Weekly Review and Power Rankings
Federated Auto Part 400
By Richard Tix
NASCAR leaves Richmond International Raceway behind in 2015 and will jump right into the 2015 Sprint Cup Chase. The second time around the Federated Auto Parts 400 was dominated by Matt Kenseth.
Not only did he dominate the race, but no one new (without a win) really challenged for the front which would have really kicked up the drama. It was once again another strong showing by Joe Gibbs Racing which leaves them in a great spot for the last 10 races.
NASCAR heads to Chicagoland to kick off the second year of the new Chase rules. The winner of the race (as long as they're already in the top 16) will be the first driver to advance to the next round.
We will dive into the Chase later this week, so lets take a look at the latest Power Rankings. Next week we will start the Chase format in power rankings where only the top 16 can be in the rankings, and once they drop out there spot is open for the taking.
Pit Road Power Rankings Week 26 (Week 25)
- Joey Logano (LW-2)- JoLo heads into the Chase feeling pretty good about himself. He has three straight top 5 finishes and 11 top 10's in the last 12 races. That's a streak that would get him into the Finale at Miami. Finish: 3rd
- Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Harvick is human... After starting 6th it wasn't a typical night for Harvick. I think the poor finish will just fuel another top 5 to start the Chase. Finish: 14th
- Kyle Busch (LW-4)- The field is finally wiped clean. Rowdy will start the Chase tied for first with four wins and is a favorite to win the title. Finish: 2nd
- Brad Keselowski (LW-3)- BK has been second fiddle to JoLo all year, but he has put together a quality season. Team Penske is the closest thing (other than Harvick) to competing with JGR at the moment. Finish: 8th
- Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-5)- Jr now has 4 straight top 10's in the middle of a HMS rut. That's a good sign for Jr Nation. If HMS catched back up to JGR he has a real shot. Finish: 5th
- Matt Kenseth (LW-8)- Well that was a dominating win to cap off the regular season. Kenseth maybe didn't make it fun for NASCAR fans, but his "Nation" sure loved it. He lead 352 laps and had the car to beat all night. Man does JGR look good right now. Finish: 1st
- Denny Hamlin (LW-7)- Hamlin creeps into the Chase yet again, but this year he is on a hot streak. Will the results be the same? The final four is not going to be an easy thing when three of his teammates are so good. Finish: 6th
- Carl Edwards (LW-6)- All three JGR drivers could be a notch higher on the rankings, but the problem is you don;t know week to week which one will finish the best. It is like a really good conference in football that beats up on each other so the individual value comes down. Finish: 11th
- Jimmie Johnson (LW-9)- It is weird seeing JJ down this low, but trust me you don't want to count him and Chad out. They still have a few weeks to figure it out because they should be good enough to advance the first round the way they are now. Finish: 9th
- Clint Bowyer (LW-11)- It was a long shot that Bowyer would drop out at RIR, but he made sure it wouldn't happen by running well and notching a top 10. Finish: 10th
- Kyle Larson (LW-12)- Larson wont get to see these rankings the next few weeks for sure (starting next week only Chase drivers get a spot), but once we cut down the Chase drivers, non Chase drivers get a spot to get back in them. Last year he was a mainstay during the Chase as a non Chase driver. Finish: 11th
- Kurt Busch (LW-10)- Not the best way to enter the Chase. After his come back early this year he looked like a title favorite, now he will look to just get to the final 8. Finish: 15th
Dropped Out: None
Just Missed: Jamie McMurray and Aric Almirola
It's been a good time to be a Kenseth fan!
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