2016 March Madness NASCAR Style: Championship

Behind the Wall Championship Game

By Richard Tix

Racing under the lights with the bright light shinning off of 40 Cup cars can not be topped. Nothing beats watching a night race at the highest level or on a Saturday night at your local track. The visual aesthetics were great all night long, but part of the race lacked the "it" factor. 

However, the finish of the race was fantastic and if you have been following along with the Final Four on Behind the Wall you had some extra drama. All four drivers were decent contenders Saturday night which made it fun to watch.

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: Round of 32
• Sweet 16
• Elite Eight
• Final Four

2016: 4th Annual NBTW NASCAR March Madness
1	Kyle Busch		1	Kyle Busch		1	Denny Hamlin
2	Kevin Harvick		2	Joey Logano		2	Joey Logano

This past week at Texas all four drivers finished in the top twelve (three of the four in the top 10) giving Behind the Wall an exciting Final Four for anyone following along. Denny Hamlin was the lone driver outside the top 10 but most of the night Joey was having a better day anyways. In the end Kevin Harvick was stuck in a race where they were trying something new and Kyle Busch ran away with the win late in the race.

Championship Match-Up

1. Kyle Busch v. 2. Joey Logano

• This is actually a dream match-up at Bristol. Both drivers are not only starting to really hit their stride in their careers but they also have a nice track record at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch has five total BMS wins in his career which ties for the most of any current driver (tied with Kurt Busch). Lately he hasn't run as well here, but he is on fire right now so I would assume he will snap out of that. Menawhile, Joey Logano has two career wins in 14 starts, but they have both come in the last three races. JoLo has proven to be a legit threat to win anytime NASCAR stops at Bristol, so this week should be a great Championship match-up. 

For more, don't forget to check out this weeks Bristol Motor Speedway race preview and also the current driver BMS stats and averages all on Behind the Wall.