2015 Pit Road Week 28: Loudon

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Sylvania 300

By Richard Tix

Another Chase race and another Joe Gibbs Racing win. This team has been on fire lately and it is clear that everyone else needs to catch up if they want a shot at the Championship. So, we will head into next weekend with everyone else trailing and needing some big finishes. 

Many drivers are safe baring big issues at Dover, but others need huge finishes in order to advance including last years Champ, Kevin Harvick. So, can guys like Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Clint Bowyer get it going this weekend? Or will they be left outside the top 12 and finish 2015 on a sour note? 

Until we get to see the outcome this weekend, lets take a look at the latest Power Rankings after NHMS.

Remember, the Power Rankings during the Chase are expanded to 16 spots and only Chase driver eligible drivers can be on it. That means when it is cut to 12 drivers we will cut down to the top 12 in the rankings. Each round after that (so say 8 drivers) the final four spots can go to anyone, but the top 8 spots will continue to go to current Chase drivers.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 28

1. Matt Kenseth- Sundays race winner was going to the next round regardless, but the W makes any overthinking this weekend go away. Kenseth now has two wins in his last three and four in his last eight, that is 50% for you math majors.
2. Denny Hamlin- JGR is something else right now and Denny is happy to be a part of it. After struggling though injuries (still is) and JGR having a down year, every JGR car can be considered a contender (yes, see below for Kyle).
3. Joey Logano- JoLo is one of the only guys almost at the JGR level. Team Penske has strong cars, but just can't put together a winning car vs JGR consistently. But, it is more than anyone else can say. Joey has seven straight top 10's including two wins.
4. Carl Edwards- Two top 5's to start the Chase and Carl is still behind three drivers and two teammates, tough crowd.. If JGR continues to run this way its possible to see at least three in the final.
5. Brad Keselowski- Sundays 12th place finish was BK's non top 10 in 11 races (had 10 straight going). That is 20 combined top 10's for Team Penske in the last 11 races (22 top 10's total for the math majors). 
6. Ryan Newman- He is doing it again....Newman has now started this 2015 Chase out with two top 10's. This is the kind of consistency that got him to the final last year.
7. Jimmie Johnson- A quality start to the Chase for JJ (11th and 6th), but it's hard to get excited when you see how great JGR is running. Still, finishes like this will buy them time to catch up in the next round and figure it all out.
8. Jeff Gordon- Gordon doesn't have a ton of breathing room, but another run like Sunday and he will advance and have another go at it. HMS really needs to catch up a bit to give the 48, 24, and 88 a better shot.
9. Martin Truex Jr- After a 13th and an 8th to start the Chase Martin is still hanging around. It has been a good go, but they may need more to advance to the final 8.
10. Kurt Busch- Tough finish on Sunday but his strong 3rd place finish at Chicagoland gave him some breathing room. They just need to post a solid finish and focus on next round.
11. Kyle Busch- Not what Kyle needed on Sunday, but we have seen what he can do in 2015 with his back against the wall. He has some of the fastest cars (JGR), so you can not count him out of this yet.
12. Jamie McMurray- Consistency has been McMurray's thing all year and it might just be enough to move along in round one. Another top 15 and he should squeak by.
13. Kevin Harvick- This is where this Chase becomes tough on some fans, but I will tell you he would be in a hole even if it was the old Chase. Oh, and don't bring up a just points system because NASCAR isn't going back that way. He still is very good, so he may give NASCAR the dramatics they want with a win this weekend.
14. Paul Menard- He isn't running poorly, but it hasn't been good either. Paul really needs a top 10 to give himself a chance at just getting in.
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr- Sunday was not good for Jr and he is now in a pressure spot. Currently he is in for next round, but he will have to avoid any mistakes to advance, which is a tough spot to be in.
16. Clint Bowyer- It was a good run to get into the Chase, but all that momentum is gone and it looks like he is a long shot to advance. Bowyer practically needs a win to move on (though it is mathematically possible to not win and advance).