Just think how much hype (on top of his crazy hype) would be on Larson if he would have made the Chase? He is looking poised for a win soon.
- Martin Truex Jr (LW-14)- It took the #78 team awhile to get going with Truex, but lately he has been on a roll (14th, 12th, 7th, and 4th). You just hope he and the team can keep it up going forward and into next year.
This week NASCAR Behind the Wall had about 15-20 votes on Twitter and only one guy came out a winner, predicting Joey Logano to win. Remember, anyone can let me know who they think will win any given race, and if you are right you will get the spotlight in the review!
Matt was the only one picking JoLo. He writes over on TimersSports (a different sports blog). Check them out.
2 comments:
Wow. Keselowski took a big drop. Every week will be a battle unless Jo Lo gets on a good streak.
I'm a huge BK fan, but this was the start of a new round and his tough luck cost him a strong start. He would never drop this much during a regular season finish like that, but they mean so much more now.
JoLo gets a pass for two races now and won't have to worry at Talladega. Should be fun.
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