NASCAR Behind the Wall 2015 Champion
By Richard Tix
First, I want to start this by stating I know this article is a week late, sorry Brad Keselowski fans! I did state on Twitter a few times that Brad Keselowski won the battle between he and Joey Logano after he took JoLo out early.
Maybe BK knew about this tournament? Maybe he thought it was his best way to win the NASCAR Behind the Wall title this year? Or, maybe it was just that his car got loose at Bristol?
No matter what way you look at it Brad Keselowski had a good run to the Championship match-up and then limped off with the title after Bristol. It wasn't the most riveting Championship match-up, but such happens in the NASCAR world. That's most likely why NASCAR set up the last race at Miami to have four drivers, because two can be a total crap shoot (that is, if you already don't think the four is a crap shoot as it is).
This title is BK's second in the three year running of the March Madness NASCAR Style tourney on NBTW. He won the inaugural bracket in 2013, Tony Stewart won in 2014, and not notched his second in three years.
Of course it is easy to note that both previous Champions of this bracket didn't turn into real season success as BK had a rough 2013 and Smoke has been in few year slump. Either way, its a fun time of year to add a little bit to the NASCAR season. So, congrats to Brad Keselowski and here is to you beating the March Madness bracket curse!
So lets take a look back at the rules and how he got to the Championship and won.
Rules and Bracket Breakdown
- Brackets were decided by current standings after the race at Las Vegas. Four Divisions, top 4 in the standings got the #1 seeds, 5-8 in the standings got the #2 seeds, 9-12 #3 seeds and so on.
- From the standings the rankings were given out serpentine style. Meaning: The driver ranked 5th (first #2 seed) started in the lowest #1 seed's bracket. That continues until the three seeds where it then goes from top back down.
- Here is how the rounds break down by race (first race we have two eliminations to speed it up).
- Phoenix: Round 32
- Auto Club: Sweet 16
- Martinsville: Elite 8
- Texas: Final Four
- Bristol: Championship
- The driver that finishes Highest in the race moves on, no bonus points included (Think the last Chase Race)
Round by Round Articles:
Opening Round
- After a rough Daytona and then a pair of top 10's at Atlanta and Vegas BK came into the tourney as a #5 seed in the 2014 Champ Division. The notables in the division were Harvick, McMurray, and Hamlin. BK's first round match-up was with the #4 seeded David Gilliland. Gilliland finished an ok 29th at Phoenix, meanwhile BK advanced by finishing 6th. He also lead 52 laps in the race that was pretty much dominated by Harvick.
Sweet 16
- The bracket then moved to Auto Club where BK met up with Kevin Harvick. This was the biggest test of the bracket and was BK's biggest competition in his division. Well, BK went into Fontana and won after starting 8th and leading just 1 lap, the one that mattered. It was a big move that shaped how the bracket turned out and took the 2014 Champ out after just one round.
Elite Eight
- In the Elite Eight Keselowski met up with Jamie McMurray at Martinsville, where anything goes. McMurray came into the race after a rough 21st finish at Auto Club and he posted a strong finish at Martinsville. However, JMac's 10th place finish at the paper clip wasn't enough to beat out Keselowski's runner up finish. Once again BK had a close call but also put out one of his better performances of 2015 to move on.
Final Four
- The NASCAR Behind the Wall tourney then moved onto Texas where only four drivers were left. BK faced up against Kyle Larson and Joey Logano faced Aric Almirola. Kyle Larson actually advanced while he was out a race after he fainted at Martinsville. Regan Smith filled in for him and advanced the #42 car onto the Final Four. After starting 9th, Larson finished 25th and didn't give him much of a shot to beat BK. On top of that, BK finished in the top 5 again to put himself into the Championship again (5th).
Championship
- Heading into Bristol Brad Keselowski earned his way in. He had finishes of 6th, 1st, 2nd, and 5th to get to the Championship match-up. At Texas Joey Logano beat out Aric Almirola for a spot in a head to head battle with his Penske teammate. As we all know, Bristol and rain went together like milk and cereal. Who know's if that played a factor in BK getting loose, but he did and Logano had no where to go. So both Penske drivers, both NBTW Championship contenders, were down for the count in one turn. BK ended up getting back out onto the track before Joey and that ended up being the end of the Championship. It was anticlimactic, but sometimes that is how it goes I guess.
So, that's the end of the Third Annual March Madness NASCAR Styke Tournament brought to you by NASCAR Behind the Wall. So, go congratulate BK on something he most likely has no idea he won and lets enjoy the rest of the NASCAR season until we get to there playoff system in the Fall.
As always, thanks for checking out NASCAR Behind the Wall and all the March Madness articles. It is some of my favorite articles to do because it brings a few sports into one, and I am a huge sports fan in general.
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