Weekly Review and Power Rankings
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
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| Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Kevin C. Cox |
By Richard Tix
After kicking off the season with a bang at the Daytona 500 and a 0.01 sec difference between race winner Denny Hamlin and runner up Martin Truex Jr, NASCAR moved onto Atlanta Motor Speedway and the new Low Downforce package this week. Atlanta had some big shoes to fill after such a great finish and beginning to the season.
The low downforce package (learn more about it here) also had big shoes to fill after two great showings in it's test phase last season at Kentucky and Darlington. Atlanta would be the first test for a packaged that drivers and fans alike were very excited for in 2016.
The race opened with one Busch Brother (Kurt) taking the pole position from another Busch Brother (Kyle) after Kyle failed post qualifying tech inspection. From there we had around 210 laps of green flag action. Yes, action. If you were just following my twitter feed I was seeing some fans would lead you to believe we had 210 laps of boring racing. However, there was tons of on track action dispite any cautions.
Passing was happening from first all the way back and drivers were working hard to keep there spots. Early on it was all Kurt Busch's race, but then it was taken over by Matt Kenseth. That was until a green flag stop where NASCAR caught the No. 20 team's gas man with a penalty that was to be served in a pass through penalty.
Even though everyone knew (except Matt Kesneth himself) that the team needed to come in, he was black flagged and eventually ran two laps that never counted, which effectively ruined his day. I complete oversight by CC and team, Kenseth was obviously not happy and never made up the ground.
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| John Amis/Associated Press |
Kevin Harvick seemed to take over from there on out (with brief laps led by Jimmie Johnson) and it looked like his to loose even after our first caution for debris. Coming down to the last stops Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus made the bold call to pit a bit early and gamble that the race went green for awhile so his grab for track position worked, well it did. A caution didn't come until we were in the overtime portion of the race, which opened the race back up for Harvick (who was trying to run down JJ), Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards.
JJ got a nice restart and got out front again and once they hit turn three and four the field fell apart behind them, causing a caution and the race to end. Either way it looked like JJ was going onto his 76 career win which ties him with the late Dale Earnhardt on the NASCAR Cup All Time List.
Overall the race was great. It was an awesome showing of the new low downforce package. As Dale Earnhardt Jr stated, "if we had a bunch of cautions and restarts it wouldn't have effectively shown everyone how great of a package we have."
The race truly had everything most fans have been asking for whether they realize it or not. It had great green flag runs. It had tons of passing up front and in the pack. Aero push up front seemed to be less of a factor. Drivers definitely had to work at controlling their car which was my favorite part. These guys are the best in the world at Stock Car Racing, make them work! The cars were loose and fast and all over the place. Crew Chiefs had a time to shine (Chad Knaus) and falter (Jason Ratcliff). Different strategies could be played out (pitting early or not), and lastly the tire wear was almost perfect. The tires fell off and drivers had to either push it to gain track position quickly with a risk of falling off, or take care of their equipment for the long run speed.
Whether you realize it or not, the race had everything that the majority of fans I interact with have been asking for the past few years. It was a huge step in making 1.5 mile tracks more entertaining. I have to say, if your one complaint was the long green flag run, you have to realize that this is racing and these things happen. Tune back in the next few weeks and check out how much fun this package is going to be!
Pit Road Power Rankings Week 2 (Week 1)
- Kevin Harvick (LW-3)- 131 laps led, which was the most on the day, and still no trip to victory lane. He has had two in a row stolen from him late by JJ, but he has been strong early on in 2016. Finish: 6th
- Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Two strong showing's and a points lead (which doesn't mean much anymore). He started in the back and found his way to the front with a chance to win it late. Finish: 3rd
- Jimmie Johnson (LW-8)- Two year in a row he found himself up front late. He and Chad worked that race to perfection and this time the gamble paid off. That is what Champions do. Finish: 1st
- Martin Truex Jr (LW-5)- Truex hasn't missed a beat since moving from Chevy to Toyota. He lead 34 laps but was more of a top 5 guy in my opinion. He should win another race at the very least this season if he keeps this up. Finish: 7th
- Carl Edwards (LW-6)- Winning car? Probably not, but he put himself in a spot to where a late restart at least gave him a slim shot. He was good most of the day and it showed. Finish: 5th
- Kurt Busch (LW-7)- He looked like the guy to beat early on, but Atlanta is a long day. After leading 62 laps he still was up front at the end of the day. Finish: 4th
- Brad Keselowski (LW-11)- After Team Penske had a rough go round in qualifying that is weird since the Gen 6 has been run, BK made his way to the top 10 pretty quick. He had a top ten car but not much more on Sunday. Finish: 9th
- Joey Logano (LW-4)- It was not Joey's day, yet he spent a lot of time near the top 10 all day after starting towards the back. Even after having to pit early with a loose tire, he still fought back to an ok finish. Finish: 12th
- Denny Hamlin (LW-1)- What happened to Denny? Most of JGR was fantastic on the day, and the Daytona 500 winner was no where to be seen all day. Finish: 16th
- Matt Kenseth (LW-9)- I almost feel bad ranking Kenseth lower then Hamlin. Kenseth had a fast car worth a top 5, but some team and CC mistakes left him in a spot where he couldn't overcome. Finish: 19th
- Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW- NR)- What a fun day for Jr. He expressed his pleasure with this new package and it showed on the track. The 88, 18, and 2 run that FOX caught on TV was a fantastic fight for position. Finish: 2nd
- Chase Elliott (LW-NR)- What a run by young Chase. After a quick Daytona 500 Chase spent most of his day in the top 10 without anyone barely knowing. He finished there too. Finish: 8th
Dropped Out: Ryan Newman (LW-10) and Kyle Larson (LW-12)
Just Missed: Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon, and Greg Biffle
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